Here's the part of learning golf as an adult nobody warns you about. It isn't the swing. It's the feeling that everyone else already knows what they're doing and you're the only one who doesn't.
Julia S. started her first season at Trappers Turn Golf Club in Wisconsin as a true beginner. Not "hasn't played in a while." An actual beginner, who had never swung an iron in her life.
One season later, she's comfortable teeing it up alongside her friends.
What Seven Months Actually Looks Like
Julia is playing at Level 2 right now, which means she's playing nine holes from 50 yards and trying to shoot 36 or better. Start close enough that scoring is possible, play real golf, post a real score, then move back when you break 36.
In about seven months she's cut 14 strokes and banked 2,050 practice points. The strokes are what she notices on the course. The points are the reason they went down.
Ask her what she likes most about the game and she doesn't say the fresh air or the scenery.
"My favorite thing is seeing progress. Hard work pays off and I like to see that come to life." Julia S.
That's the whole thing, right there. Most beginners never get to see their progress because nobody's keeping score in a way that means anything yet. Give someone a number they can actually move, and effort stops feeling like a leap of faith.
The Eagle
Her favorite memory so far came during a round with her coach. Playing from Level 3, her shot, her putt, an eagle.
Two under par on a single hole, in her first season, from someone who had never picked up an iron the previous spring. She'd earned that one.
Credit Where It's Due
Julia wanted to make sure we mentioned her coach, so we will.
"I am beyond thankful for Coach Jim's effort and patience. He has made this experience approachable and enjoyable." Julia S.
Approachable is a word that does a lot of heavy lifting for a beginner. Coach Jim Thew, PGA, gave her a version of golf where showing up felt fine and progress showed up on the scorecard. That's how someone goes from never having swung an iron to having several clubs dialed in.
Congratulations, Julia. She showed up never having swung an iron and she's leaving the season wanting more. Nothing better than that.
