Greetings from Philly

I've already posted a few things on this site, but I really should get around to introducing myself.

I'm 51 years old, and this is my third year playing golf, sort of. Actually, when I was about 17 I played a few rounds with my father and a few rounds with friends, in the summer of '71, but that was it. I never played again until a couple of years ago when a friend asked me if I felt like playing a round of golf. My next-door neighbor gave me some old clubs, and off I went. It was a disaster, of course, but I enjoyed it anyway. I started playing with that friend every week or so, mainly at a par 3 course here in Philadelphia.

The following year (last year), another friend started calling me up to play golf, and I played more frequently--maybe twice a week--at full-sized courses. My typical score for 18 holes was about 120. It still is; I haven't improved significantly. This current season I still play once or twice a week, but I also go to the practice range pretty often. I've read books and tried to gain more understanding of the golf swing. I also signed up for lessons, and I've had one so far. Second lesson is tonight.

My real goal in golf is to enjoy myself, so I don't care much about the score. That said, there is a level of rottenness that begins to interfere with enjoyment, and I'm there. Hunting in the bushes for balls is not terribly enjoyable. Having to hit 5 or 6 toppers to get to the green is not a lot of fun either--or push shots into adjoining fairways. I am, in short, the sort of hacker that you've all seen. If the course is crowded, I won't even play, because it's also no fun to hold everybody up.

So that's about it. I'd be happy to improve my ball striking to the point where I can think more about the game of golf and less about finding balls, intruding in adjoining fairways, etc. I'm hoping the lessons and practice drills etc will enable me to get past the worst parts of my game.

I don't have an actual "set" of clubs. I've bought clubs individually, when I thought I needed them. I get cheap clubs, because I can't see spending a lot of money on fancy equipment until I can strike the ball reasonably well. I know one scratch golfer and I've seen him make beautiful shots with my skanky clubs, so I can't blame the equipment... At the moment, I'm carrying 1, 3, and 5 woods, a hybrid 3 iron (from WalMart!), 4-9 irons, three wedges (52*, 56*, and 60*), and a putter. I did have an additional 5 wood, a so-called "utility" wood for fairway use, but I couldn't do anything with it, so I stopped carrying it when I got the hybrid 3 iron, which I have better (not great, but better) luck with.

Nice to meet everybody.

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller