This is a question that we all take for granted.
It would be very interesting to know exactly why are all drawn to this game and how we all got started.
63Brummie
fairways and greens

I was encouraged by friends at work about 25 years ago or so that was to be a once in a while outing with those friends but , once a few weeks turned into once weekly to as many times as i can get out weekly now that turned into what i guess could be called almost a obsession and now because of injuries to both shoulders and knee it's the only sport i can still play , i use a motorized cart because i cant carry a bag any longer but it still allows me to walk for exersize and play every day pretty much that weather will allow, i am looking forward to retiring soon and playing every day

You Lucky Lucky Man....
I can only wish you fairways and greens
63Brummie

I started golfing with my dad when I was about 9 years old. Our family can trace its roots to Scotland so I'm pretty sure that golfing is in our blood and heritage. As a kid, I was pretty decent. However, I ended up quitting at age 17. When I was 24 I was on a family vacation and ended up playing a round of golf with my dad. I shot an 81 on a course I'd never seen before and was totally hooked. I have played steadily ever since.

I started as a way to spend time with my grandpa. I bought my first set at the age of probably 11 (yes I saved my own pennies) and he took me to a par three course every once in a while. When I turned 14 they bought me a set of "starter" clubs that I used until this year. I am now 24 and bought a set of used clubs off of a friend of mine and have been slowly upgrading too new to me clubs. I got my first membership to a course and have played more golf this year than I have in my entire life and cannot imagine what I would be doing without it. I have now caught the club making bug and am going to try my hand at some clubs this winter. Oh what a hobby.

Started in school, my friends would goto the course every afternoon after school. I always shrugged it off and would say "golf's crap, what are you wasting your time for?"

Decided I'd see what its all about one day, I was lucky to hit the ball at all, but I had fun. And the rest as they say, is history.

Still sh*te though

Brummie you will get a kick out of this one, My mom and wife decided that drag racing and dirt racing and a little motocrossing was too time consuming so on my 30th birthday they bought me a new set of Wilson staff blades! for my first set of clubs and I have been obsessed with it ever since! What a great game we play that reflects life so closely. I have met my best friends through golf. I love this game and I am a club ho...sad but true.

Folks had a summer place with a course behind it. My brother and I found a ball one day, from there on in finding balls (golf balls) became an obsession. Then since we needed to use our orange prostaffs we decided to join the junior program at that course. That was @ age 8 - 35 now and will never give it up.

My dad played. Naturally, I did too.

Tiger Woods

good post and question
Here is my story:
Coming from a tennis family and playing 1st/2nd division in Germany during my university studies I always rejected to play golf or to start playing golf as I have not regarded golf as a sport at all. Even a lot of my best friends nd business partners played golf and tried to convince me.
The family of my girl friend was complete into golf (one family member is senior ranked OEM representative (NOT TITLEIST as you might asume ref my sig.) and other family member was a Pro Player other family members play scratch, others lower single digits, and others even around +2).My parents and their parents are all into tennis. So my girl friend always asked me if I would like to start golf in order to enjoy more time together. I rejected for the reason as set out above. Then, I offered a bet to start golf and arrive at a hdc unter 26 after one year taking into account some golf lessons with one of the family member (no names to be disclosed) who was a Pro and is now giving lessons. So here we go. I started in June one year and arrived at hdc 24 in October the same year. Bet won and I got totally addicted to golf and didn´t play tennis any more at that time. All the very rare spare time into golf. Needless to say I was a higher single digit golfer the next year and getting better every year. Then, the golf club hoing started as well......... (lol) and I got even more addicted to golf. Thats it in a nutshell. My initial perception ref golf was wrong in the first place. I LOVE THIS SPORT.

Another tennis player here. I was a decent junior tennis player and thought I'd follow in my dad's footsteps, or at least try to, as he was an accomplished player in his younger days. When he got a bit older he took up golf and reached a reasonable but not stellar standard, albeit he was a keen spectator at the larger events and was lucky enough to get a few corporate tickets through his work for some of the UK professional events. I went with him, on a whim, to the Open Championship at Royal St Georges when I was nearly 11 in '85. At that time I'd never even hit a golf ball but I was impressed at the sight of Sandy's laser-like 1 irons and so had a whack at the local course with my dad's full-size left handed clubs when I got back. Naturally I found it hard going, and there weren't too many laser-like 1 irons, so I quickly lost interest.

