just got into golf

I don’t live in Birmingham so I don’t have specifics for your area, but I can give you an overview as someone who’s been playing golf for twelve years!

We have several golf clubs in my town, and all of them have a junior’s section, with members as young as 8 or 9 up to the age of 18, where you then proceed to rejoin the club as an adult. 16 might qualify for the men’s section rather than with kids in your local club, but I can almost certainly guarantee there will be other people your age or of a similar age! And if there aren’t, perhaps suggest a few of your friends to get involved too? Golf is a great sport on its own but I always find it 100x more enjoyable when I’m accompanied by people I actually like.

Joining a club will definitely give you the opportunity to play in tournaments or competitions, whether that’s just with other members of your own club or even against other clubs from nearby. These are a great way to get more experience, meet new people and establish your handicap (assuming you don’t have one yet).

As for the cost, this is where it really depends on where you live. Usually the fee isn’t too steep, one of the ladies’ clubs I play for charges around thirty or forty quid annually for a membership. You can get discounts for some clubs depending on where you’re situated, if you’re near local schools or within a certain radius of the club etc.

I hope this helps! And I really hope you enjoy your experience playing golf, it’s an amazing game so please let me know if you have any further questions

Thanks that was very helpful for me , i also have a couple of more questions .

-How hard is it to become a amaetur or pro golfer starting from 16 ? if that's even possible for me .
-What months and how much times a yr do the tournaments usually come around ? Also what can be some of the prizes.
-What would i do on a day-to-day basis in the clubs? (bit of a dumb question lol)
-Also do you think being 16 is too late to join golf ?

ive been inspired by the movie happy gilmore and even found a old golf club in my shed on the same day (today/yesterday ive been playing). im actually pretty decent at it , i even find it very very fun , on the same level as football for me . im going to buy the rest of the equipment tommrow, im just wondering , im 16 , could i join a local golf club ? , would there be lots of older men there rather than younger people like me , also could joining clubs allow me to go into some local tournaments as i love those (it gives me purpose). I live in Birmingham btw . also how much money would it cost to join a club , Thanks

You’re very welcome!

It’s hard for anyone to become a pro, but it’s not impossible. Not sure if you’ve heard of Lee Westwood, but let’s take him as an example. He started playing golf at the age of 13, won his first amateur tournament at 18 and became a professional by 20. KJ Choi (one of my favourite players) started at 16 - same as you! - and became pro by 24, but he would’ve made pro a lot sooner had he not been doing mandatory military service for two years. It does depend on the player, but if you’re really determined that you want to go pro and you put in a ton of practice, I see no reason why you couldn’t become professional by your early to mid twenties.

Do understand that this is a LOT of work - in both of these examples, the guys were practicing every single day for hours to perfect their game. It’s certainly not impossible to become pro but it takes a lot of willpower, drive and talent. I’m probably never going to play professionally but I enjoy the game enough to stick at it regardless! Just make sure you don’t burn yourself out, the most important thing is that you’re having a good time.

In my local clubs, the season generally begins in February and ends by September, although some do offer winter coaching over Dec/Jan time to keep players engaged. A large majority of tournaments take place in school holidays - I’ve stepped back a considerable amount this year, but in previous years I was playing in competitions four or even five times a week over the summer holidays. Your club might differ from this but there are always going to be opportunities for you to play, regardless of whether it’s the holidays - usually a medal will happen every weekend that you’ll have the opportunity to play in.

Prizes might be money, or swag such as golf attire, golf balls, maybe even a new bag or set of clubs if it’s a super prestigious tournament, although generally it’s just a trophy and the honour of winning - you’ll have your name read out at your club’s award ceremony if they hold such a thing.

My club is pretty dry in terms of social activities, we just turn up to play, stay for some food and a chat, and then go home. My brother’s club is very different, they have a restaurant and a bar open almost 24/7, as well as a club shop with clothing etc, and other common rooms for lounging around in with stuff like a pool table. Unfortunately most of these facilities are limited to men so I can’t go in haha! Your club might not have as much going on as my brothers’ does, but they’ll almost certainly have places to hang out and socialise before or after competitions. It might be there’s another spot where people like to go - a lot of us end up meeting at our town club with its cafe after a tournament since it’s much closer to the courses themselves.

And no, 16 is absolutely not too late to join golf!! Larry Nelson (another famous pro) didn’t start playing until 21, and he has gone on to win three major championships. It’s never too late to start, as long as you’re having fun and doing something you love then who cares when you started playing?

Again, I hope this is somewhat informative!

Major piece of advice: get lessons.

One old saying that has a lot of truth to it is,

Better to spend £1,000 on lessons and £500 on clubs than £1,000 on clubs and £500 on lessons.

ive only spent around £50 on clubs lol ..

also you know to participate in competitions do i need to be in a club ?

Even more to spend on lessons.

No idea, but probably.

seen at one club that a 30 min lesson one to one with a pro is about £30 and 60 min is £50 , is that worth it ??