Reply to Starting golf as a family in the fall at a reasonable cost.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are a small family with youngest age 9. We'd love to start golf in the fall at  a reasonable cost. We are complete beginners and want to practice social distancing. ISO recommendations for courses, pricing, gear, etc. We wouldn't want to drive more than 45 minutes away from Arlington.[/quote]

You don't need to start at a golf course. In fact, it would be a waste of time to actually play 9 or 18 holes. Instead, you need to begin at the driving range. All driving ranges have spacing between stalls, so social distancing is not a concern.

My family and I golf frequently. My daughter, who is now 7, has golfed since age 2. She has an extremely high skill level for her age. And yet despite her skill level, most of our practice sessions don't take place at a golf course -- instead, we practice on an empty soccer field. All one needs is a bucket or plastic bag with about 50 golf balls, and a couple of clubs (I'd suggest a 7 iron for beginners -- you really don't need to buy a full set of clubs).

Periodically, my daughter takes lessons, but we have found YouTube to be the best teacher of all. There are so many excellent online lessons. So my advice would be to (1) buy a 7-iron for each member of the family, (2) buy about 50 cheap golf balls, (3) find a large field where you can practice, and (4) watch YouTube golf tutorials. This is a good way to get started.

In regard to a practice field, it is best to go early in the morning when nobody else is there. If you simply can't find a field with enough space, then a local driving range is fine. But I think more can be learned in a field where you can hit the ball off of natural grass.
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I think it would be very disrespectful to hit real golf balls on a soccer field. It might be empty when you get there but it's meant for soccer or other outdoor sports. Seeing someone hitting real golf balls would be a deterrent for many people who want to use it for its intended purpose...at lease use the soft "wiffle" practice balls. Also, I can't imagine the amount of damage that a group of beginning golfers would do to the grass with a 7 iron. You might as well just bring a shovel and dig a bunch of holes.[/quote]

PP here. As I indicated in my post, the best time to go to a field is early in the morning when nobody is there. Fields are generally empty at 7 am. That is when I go with my daughter. If there is somebody else there, we hit chips on a small section of the field. There is plenty of good practice that one can achieve without hitting full shots. At his father's insistence, Tiger Woods started by learning the short game first, and then progressed to the long game. There is no need for a beginner to be focused on power. So there is plenty that one can achieve on a local sports field without occupying much space.

And of course we don't hit balls when there is a game of soccer taking place!

In regard to damage to a field -- this is easily solved by using a small hitting mat. In addition, my daughter and I don't hit balls on the field itself. Rather, we position ourselves to the side of the field, beyond the goal-line, and then hit balls length-wise down the field towards the opposing goal-line.

I forgot to mention that if you want to practice longer shots, but are constrained for space, or are concerned about hitting people, "almost golf" balls are a good option to consider. My daughter and I sometimes use these balls. They travel about a third of the distance of real balls, but they provide feedback that is similar to a real golf ball. For example, if your swing results in a hook spin, the "almost golf" ball will hook just like a real ball. Steer clear of the golf wiffle balls -- those don't provide accurate feedback. The best almost-golf balls are those that are relatively hard as opposed to soft and squishy. But despite their hardness, they won't hurt somebody if you hit them. That is, they are hard enough to behave like a real ball, but soft enough that they are harmless. [/quote]

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