How to put the 'go' in golf and start playing

Country clubs can be intimidating if you were not raised in one.

It’s what I’ve heard from others, and what I have experienced myself.

My childhood was spent in a townhouse. My family wasn’t poor (we lived in Montgomery County, Maryland, after all), but we didn’t fit in with the country club crowd, or we didn’t think we did.

So golf, as well, was a foreign concept to my family. I hit the links for the first time at age 8, did poorly and never returned.

Until now. University Park Country Club has started a new player development initiative. Why not me?

I discovered most of the players currently working with University Park Assistant Golf Professional Clinton Whitelaw are experienced, with only about 25% being what he considers beginners.

Whitelaw believes there are people who would love to learn golf, but are too intimidated by country clubs, or think the sport has too high a barrier to entry.

“Many people think golf is three to four times more expensive than it actually is,” Whitelaw said.

It’s true that a new set of clubs will cost you at least a few hundred dollars, with top-flight sets costing closer to a grand. The round itself depends on the course. Nine holes at University Park costs $25 currently and 18 holes costs either $55 before 1 p.m. or $40 after. If you’re a total beginner, there are weekly clinics available for $25 a session as well.Private lessons run $60 per session, and run about 30 minutes.

It’s not exactly a cup of coffee, but it’s cheaper than most seats at a Tampa Bay Rays game, and comes with more exercise and less of a drive.

I decided to try a lesson myself, and I went in with low expectations. On Aug. 4, I waltzed into the University Pro Shop, met with Whitelaw, a member of the PGA of America, and off we went.

I tried to seem ready, but I was fighting off stomach knots, pretty sure I was going to embarrass myself. Whitelaw provided me with a set of TaylorMade clubs.

It was nice set, too, but that didn’t stop my first attempt with a 7-iron going three feet, after a few bounces. My worries didn’t exactly subside.

Whitelaw never blinked, or laughed, and had me keep working on the fundamentals of my swing.

By the time he was done, about 45 minutes, I was able to hit balls about 100 yards with that 7-iron. Wow.

This guy had to be a genius.

I walked away thinking this country club experience isn’t so bad.

Everyone I met was nice, and it was nothing like the depiction of country club members in movies like “Caddyshack.”

Whether I ever can hit a ball far, or straight, I learned a course is a gorgeous place to spend half a day.

Even for me.