Cooke Municipal Golf Course is in full swing after the province reduced restrictions. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Ian Gustafson

One Swing at a Time

Head professionals give advice on getting started in golf

Jul 1, 2020 | 3:18 PM

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, golf has been one of the few sports we are able to go out and play with friends. For those who have never played the game before it can be quite intimidating.

paNOW spoke with two local head professionals on how to get started in the historic game.

“Taking lessons is probably the fastest way to improve,” said head professional at Waskesiu Golf Course Andrew Hnatiuk. “It’s such a tough game to just pick up and be good at so the more you can get guidance with that the better off you’re going to be.”

Hnatiuk has been in the business for 22 years and recommends seeing a PGA of Canada professional or whoever has a license to instruct rather than learning from friends or family. He added it is the fastest way to learn and is typically constructive advice.

The second easiest ways for somebody to get into the game is going to the driving range first so that you can learn how to hit the ball.

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“If you just go out and play, you’d get kind of frustrated just wandering around not being able to advance the ball very far,” he explained.

Group lessons are another way he recommends being introduced to the sport since it is usually cheaper and can take the pressure off the student one-on-one.

The fundamentals of the golf swing are grip, stance, posture, and alignment. He said those fundamentals are the most important when first starting out.

Head professional for 11 years at Cooke Municipal Golf Cours, Darcy Myers also said getting advice from a professional is the best way to get into the game.

“They can give you advice on what you need in golf equipment and give you basic fundamentals of the golf swing and basic knowledge of etiquette and rules of golf,” he said. “This COVID situation has really helped golf in certain situations, bringing a lot of new people to the golf course you know being one of the only sports that can be done safely at the moment.”

Myers said they’ve seen a lot of new faces playing this year and thinks it’s great more people are interested in learning the game.

For Myers the most important fundamental of the game is to have fun.

“That’s rule number one. Not many people are going to make it to the PGA tour,” he said. “Come to the game with an open mind and don’t have any expectations and just have fun with it and see where it takes you.”

“It takes a lifetime to learn the game, but you can enjoy it instantly.”

He said with golf, just like any other sport, the more practice put in the better you will get it.

“A lot of people want to see results instantly, but it can take time. People got to realize that and be patient. That is one of the things that help people succeed in this sport is patience,” Myers explained.

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12