Getting Started:
The Fundamentals 

Three Oklahoma PGA golf professionals have similar responses when asked for their best advice in learning to play golf: find a good teacher and take some lessons first.

“If you don’t, things will be harder to correct when you do take lessons,” says Tim Fleming, head pro at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.

Jeff Jarrett, general manager of Cherokee Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, put it this way: “To get started, the first thing I would recommend is to find a good teacher. Golf is a difficult sport, but starting with lessons is essential to being successful.” Jarrett places high importance on learning “the small nuances of how to play. Get comfortable before taking it to the golf course.”

Dee Roadman, golf director and teaching pro at Broken Arrow’s Battle Creek Golf Club, says novice golfers will be served best by learning the game the correct way. 

“It will save you a lot of headaches,” he says. “You have a good idea of how to hit each shot.”

Fleming recommends borrowing some clubs initially until a pro can fit you properly to maximize your ability. 

“Your pro can keep you from buying clubs you don’t need,” he says. 

Jarrett and Roadman recommend starting out with a beginner’s set of clubs and not spending a lot of money on them until you decide to stick with the game. A putter, wedge, 7-iron, hybrid club and 3-wood or driver are all that are needed at first, says Roadman, who suggests used clubs to start. 

Fleming says it’s integral for new golfers to “make sure you get the right club that’s suited to your game.”

Re: Dress code, Jarrett says that golfers should check the course’s website. Cherokee Hills requires collared shirts for men, and denim is taboo. Most courses require players to wear shoes with soft spikes, rather than metal spikes.

Tips from the Pros

Short game … grip … stance … putting … These are the things Oklahoma golf professionals recommend addressing in order to bring those scores down.

It starts with the grip, says Jarrett. 

“The key component to hitting a shot is holding onto the club correctly,” he says. Regardless of which grip (interlocking, overlapping or 10-finger) the player prefers, he says it must be done correctly. Stance is also important. Correct foot placement is roughly shoulder width – “wide enough so an Oklahoma wind doesn’t knock you over,” he says.

Fleming recommends “working from the green backwards,” concentrating first on putts, then shots from 25 yards in, then longer shots. 

“Hitting balls on the driving range is more fun, but people don’t spend enough time on the short game,” says Roadman.

It will all be worth it, concludes Jarrett, with your first successful strike.

“One [you] hit that first excellent golf shot,” he says, “you’re hooked, totally.”