3katz, good for you! Enjoy the golf clinic. :)

My DH took me golfing a couple of times years ago. I enjoyed being outdoors and being with him, but didn't really like the golf. However, there were many factors working against me! For one, I have very little depth perception, so hitting the ball was a challenge. I either hit the ground behind the ball (very HARD) or swung over the top of the ball. Plus I was using his clubs, which was two strikes - an extreme lefty using right handed clubs AND he's 6' tall and I'm 5'2", so his clubs were a good 6" too long for me.

I've wanted to try it again with shorter left handed clubs, but haven't done it yet.

Donna

Golf is fun if you don't take it too seriously. It's great way for couples to get out in the fresh air together. I have tried to get my husband to like it, but no luck.

I started playing about 10-12 years ago. I was never very good. Like you, I thought it would be nice to play with DH. My DS took up golf and now they tend to play together. Personally i find it boring as an activity and yet without the health benefits of other "sports". Plus it takes soooo long. But then, if i had GF who played that'd be different. Good luck to you!

Oh Mtn - your DH plays golf? My DH is pestering me about playing when we go to Santa Fe. I told him okay the one morning I wander around shopping (the day of hte opera). He would love to have someone to play with.

Maybe not great cardio exercise but DH walks 18 holes several times a week so not entirely bad in the exercise dept for a 62 year old. He used to carry his clubs but developed some shoulder problems after too many years of that. I will NOT be walking 18. I don't think I even want to play 18 - just 9 and dine or 9 and wine.

I too thought this was way too time consuming but now that I'll have more time I'm up for it. I think what would make it not boring for me is the social aspect. I can't imagine myself getting all charged up about the game itself.

I played a few times and enjoyed it, but didn't have a group of friends to play with back then. Now I think id enjoy 9 holes with friends that I gab with. But those friends don't golf, so...

3katz, would you need a different prosthetic to play comfortably?

I was a "golf widow" for many years as my ex played as often as he could. So I definitely harbored resentment for the game. But now that I'm so much more mature (joke) I can look at it more objectively. It is a great way to hang out with your dh, and the only real competition is with yourself, so no one cares how you play. Enjoy those worm burners!

When you decide to play with a group (including DH) you all have to decide ahead of time about how you are going to score the game. Is it going to be based on "gimmees" and pick up the ball or is every stroke going to count and will penalties be in play. It doesn't matter which way you play (well, sometimes it does) as long as everyone is on the same page.

I used to play golf but DH doesn't so I gave it up. I preferred to play by the rules for scoring but that's because it's a way of telling me how I'm actually doing but it is fun to play by a more relaxed way of scoring.

Have fun and sometimes the best part is the wine and dine afterwards.

Golfing is a social event when our extended families get together, as both sides have avid golfers. I used to play in my 20s and with my DH before the kids came along. Then, I just couldn't justify the time involved. My husband still plays frequently. I think it's a great past time for couples to share if they're both interested in it. I see a lot of women take up the game once their children have left the nest.

Bpath - I have a great state of the art prosthetic leg so I’m good to go. A guy I know with same leg shoots in the low 80s so whatever my deficiencies may be I won’t be able to blame it on the leg.

blfenton - oh I know what you mean about all being on the same page. DH used to play with his brother who would kick the ball into a better position to shoot from and other various things resulting in a lower score. And then he kept a handicap based on the falsified scores. Different strokes for different folks I guess (no pun intended).

3Katz ---- you are right, I totally forgot about walking the course! DH's Dad did that thru his late 80's. I will ask DH about golf!

I have played for many many years, and we live adjacent to the course. I’m not too bad a player. We raised our sons (from babyhood) on golf and both are EXCELLENT golfers. Our grandson, age 9, is probably going to be better yet. So it’s in our blood.

When our boys were small we played once in a while at a course in a nearby town. There was a member there who had only one arm and did not have a prosthetic. He was very very good. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t play. Of course you can. And have fun!

As DH says, it’s the only legal way to drive around and drink beer! It’s a great social outing, if you like people.

A little, I have played a little.

My belief is that it’s just fine that I don’t play with my husband.

Nothing wrong with having separate interests.

ML ( almost 50 years married, to the same guy. - we never-

ever shop together either.)

Hi 3katz, yes I do golf, I started about 25 years ago with a league at work. Took lessons to get myself going and I'm still playing now. There was a gap of several years when I didn't play, then started with a women's league - knew no one. A women asked me to join their group so it worked out well.

