My first steps on a golf course

Published 17 / 08 / 2022 Reading time: 9 min

Before taking a first step at the Domaine de Champlong Golf Club, golf reminded me of a certain social and financial class.
For me this sport was a name: Tiger Wood and two words: green and swing.  

The invitation from Christophe Jullien, director of Golf club, was a great opportunity to overcome the cliché. Through this article, it is my turn to pass on my knowledge and my first experience to make you want to discover this sport. Will you come to the same conclusion as me? Golf is both a style and a culture of life. 

Invited on a beautiful spring day, we were among colleagues to discover this area which offers leisure, relaxation and gastronomy. The promise of having a good time. We were 3 out of 5 to have never tried golf. Excited like children, we were going to have access to something we thought inaccessible.

1^st step: get equipped 

golf clubs

Beyond the clothing that should allow you to make big moves, you must think about the choice of clubs. We are advised by Yann Bachelet, pro and trainer within the Domaine. 

For this initiation we will only have two clubs, one for long shots and the other for short shots.  

Namely that a maximum of 14 different clubs make up the golf bag. Why so much, you will tell me? A colleague of mine thought it was just for looks, it's actually way more complex and strategic than just looks. 

Indeed, a good golfer will choose his club according to several parameters: weather conditions, obstacles such as water or bunkers or the stability of the ground. 

The tilt of the club face and the size of the shaft allow the ball to be launched in different ways. The size of the neck affects the distance and the inclination affects the height.  

Yann informs us that a professional can send his ball more than 340 meters, and that a good amateur can send it up to 200 meters, almost two football fields. 

Our teacher of the day sets us a less ambitious goal: to hit the ball! Will we reach the advertised speeds of 170 to 180 km / hour?! 

golf balls

Golf balls have a number, a good way to recognize them when they are on the course. Note that bullets are standardized. The size and weight are always the same but the material may vary (outer layer may be different). 

The shopping cart

Behind every professional hides a caddy, a person who primarily carries the bag, but is also used as an advisor and moral support. A good caddy must be able to help the golfer throughout the course, by analyzing all its specificities. It is therefore often up to him to choose a club, strategic knowledge, the appreciation of a distance, and the weather conditions. 

During our initiation, we don't have a caddy but a very good teacher. Thanks to Yann for these tips.  

 Never lose sight of having fun. Golf is a game. 

Christopher Jullien

2^e Step: Practice 

The practice

After choosing the right equipment, head to training. The practice ground for long shots is called the driving range. Access to the driving range is after purchasing your bucket of balls.  

Yann invites us to position our hands correctly on the handle, the left hand at the top of the grip (the black part) and the right hand a little lower without leaving space between the two. It is normally necessary to cover the grip. 

Then comes the position of the feet and the posture. The feet are to be placed in front of the ball, spaced shoulder width apart, ensuring that the ball is in the middle of this spacing. The ball and your feet should make a perfect triangle. Knees slightly bent. The back should be straight. Shoulders and buttocks pulled back and hips steady. 

We are all in place. Before teasing the ball, we already try to hit a stone. If the exercise is successful, we move on to the next step. Then begins the joy of hitting a ball then two then three... and further and further... 

I sent 20 balls in 10 minutes… who's going to pick them up? On the driving range, a motorized machine driven by a pilot picks up the balls. 

20 balls sent but 45 shots attempted... or 25 air shots! Be careful on a golf course these missed shots are counted. 

The putting green

After the practice of long shots, we move on to short shots on the putting green. Often compared to a mini-golf course, the putting green is recognizable with its grass floor cut to 2 mm. An interview that allows the ball to roll very quickly. On this approach area we must use the putter, the club with a right angle in order to avoid flying the ball. 

I find it easier on this exercise, in fact I feel more comfortable on short strokes. 

DID YOU KNOW ?

Golf is the most popular individual sport in the world, well beyond athletics and tennis. And for good reason, the golfer has no obligation to develop strength. At Field of Champlong the youngest golfer at 4½ and the oldest at 93. A nice mix of generations and a very varied clientele.

3^e step: play 

A few rules for a successful first game: 

• A round of golf must be played by a maximum of 4 people. 
• Player order: The player whose ball is farthest from the flagstick always starts first. 
• Remember the number of his ball to recognize it. 
• It is prohibited to change balls on a hole unless the ball is lost. 
• The player has 3 minutes to search if the ball is lost. If the ball is not found, the player must restart at the beginning of the hole with a new ball.  

Pitch and Putt

Yann leads us on the Pitch and putt, a reduced "9 holes" which includes holes from 49 to 100 meters to be completed in 3, 4 or 5 shots. 

We logically start with hole number 1 (49 meters) par 3. Given our status as a great beginner, not to say “zero”, Yann suggests that we do it in 5 shots. 

It's time to have fun, challenge yourself and play against colleagues. I far exceeded the 5 strokes for this first hole. But we get into the game quickly. And the more I advance on the course, the more I take my marks and pleasure. 

Thanks to this day and meeting Christophe and Yann, I overcame my prejudices of inaccessible and elitist sport. Anyone who wants to play golf can come, no need to be a professional or an expert. This is the first wish of the area: to give access to everyone. You can even offer it for a birthday instead of go-karting or bowling, think of golf. The Domaine de Champlong Golf Club offers packages from €20 (Find out more). 

DID YOU KNOW ?

To make an "18 holes" you have to walk at least 12 kilometers and it takes about 5 hours.  

Moreover, the setting is magnificent and takes nothing away from the pleasure of the game. 70 hectares of unspoiled nature. This paradise of greenery and this silence invite calm and peace. 

And at the end of the game, we meet at the Brasserie 9.18 for the traditional 19 holes, in other words the 3^rd half time. A brasserie adapted to the “golfing” public, open 7 days a week. Fancy a steak at 7:15 after a round of golf? It's possible. It is the only restaurant to offer this kind of service in Roanne. 

Thanks to Christophe and Yann for their availability and advice.