A while later, after a friend had started to play some golf I had a crack with his cut-down right handed clubs and it was like chalk and cheese. I was able to hit the ball reasonably well from day 1 when I played (as I did at tennis) right-handed, versus being absolutely hopeless from the other side of the ball.

My father bought me a few clubs and I was hooked pretty quickly. I was then fortunate enough to get hold of a set of cut down Mizuno blades from a pro that my father knew and was also lucky enough to get a junior membership at a nearby private club. For most of my high school years the practice ground and the course were a second home and I was able to improve pretty quickly and to get involved in playing competitively which stirred my interest even more. Albeit I was still playing decent tennis, by the age of 14 or so I was able to reach single figures and, after I continued to improve at golf at a faster rate than I did at tennis, I switched allegiance and put the racket away to concentrate on the clubs for the next twenty years.

I started playing when i was 20 - which is a few years ago now - with a bunch of guys i worked with at a factory in South Wales, UK......

my first handicap was 16 - i've been as low as a 9 hcp and am still proud to this day to say that i have never had a golf lesson......

switched courses two years ago to a tough tree lined couse and was told the best i could wish for was to be a high double digit handicapper ( I Currently play off ten and 2mths ago shot a gross 71 - 3under front nine - 4 over back nine ).......

i'm totally hooked on this game and hate missing a weekends golf for any reason......i'm now a hobbyist club builder - with attic conversion workshop

i Love this game - and long shall it flow thru my veins......

"Insanity runs in my family"

Its funny I was fourteen and small for my age I was five two when I got my learners permit and six foot two years later when I got my licence.

I played all the sports baseball basketball football and sucked at all of them mainly I was to little and to slow.
In baseball I hit a lot of home runs but was a horrible fielder
Football how many good slow short wide receivers do you see (I could catch)
Basketball I won at horse but was slow on the court and could not defend again to slow

It was pissing me off being the little kid. My Dad was taking up golf but he never got into it. But right after he started he borrowed my cousins clubs and took me out. (I wonder if I ever thanked him)

That was Nov 15 1963 The first time I played I was hooked for life , my Dad swears it was his plan to get me involved but he never expected me to take to it like I have.

Golf is my passion in life , I adore the game of golf .

I always had a beginners set of clubs when I was growing up, but I would only use them to go to the local dog track driving range once or twice a year. What really got me started was watching Tiger at the '97 Masters. It was the first time I ever watched golf on tv for more than a minute, I watched the 1st round (primarily the back 9) and was completely enthralled by watching him play. I had read something about him the previous year (the 'Am victory) and was aware of him when he turned pro (actually had the chance to see him at Disney in '96 but passed it up). It amazed me that someone so young (20 at the time, and only 3 years older than me) could compete in what I considered an older mans game. I was hooked from then on. I really didn't take up the game til late 2000, but I was a big time Tiger fan from '97 to 2000.

Can you remember what you were doing when Kennedy was shot Ken? Or what hole you were on, at least?

It was only a week later if I remember rightly.

I started when I was a youngster because my father played and was a very good college golfer and amatuer and still is well at least according to the results I find on google every now and then. It was really about the only thing we had in common and only time we could enjoy each others company. I havent spoken to him in many many years, but my passion for the game never went away and is stronger now than ever before. I learned to play with an old set of Nicklaus blades that I still give credit to as the reason I am a decent ball striker today I still remember the sting of catching one thin on a cold morning. I still play for the challenge of the game and the friendships that are made or made better on the course. Believe it or not it is also my best form of stress relief from the day to day stresses of life. And my break from the G.F.

I'm kind of the opposite of Ken. I played Football, Basketball, and baseball as a junior and played all through high school. When I came down to Florida a bunch of my new friends were having a pick up game of basketball and I was invited, they were golfers. Naturally I cleaned the court with them as they weren't the best athletes, my friend Rob was a little pissed and challenged me at golf. I didn't know he played in High School and was good, so after making fun of the game I took the challenge and went out and proceeded to run out of balls. Very frustrating, as I was naturally good at most sports but couldn't play a lick of golf. I became obsessed with figuring out the game and within a month I shot a 90 (from the tips) at the local Municipal. Now its pretty much all I want to do, I am obsessed with becoming a player. This game is nuts, I never thought a game could be so damn addictive.

I was in school it was lunchtime and I had eaten and was outside playing tether ball, when the announcement came over the PA

A bunch of kids started chanting like idiots the Presidents been shot and dancing around I felt sick to my stomach they could act that way.