My DH is a golfer - men tend to easily find other men to golf with. Women, at least where I am, not so much.

We always walk, unless it's unbearable, so it's exercise outdoors that I look forward to, plus getting out with a friend whom I never see any other time. So we catch up with each other as we play. I am totally non-competitive - am only interested in improving my own game.

Oh yes I'm a golfer! Serious and competitive -- or was until I hurt my back last June. :( My BF, who was a near scratch player then, taught me well and I broke 100 from the men's tees the first year I played. I wish you were near me because he's an excellent golf instructor and is especially good with teaching people with handicaps how to adapt.

ETA: I was on the ipad and have switched so that I could type easier. :) You will improve greatly in golf if you just do a few simple things...

1. Pick up a club every day and grip it properly. Swing the club if you like, but even taking the proper grip repeatedly like that will help you.

2. Simple practice: use real balls or whiffle balls and just practice chipping the ball to a location. Pick a target and just chip repeatedly to build muscle memory. My personal tip is to look where you want to chip the ball, then take the ball IN YOUR HAND and toss it where you want. THEN use the club and keep in mind the effort required to toss the ball that distance. Do the same with putting!

3. Do not try to hit the ball hard! Your primary goal is to hit the ball in the center of the clubface. Use half-swings to practice and just try to hit the sweet spot every time.

No one in my family plays golf... except for my youngest niece. I'm thinking a boyfriend got her into it.

Okay, on occasion I can enjoy a round of miniature golf...

Here's one of my favorite golf pics from a few years ago -- my friends and I play a 9-hole executive par-3 occasionally and I was striking the ball great that day. I was showing how many greens I hit in regulation. Unfortunately, I missed a couple putts, so shot one over, but still...

eta -- Sorry, I feel like I need to present my golf business card, so that you can decide whether or not you want to dismiss my advice. :O) To be clear, I've played for 30 years and my best handicap index was 9.5 for 18 holes when I played a lot. I also have many (dozens of) trophies and wins, both individually and as part of various teams. I'm competitive! and I'm also a never-ending source of golf advice. lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just trying to help. :)

Sorry, your topic has the word golf in it and I just cannot stop myself. :)

Re the question on scoring and picking up the ball: if you're playing a fun / non-competitive round, then *definitely* pick the ball up when you're in an impossible situation, frustrated, or have scored too many shots already! If you want, just drop the ball in a better fairway position and proceed, or drop on the green to practice putting, or put it in your pocket. It's recommended for beginners to pick it up when they've reached 10 shots for the hole -- just put a 10 on the card if you're "sort of" keeping score. :) If you're scoring to record your handicap you can still pick up the ball! you're going to be using stroke-control in that case, so check the handicap sheet to see what your max score is for any hole and pick up when you've exceeded that number. It's not worth the frustration and time to continue. If you're in tournament play that's different! You cannot pick up the ball in tournament play or you'll be assessed a penalty or DQ'd, depending on the format and where you are in the round relative to the violation.

The new rules of golf will greatly improve the pace of play! Check them out, or I will assess and summarize them here, if you wish.

LOL party_music - your enthusiasm is inspiring. I'm not too concerned about rules and handicaps at this point. Just want to get out and practice and be able to hit the ball so I can go with DH once in a while (even if it's just the range) and with some not serious golfer friends. We live on a course and there are some serious women golfers on my street but honestly, I don't imagine ever playing with them or at that level. One of them was the club champion last year. I just want to have fun.

Dh has played golf since he was a kid and is fairly good. I took lessons back when we were dating and played a handful of times but then kids and life made it too difficult so I haven’t played in probably 20 years.

Dh has found that it is a skill that has benefited in the corporate world. Because he has a decent handicap, he often gets asked to play with clients, in charity events and to round out various friends’ foursomes. In fact, he missed our son’s senior prom last night because he was playing in a charity tournament (partially my fault as I didn’t have prom on calendar, and he plays this tournament every year b/c it is near and dear to his heart). He has a golf membership and started our kids playing when they were young. He can’t wait to retire and play golf all the time! His hope is that I will take it up again and we can play together. I’ll give it a try but not sure if I’ll stick with it.

I've never been a golfer, but this thread makes me think of an incident many years ago when I was visiting a cousin who lived right on the course. A ball landed practically on her patio, then one of her neighbors (also an above-the-knee, incidentally) zoomed up in a cart, hopped out, grabbed the ball, and threw it as hard as he could, jumped back in, and zoomed away. Looking in the distance we could see him repeating the process where the ball landed.

