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South China Athletic Association
88 Caroline Hill Rd
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

Tel:   (852) 2882 6878

Email: mark@precisiongolf.hk

Website: www.precisiongolf.hk

Firstly you must know that Hong Kong is not the exactly the easiest place in the world to take up the game, however if you don’t mind to travel about a bit then you’ll be fine.

Hong Kong has from my calculations 198 golf holes which is equivalent to 11 x 18 hole golf courses which is spread over 4 Golf Clubs and two public courses. There are I believe nine driving ranges and a handful of indoor facilities.

As a coach of now 10 years in Hong Kong I see a common trend amongst new golfers. Most pick up the game as an interest from family and friends and go headfirst into the deep end without considering the complexities that the game presents. Below I have outlined each consideration for you to see if golf weighs up to be the game for you.

Time – First consider how much time you have to devote to learning and self practice time.

Like in any learning process, at the beginning you will be required to put in more time so as to cement the new found skills and of course a big part of this is constant repetition of your swing motion and short games. Realistically you’ll need a minimum of 1 hour of instruction each week and at least 1-2 hours of self practice. I do however recommend that if you can afford it is better to practice with your instructor in the first few weeks.
Expect a minimum of 6 hours of instruction before being ready to tackle the golf course maybe more if the instruction is in group form or if you are not athletically gifted.

Budget – How much money are you willing to invest in your golfing future?

Let’s face it golf can be an expensive experience, particularly if you pick up and drop off.
It is worth investing your money wisely. The obvious safest surest way to get started is to take some group instruction or get a friend to teach you. Take this step if you’re prepared for blisters, aching muscles and frustration. That is unless you get your kicks out of looking kind of weird at the driving range.

Understand that new golfers paying smaller amounts of instruction fees usually get the lesser experience instructors. In my opinion this often presents the reason that many pick up the game and leave it ‘cause it seems too difficult. A good or great instructor is worth his or her weight in gold when it comes to learning a skill. Yes you’ll pay more and in most cases you will get more.

Learning in a group can be less intimidating and can also be fun so don’t rule out this option if it fits your bill.

Remember also that you will be required to purchase some of your own equipment at some stage which will happen before you head for the golf course. Your instructor should provide equipment for training and if he understands the importance of equipment should recommend you to customize a small number of clubs for you start out with that can be added to when you take the game more seriously

Do your homework – Finding the right instructor for you is a very key step in determining your golfing fate. Hong Kong houses an abundance of instructors. In fact it seems every man and his dog is taking a career change in teaching golf. There are also a multitude of Golf Instructor organizations and associations such as PGA, GTF, PGTA USGTF. I think you can get a certificate for most of these on the back of the Corn Flakes packet or even in PDF form from the internet. In general the instructors with a PGA after their name are the most qualified individuals apart from a few countries in the Asian Pacific whom I think also place their certificates in the cereal box. (Just kidding) don’t mean to offend anyone.
Some of the GTF types of organizations do offer a fairly detailed training program for their members in the field of instruction however do not necessarily require their members to possess a high playing standard. In saying that, some of the best and most renowned instructors in the world are not the good at playing the game. Well I’m not exactly on my game these days I might add.

Ask around friends or friends of friends whom play golf to a descent standard and whom know the industry to find out who the reputable instructors are. Or otherwise just hire me – I’ll sort you out!

Logistics – In general most golfers prefer to practice and take instruction somewhere within the vicinity of their work or residence. From a time factor this works best. If you do have the luxury of having time on your hands some of the less metropolitan golfing facilities house more comprehensive golf practice, training and playing facilities. I good instructor will surely take advantage of such facilities and advise you as to when you should visit such establishments and in what frequency of visit

Set realistic achievable measurable objectives for yourself – Playing golf requires quite a level of skill, certainly a level of patience and much persistence.

I wish you well in your quest and should you have any questions please post them below or contact me personally by phone or email.

Mark Smith
Australian PGA
Hong Kong PGA
Nakashima Golf Certified Master Club Fitter

Tel: 97750347 Email: mark@marksmithgolf.com