Chester was right!

Golf class was entirely on the driving range and practice areas, just like my nephew predicted.

I'm just a whisker away from the end of Fall Semester 2009 (yippee!) but before I bury my nose in my accounting book (for the next 9 days before final exam), I want to recount my experience in Golf class.

Golf started midway through the semester, being just a 1-credit course. Met twice a week at 9:00 a.m. for about an hour, sometimes longer. Two groups of 16 students met simultaneously along with two PGA pros (Peter Federhar and Bill Hird). When I initially saw the roster for "my" class, I was the only "girl" on the list! I panicked a little and emailed the UA prof in charge but he assured me the class was geared toward the beginning golfer and that I likely wouldn't find myself so out of place once it got started.

He, too, was right! A lot of the students had never played before. The first day I was plenty early at Randolph golf course and waited apprehensively as the group trickled in... all guys. Then, at the last minute, coming from the other direction, I was relieved to see another female student who had biked from campus and had misjudged the distance so was just a few minutes late. We latched onto each other and became fast friends. Shawna* asked me if I knew of a bus line that ran from campus to the golf course because it was just too far to bike. Well, I didn't, but it didn't matter because I wasn't about to let her do that when I could just swing by campus - only a little out of my way - and pick her up. She is just a freshman and must be the luckiest girl on campus because the class is so popular it usually fills up within minutes of open registration. I didn't even know the class existed until my sophomore year and only got in on my third attempt!

We spent the first two days just putting on the practice greens. Turns out, all golf strokes are built around the same motion so it's a good idea to get it right on the putting green before you move to the bigger swings. After that we moved to mats on the driving range and worked our way from chipping to pitching to driving as the weeks evolved. Finally we left the mats and learned how different it was driving off the grass. Two buckets of balls was the standard daily requirement (around 120 total swings) and Pete and Bill would make their way through the group to give individual instruction. I was amazed at how helpful their suggestions were. Seemed like each thing they told us to do worked like magic and we continued to improve every day.

Besides the swing instruction, they gave us tips on how to "look" like we weren't beginners when playing with peers or eventual bosses, and how to keep the game moving and not be the one slowing everyone down. They also went through some of the golf etiquette and how not to annoy your fellow players on the greens!

We were to bring our own clubs if we had some and my old second-hand set elicited some chuckles from Bill and Pete. "Ah, I see we have some clubs from the dark ages!" But they encouraged me to use them while we were just learning. After a few weeks Pete produced a newer ladies 7-iron and explained everything that was different between the new technology and my old stuff. After just a few swings, I could really tell the difference so I asked where I could find me a nice starter set. They recommended not going to the expense of getting "fitted" because I'm just a beginner and don't know yet what kinds of clubs are out there and what my preferences might be. I was able to find a really nice used set called Precise for just under $100 at the Golf Exchange store. Pete recommended the place because if I didn't like one or more of the clubs, they would exchange them, unlike the golf stores featuring brand new clubs.

Just before Thanksgiving we had a "bunker day" and learned how to get out of the sand traps (or at least learned how you're *supposed* to do it!). And then the final two days of golfing were spent in a practice area that has four separate greens fanned out from the same tee box area at different distances (around 47 yards up to 160 - all par 3 holes). We divided up into groups of 5 or 6 and played a scramble to each of the greens. Fortunately with a scramble, you all get to hit a drive shot, but then everyone moves their ball to the place where the best shot landed and everyone continues from there. That sure speeds things up and still gives you the feeling of a golf game.

The "final exam" was a written test for which we were given a review sheet with about double the information on it. A little memorization was all it took. I wish all my finals were exactly like that one!

So, all in all I feel like I improved a great deal (and so did my hubby because I would come home and give him all the same pointers!) and can actually not look like an idiot if I'm ever in a position to play with a group. It's good exercise and great fun (when your swing is good - and okay fun when its not!) and in a pleasant setting. I'm going to have to find time to keep it up, though, because they said we would notice a big difference if we lapsed even two weeks between practice driving. Now that I know about the 4-hole practice area, we can try to get there once a week or so. The regular driving range is good, too, but those $7 buckets of balls can add up fast!

*Not her real name.