When was the last time you did something for the first time? Well, I’ve always loved golf carts. Like tennis, golf seemed like a great excuse to wear a short skirt, so this was the year I tried golf for the first time.
For 90% of people I know, the only things that come to mind when they hear the word golf are Tiger Woods or Caddyshack. And that’s fair — it’s not exactly the choice pastime of the millennial set. That may change come 2050 when millennials become retirees.
Being born into a family of golfers or having buddies who like to take a six-pack to the driving range every once in a while are generally the most common prerequisites for getting into it golf. I fall into neither of those categories. I simply registered for golf through my local rec center. I had no idea how I’d feel about it. I even thought I might find it boring.
The reason I registered? My Saturday morning tennis lessons were canceled and I needed a motive to get out of bed and start my weekends on an active note.
I remember once watching an episode of Malcolm in the Middle in which it was said that the only thing worse than no TV is golf on TV. It’s kind of true. But now that I’ve taken a few months of golf lessons I can say that playing it is actually way more fun than watching it.
As I mentioned, golf carts are the best. Throw in the fact that a little wine spritzer on the course isn’t exactly frowned upon and you could be looking at a few glorious weekend hours spending quality time with friends.
Consider the fact that 15 of the last 18 presidents have been golfers and Richard Nixon didn’t even start to golf until the age of 39. If you take your first golf lesson now, you’ll be setting yourself up for a lifetime of bragging rights.
Now, angling over to a female perspective: women are becoming more entrepreneurial than ever. Many business connections are made on the golf course – in fact, 90% of those on the Fortune 500 List are golfers. The LPGA tour is actually older than the PGA tour. As much as many of us wish deals and connections in the pilates studio instead (and someday they probably will be!) it can never hurt to be as athletically ambidextrous as possible.
Pro golfer Stacy Lewis names several fun reasons why golf is great for women and vice versa. Newsweek wrote about the undeniable sexism that exists in the golfing world, but that never stopped women from starting their own businesses. If anything, it’s one more obstacle to enjoy crushing.
Lastly, women should golf because it’s one of the best ways to unwind. Honestly, it’s second only to yoga. If I could take a boombox full of Enya tunes with me on the golf course, I would. For now, I’ll stick to mint and cucumber-infused water and breath in those grassy scents. Twilight golf would be pretty stunning.
Another thing worth addressing is the cost of equipment and playing. Once I registered for my second set of lessons and decided it was something I wanted to commit to, I found that buying used golf equipment is surprisingly easy and affordable. My instructor at the Emerald Hills Golf Course in Redwood City told me what I needed to know to buy a good set of clubs. I was able to snag some for $50 on Craigslist. FYI, that advice included clubs less than 5 years old with graphite shafts.
My instructor at the Emerald Hills Golf Course in Redwood City told me what I needed to know to buy a good set of clubs. I was able to snag some for $50 on Craigslist. FYI, that advice included clubs less than 5 years old with graphite shafts.
Poshmark has since helped me land a $15 pair of lightly used Adidas golf shoes and a Stella McCartney skirt. That’s less than the cost of a spa treatment! So here’s my rule of thumb: stick to Craigslist for the clubs and Poshmark for the fashion. There’s an unbelievable range of cute clothes on there for the course from Lacoste, lululemon, Adidas and Nike.
My instructor lets me play on the driving range with free golf ball rentals anytime I want to during the week. It’s the perfect 40-minute break in the middle of a work week. As for the lessons themselves, they pretty much went like this: two weeks practicing putting and chipping and then open season on the driving range. The driving range works wonders if you’re stressed about something— just give it a try!
Stepping on the course for the first time was a lot of fun. I’ve since become pretty intrigued by the number of golf courses both local and international — from Cabo to Maui and beyond! There are more than 35,000 courses in the world and so much opportunity.
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