UK Edition
How I learnt to love golf, the perfect lockdown sport
Outdoors, socially distanced and good for the soul: golf is a sport for everyone – so long as you can get over your preconceptions
Over the years, I’ve turned hating golf into something of an art form. In fact, bar a brief obsession with the kinda-sorta-golf movie Tin Cup, I’ve avoided the sport at all costs. I’ve been known to break out in dramatic monologues (“the futility of swinging a lump of metal around to hit a tiny ball!”) and on the rare occasion someone has dared to suggest I watch the US Open, I've made it clear I would rather gouge my eyes out than stare at men wandering around in polo shirts, thankyouverymuch.
I grew up around a number of golf-loving men, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the object of their obsession. I loved fast, strategic sports like football, which had tonnes of female role models to look up to. In comparison, golf seemed slow, simple and super male.
But the pandemic has turned the world upside down in more ways than one – and so here I am, writing as a convert. Not only have I tried this previously dreaded sport during lockdown, I’ve also come to love it.
It started when my partner and I decided to take a short break in the countryside just after the end of lockdown, for a few days of R&R.
As a Type 1 diabetic who had spent a significant amount of time shielding indoors, I wanted to spend as much time outside, breathing fresh non-urban air and being as active as possible. You can imagine my joy when I learnt the only ‘Covid-safe’ activity available nearby was golf.
The weather was nice, though, and the £10 it cost to rent sanitised golf clubs seemed a fair exchange for a few hours of competitive fun.
Obviously, I was terrible – no swing, no skill, no sense of direction – but as each ball flew (or bobbled) across the green, I felt excited. I wanted to see what challenges I would face next.
A couple of holes in, I was into it. My putts were terrible but my drives were surprisingly accurate. The more I practised, the better I became.
It occurred to me that golf is really just a competition with yourself. The McIlroys and Spieths of the world might win tournaments, but most golfers don’t come close. They simply develop their skills, do their best, get scored and repeat. Unlike tennis or cricket, where it’s one person or team against the other, competitors in a round of golf are fundamentally united: it’s us versus the course.
Plus, hope springs eternal in golf. Even if I lost my second to last ball in the trees, I could bomb my final drive down the fairway, through the sun, and get a hole in one. OK, that never actually happens – but it could.
I started looking for golf lessons the minute we turned our clubs in, and messaged my in-laws to let them know their sport of choice might not be so bad after all.
Months on, golf has become my recreational sport of choice. It’s naturally socially distant (therefore practical for vulnerable people like me), therapeutic (in the way spending time outdoors always is), and one of the only places I feel safe to interact with new people.
I’m loving it in ways that extend far beyond its Covid safety, too: it’s given me a reason to ‘switch off’ (which has become increasingly difficult throughout the pandemic), a place to spend a few hours with my partner and family, and even the excitement to plan golf-friendly holidays when everything goes ‘back to normal’.
Though I only play a few times a month at the moment, I see each day I play as a privilege. A privilege that requires the kind of time, equipment and access I have only been able to afford – in every sense – as an adult, and a privilege that means more and more to me every time I learn something new.
After a couple of decades in denial, I am happy golf proved me wrong. Whether you’re looking to play for leisure, work or sport, don’t hesitate: it truly has something for everyone.
Your ultimate beginner’s golf kit
1. Beginner’s golf clubs
To hit golf balls around you will, indeed, require a set of golf clubs – but don’t go rushing to buy a full set straight off the bat. I, too, was tempted to splash out on a full 14-club beginner’s set, but you really only need a driver, wood, hybrid, iron and putter.
Your driver will be the longest club in the bag, and you’ll use it to tee off on most holes; fairway woods (sometimes called fairway metals) are the next-longest, and are typically used for distance on the green; hybrids have the length of an iron but a bigger head, meaning they’re pretty easy to use and help to get the ball in the air; irons make up the core of your golf bag, with different types helping as you get closer to the hole; and a putter, of course, will help you at the end on the green.
While a selection of such clubs will come in most beginner’s sets, they will be low quality and fairly light, meaning those taking the sport seriously will outgrow them in a few months. It’s better to invest gradually, which will save you more money in the long run.
Start with clubs such as the Ping G410 (£109, ClickGolf). The iron is extremely forgiving, thanks to a significant relocation of weight; and flexible, with a larger ‘flexing zone’ which should help to increase ball speeds for more distance.
Adding something like the Ping Heppler Ketsch Adjustable Golf Putter (£249, ClickGolf), with a strong, solid face that will last for years, will set you up nicely.
2. Golf bag
It’s going to be pretty difficult to carry your clubs around without a golf bag, so be sure to get one as soon as you start buying your own clubs. The Callaway Golf Chev Stand Bag is a great option, as it’s affordable but ticks all the important boxes: comfort, quality and balance, plus a water-resistant valuables pocket and a hidden rain hood pocket behind the hip pad, which frees up the apparel pocket. It even comes in six different colourways, so you can pick the style that suits you best.
3. Golf watch
If you are ready to invest in becoming a really good golfer (and why wouldn’t you?), you'll get a great return with the Shot Scope V3. The golf watch not only assesses your performance as you play, but tells you the yardages (front, middle and back) and hazards on every hole.
Put simply, the Shot Scope is like a golf pro that doesn’t leave your side; it tells you which clubs you chip and drive best with, why you miss shots as you miss them, and all the technical information you need to improve your game. As you get better, it even awards medals and allows you to ‘compete’ with friends via the app.
4. (Used) golf balls
If there is anything you don’t need to buy to begin with, it’s new golf balls. You will lose hundreds in the woods, grass and water as a beginner, so you’re much better off buying a bag of used balls from your course directly.
5. Golf clothes
Though many courses have refreshed their old-school dress codes in recent years, a few rules are widely upheld. Clubs tend to require a collared shirt, a pair of trousers, short white socks and golf shoes (though the latter isn’t always necessary for beginners). Women may wear golf skirts or skorts, but many clubs require them to be long enough to hit the knee.
It’s best practice to check the dress code on your chosen course’s website and invest in one or two full outfits to suit changing weather conditions.
If you’re not sure where to start, Golfino is a brilliant speciality golf brand, with styles to suit most tastes, and Amazon regularly has good deals on golf clothing if you want to try different styles from different brands.
6. Golf towels
Most people overlook golf towels when they’re setting up their golf bags, but they’re extremely handy. Carry two: one to clean your clubs, and another to dry your hands or wipe sweat away. The 100 per cent cotton velour PGA Tour golf towels, which include clips to hang off your golf bag, are second to none.
7. Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a must-have for all golfers, whether it’s sunny or not, as your skin will be exposed to UV and UVB rays for hours at a time. Something small and lightweight is best, so you can keep it in your golf bag without weighing it down, like the Korres Yoghurt sunscreen spray. As well as protecting your skin from sun damage, it’s mineral oil-free and water-resistant, meaning you can spray and go, without the risk of slippy hands, every few hours.