The next time my cousin saw him she asked him what that was all about, and he said he had played a regular walking round that day but did so badly he made a bet he could beat his score by just throwing the ball. He did.

I have a few friends who play like your friends, they don't take it too seriously and there are a lot of laughs. They play par three courses when they play like that, and it's only nine holes. I'll tag along for these games, but not when they play the club course. Then they are all business...

There is a new online forum for people with prosthetics. It would be nice if it became community like GW, where you can get advice from posters you trust. It's called Smartsthetics. Maybe you can let the amputee golf group know about the website.

Smartsthetics.com

How was the clinic? I think it's smart to transition into retirement with some goals.

gardener - the clinic was fun and interesting but not particularly useful - just too many people and only one pro. I had my first 1:1 lesson with a pro last week and that was much more helpful. Putting all that to work in my practice now so hopefully I'll see some improvement in the next few weeks. There are a lot of amputee forums out there. In my experience they tend to be populated by new amputees and those who are having some kind of difficulty. Others like me have gotten on with life and don't think much about it though I have tried from time to time to get involved in various ways to help new amputees. There is a National Amputee Golf Association but my experience with that is that it's focused more on really good golfers so not for me (yet).

I have two golf goals right now. First one is to consistently connect the club with the ball and not miss or top it. Second is to be able to play nine holes by the end of the summer and have it be fun.

Years ago my gf and I decided to try golf lessons. It was a very hot day. We were not doing good at all and then my ball headed towards the woods and landed. She yelled GREAT! My response was, what's great about it and she says "it's in the shade and we can go get it lol. I never went back, she stuck to till she got hit by a ball.

As Arapaho said up thread men seem always to find other men to play golf with. Women? Not as easy. When you come to Annapolis, I’ll play with you! Here’s my business card:

First eagle!

I know this thread is over a year old but I'm thinking of getting back into the sport after 25+ years. By getting back into the sport, I mean taking a few lessons and playing for fun as I was never very good and I blame it completely on hand-me-down clubs and ample boobage.

I still have the same issues as 25 year ago but am willing to try again as it was fun and social and I have some girlfriends who want to start playing. As a notorious form over function kind of person, I have some questions for you ladies who golf.

What kind of shoes do you recommend? My old shoes have metal spikes and I think those are a no no.

Any recommendations for golf wear? Shorts or skorts? Best gloves?

Thanks in advance...as someone once said, "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you look playing the game". :)

Have not ready post thoroughly but my answer is Yes! Started golfing years ago in a corporate golf league. DH golfs, family golfs. Love it, one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

LOL, I didn't remember posting before, so thanks Delilah. My DH is from MD, so I may take you up on that. Congrats on the EAGLE - WOW !!

I was surprised to see this pop up again! I’m now about through my second season of golf and I love it. It’s slow progress but I can hit the ball well enough most of the time to play with friends. My neighbor at our lake cabin hadn’t played in years and she got back into it with me. We bought a season pass at a place nearby and usually play 18 on Mon and Fri. DH and I also play about once a week. It’s one of the few Covid safe activities we do with other people.

I have Skecher spikeless golf shoes and golf sandals. I just have a typical FJ golf glove - one that seemed more breathable. I love skorts so that’s what I wear. I also love all the cute, expensive, matching golf togs. 🙂

Thanks! Golf sandals? Had no idea and will definitely check that out as I will be playing in Florida!

FYI - sandals are not good when it’s wet or if you spend much time in the bunker.

Got it. I'll take golf sandals off my list. :)

I don't golf, but my husband enjoys it. He played once with his 80-some year old grandmother when she got a hole-in-one (one of many in her lifetime of golfing). He was both amused and deflated, I must say, and has dined out on that story for years now.

We have a tee box on our backyard and after our daily meal we all like to try to hit balls across the bond (DH put flags up,oh joy). I found this uber cute glove and got some for my girls.

rubyclaire - if you get back into golf you may want to add a pair of sandals later. They are really nice when it's hot. I never wear them in the morning when it's damp and freshly mowed but do in the afternoon when it's hot and dry.

3katz - yes, that may be an option in year two once I see how I "retake" to the sport.

mtn - super cute glove! Looks a little Lilly Pulitzer-esque.