Trying New Things-Golf Lessons, Part I

I have always loved playing miniature golf.  It is another situation where I can compete against myself to improve and I thrive on that.  Added bonus when I can get bragging rights in the family when I win!  During the 90’s I did not have cable and mostly what was on free TV on the weekend was golf tournaments.  I found it very interesting and thought I could do that too.  Cape May par 3 course opened not too far from me and every spring I see the Ladie’s clinic add and yet every year I have not had the time or the class fills before I enroll.  This year would be different, I stalked the course’s website and as soon as I saw the class posted I went over and signed up.  The clinic consisted of 4 hour and a half classes over 2 weeks.  I showed up early for my first lesson, a bit nervous about meeting new people and worried about how I would do.  The instructor, Tom Palmgren explained that the clinic was broken down into putting, chipping, pitching, and driving.  I was excited to start with the one part I knew a little bit about. There were seven of us in the clinic, I was the only one who had not golfed before.  It did not matter that we all had different levels of experience, Tom gave us the basics and spoke about the science involved.  Right away he was speaking my language.  By the end of the first night I was putting closer to the cup than ever before, my shots were also getting consistent.  I was sent home with a loaner putter to practice and I did make time to putt in the living room as suggested.  If I did not learn anything else in the next three lessons, my miniature golf game is going to get so much better.  

The second class was a bit intimidating as we moved to chipping and I was lent two wedges.  I had no clue how to use these clubs but after Tom went over the structure of these clubs I could understand what to use them for, actual use would take some time. Working on the practice green we chipped from the apron and the taller grass. It was not pretty for me but by the end of the class I could make a couple shots.  I would definitely need to practice this over the weekend before the next lesson.  Friday I had off from work so I headed over to the course to practice.  The youngest came with me so teaching her what I learned helped me too.  Putting has definitely improved, chipping still needs some work.  Check back to hear about my final days of the golf clinic.