Mark Twain famously called the game of golf “a good walk spoiled”—words that any golfer can relate to at those frustrating moments when the little white ball refuses to cooperate. Still, the game retains its popularity, especially in Minnesota, which has one of the highest per capita participation rates in the United States. The long Minnesota winters heighten the appreciation for summer, and golf is a summer game.
For those who would like to take it up for the first time, or dust off the clubs after a long break, there’s no shortage of resources available to help golfers learn or polish their skills. And May is PGA Free Lesson Month; participating PGA and LPGA professionals provide free 10-minute lessons and family clinics designed to help golfers improve their games. (Learn more at playgolfamerica.com.)
“Learning in a group is less intimidating,” says Lori Money, a local pro and Growth of the game chairperson for the Minnesota section of the Professional Golf Association.
What You Need
Most courses and driving ranges offer rental clubs, or “demo clubs” which can be tried out free of charge. For novice golfers, Money recommends a starter set consisting of five clubs—usually a putter, a wedge and eight-, seven- and five-irons. For anyone who finds they enjoy the game and want to keep playing, it’s important to consult with a PGA pro for a “fitting”—recommendations on the correct club length and weight(s) to best accommodate each individual’s body-type and strength.
Golf teacher Bryan Skavnak says, regarding equipment, “You can get a pretty decent set of adult clubs for $300—$100 for kids’ clubs. If you’re looking for better equipment, it’s in the $500 to $600 range.”
How to Begin
When giving novice golfers their first lessons, Skavnak favors a “start small” approach. Skavnak, the PGA pro and director of instruction at Parker’s Lake Golf Center in Plymouth, notes that his advice for coaching kids also applies to adult golfers. “I always start them out putting and chipping to show them success; then they can see the ball go into the hole right away instead of looking 400 yards down. I tell them, ‘Put your feet together, and concentrate on making contact. You can worry about the rest later.’”
Skavnak specializes in teaching kids as young as 5 years old through his Bryan Skavnak Golf Academy; he was recently named one of U.S. Kids Golf’s Top 50 Master Kids Teachers in the country. The most common flaw in swing-form he sees among experienced golfers: “The [hands on club] grip gets tight. I constantly have to remind people to relax, not swing so hard and tighten up,” he says. “I’m guilty of the same thing, at times. If I can get people to relax the hands, and not hold their breath, the rest of the body follows.”
Oddly enough, Skavnak has seen many amateur golfers start the season playing relatively well because they don’t expect to be in mid-season form, and “They don’t put as much pressure on themselves,” only to see their games deteriorate as summer progresses. “People start thinking too much later in the year and worry about ‘fixing’ their games. We get a ton of lesson requests that time of year.”
Where To Go
What courses in Plymouth do Skavnak and Money recommend for novices? Skavnak considers Hollydale (4710 Holly Lane N.) “a pretty good, non-intimidating beginner course. It has a few fun holes,” he says. Skavanak ranks Begin Oaks (5635 Yucca Lane N.) “by far the best executive [9-hole] course in Plymouth. It has really fun holes for beginners, and it’s perfect for kids, a great place to play a quick round,” he says. “It has big greens, and it's always in good shape.”
In Plymouth, Money has only played Elm Creek, where she works (19000 Hwy. 55). “The yardage is shorter than most courses; it plays under 6,000 yards from the back tees,” she says. “But the course is narrow with many tree-lined fairways, and the greens are small and undulating. So it is still a challenge. The biggest benefit with being on the shorter side is that it plays faster. You can get in a quick nine holes if you are pressed for time.”
What’s Skavnak’s advice for getting in shape for the upcoming golf season? Don’t get out of shape in the first place. “I go to the gym all winter but I don't swing a club,” Skavnak says. “I do a lot of cardio-work (such as treadmill jogging) and elliptical-machine work.” For more golf-specific exercise, he recommends doing basic upper back and shoulder stretches several times a week, and using a weighted bar to mimic the golf swing. “If you can only go once a week, that’s still better than nothing. At home, you can also stand up and stretch during TV commercials, to stay limber.”
