Dabbler trying to get a bit more serious

[Kphn07]

As the title says, I'm just starting out. I took some advice I found on here and had a lesson with Warren at Gungahlin lakes in Canberra and bought my first set of clubs. I don’t exactly have much to compare him with but I thought he was awesome and would highly recommend him to anyone looking.

I’m hoping to start playing 9 holes one afternoon every fortnight after work and as often as my social life and bank account will allow on the weekends.
I have a couple of questions but would also love any advice you have on where to start from here.

Do I need a handicap right away? And how do I go about getting one? I had a quick look on the net and it seemed to be a bit of a cash grab from different companies telling me I had to have an official this and an official that :-s
Also; should I join a club yet or just start playing and worry about a membership later?

Thanks in advance

[Dotty]

Welcome and join a club. (Gungahlin Lakes is the best value course of decent quality in ACT.)

Avoid the temptation of the cheap $100 Howlong membership. You'll be hit with visitors fees, if you live within 50km of the ACT course.

[3Puttpete]

Join a club. As long as you can get around, and this is the most important thing, without holding your group and everyone behind you up you'll be ok. Let the rest of your group know you're new and you'll be fine.

[wazamac]

When I first started I just went down to the local 9 hole public course with all the hackers first. Then after about 6-8 months after I could consistantly hit the ball (not always in the right direction) then I joined a club.
This also gave me a little insight into some of the rules and etiquette.
Welcome aboard, and most of all have fun!

[Kphn07]

Awesome! Thanks, guys. Great advice :) unfortunately, Gungahlin is on the other side of town for me, though, so probably won't be playing there too often.

Follow up question: What are the advantages and reasons for joining a club?

[WBennett]

Where are you KP?

I'm a member at Gungahlin and its a good track, but difficult for beginners. Its worth keeping the lessons from Wazza, he gets great reviews.

If you are south side, I recommend Murrumbidgee and Capital are both good for beginners. Not that many big water carries off the whites, and Murrumbidgee is pretty open. There are also interesting green fee deals - Federal's $30 daylight savings rate after 4pm (if its still going) is a bargain for what is a Top 100 course.

Advantages to joining a club - the first one is you get a handicap. You get a chance to play on Saturday and Sunday mornings which are the premium times. You don't generally pay a green fee on top of membership, so you can go out and play/practice whenever there aren't comps on for no additional charge. And you make a 12 month commitment to playing the game.

[Kphn07]

Hey mate,
I'm in Queanbeyan, and actually playing my first round there this afternoon.

Yeah, I thought Warren was really good on Saturday and I'm going to go back in a few weeks to see how I've progressed and learn some more :)

Those are some good points and exactly the sort of info I'm after atm! I think I might go and play a few different courses over the next month or so and see which one I want to join. Gungahlin looked really nice while I was out there on the weekend, just too far for me to contemplate playing there on a regular basis.

Thanks heaps, mate.

[WBennett]

Queanbeyan is a good track too, but the premium there is not distance off the tee but accuracy. I had mates who were members out there, and they said it was a good and friendly club.

One thing I have learned is that anyone who is a single figure marker at Queanbeyan is a good player anywhere!

[Jazz18]

Welcome to the game and welcome to the forum KP.

Joining a club is the best way to enjoy the game in my opinion. It gives you a sense of belonging when you're playing. I like playing at new courses and it's good to have some variety from time to time but there's nothing like being able to walk into the pro shop and for everyone to know who you are and have a chat and build relationships with people that you see every week. As others have said as well, it's the best way to get tee times in those premium spots and for social play outside of comp, it will cost you nothing at most clubs. If you add up the cost of a social 9 holes once a fortnight or once a week as you get more involved, you might find it's cheaper to join a club over the course of a year anyway. Just a point of note, just be aware that most clubs will have comps on the weekends so there may be extra comp fees (it's $12 at my club) to play the comp, but that's normal everywhere.

Good luck and enjoy.