As and adult I am not a fan of Kennedy or his record but that is a day I will never forget.

Ken

My dad played golf.. and gradually he got me into it when I was still young.. and the rest is history.

I took up golf and fitness 6 years ago at age 45. I was tired of tournament bass fishing after 25 years and looking for a new outlet to entertain myself. Knowing I could never play well w/out becoming fit and overcoming a bad low back I committed to working out hard at the same time, 5-6 days per week. My fitness improved, my back problems are now minimized, and found some great friends along the way. Golf has improved my life and I will continue playing as long as I can.

My father.

2 words for me.........Payne Stewart! The only reason.

My Answer: Tiger Woods in 1996 after winning is 3rd US Am. I bought my first set of clubs that summer for my b-day in August.

1997 Masters Tournament and I saw Tiger for the first time. I thought to myself: I want to do that!!!!! I have always been a Tiger fan and always will be!

Because I never knew it any other way. I started when I was 3 and I have kept playing since then. I'll tell you what there is nothing like waking up early, grabbing your clubs, and playing in the morning dew, then keep playing all day until you cant see the ball when you look down it so dark. Im truly happy when I'm out there, thats why I'm still playing the game.

Someone introduced my father and little bro to it. A few years after that, my curiosity got the best of me. Went to a free golf clinic, and could not hit the ball. I don't mean couldn't hit it well. I mean couldn't touch the ball. I was hooked. One way or another, I was gonna make that ball do what I wanted to do. If only I knew...

I love playing different sports, i've played football, soccer, cricket, basketball, softball, tennis, handball, ran track in hs, played ultimate frisbee....anyway, mostly played soccer, always thought golf was too boring and for rich prissy pr$%ks. Tore my acl playing soccer, and needed a sport where running and the possibility of someone else hurting my knee wasnt a possibility.

Now i'm a golf nut, i play in 2 weekday leagues (won both), play at least 3 times during the week and on most weekends (sat and sun). If i dont play, i'm hitting balls or putting. When i'm at home, im on here or watching the golf channel.

Our youth pastor/jr. high basketball coach took me and a couple of my buddies when we were 13. We all borrowed clubs and were told we get double par shots on each hole (10 strokes par 5 etc.). We still play today some 25 years later. Thankfully we've improved a little bit over time

TIGER WOODS

I was a hockey player growing up in New England and some of my teammates were going to play golf during the off season during my junior year in high school and asked me if I wanted to go along. I told them they were crazy, why didn't they want to play street hockey instead?? Well to make a long story short, I went ahead and played and had the best time. Not only was it fun, but it was the most challenging thing I had ever done. I was hooked from the first day I played, and I guess the rest is history.

I went to the driving range a few times with a friend when we were about 14. We played a few rounds on the little par 3 course there and I just remember being frustrated at how hard it was. He was into it for a little while and I really wasn't into it. Our priorities changed shortly thereafter and I forgot about golf for 10 years. Fast forward to this spring, an absolutely gorgeous day rolls around, first one of the year, and we are getting out of work early. Some of the guys at work have already played a couple of rounds of golf and are amped up to go. I was happy to join in despite not touching a club for 10 years.

We went out and hacked our way around the course and drank a 6-pack each over 9 holes; It was a lot of fun. I sucked but I didn't suck as bad as I thought I was going to. I actually thought I was doing really well, all things considered, and I think that is what got me hooked!

After that I mulled it over a bit and picked up a $150 beginner set of clubs. I went out and hit the driving range a few times, and then decided to join my local semi-private club. From the time I bought my first clubs I have been totally hooked. Over the summer I played around 50 rounds of golf for my handicap and probably another 100 rounds of practice 'fartin'-around' golf, and countless hundreds of hours on the practice green.

I love golf, I am totally hooked on it in a way that I haven't been hooked on a hobby in a long time. I usually get interested in something for about 2-3 months and then drop it, but I think I am into golf for the rest of my life. This winter is going to be very trying for me. I am going to have to get on a golf exercise plan to prepare for next spring!

Very well put.
My second set of clubs were Wilson FG49 (perhaps not available in the USA) and they were partly responsible for my getting hooked .. I suppose that in some form or another I will always be involved in this great game "played 95% above the chin".

I now live 5 minutes away from Mill Hill Golf Club in north London.. devine planning? or just fate?

63Brummie
fairways and greens

As a kid, I played the usual UK sports....football, cricket, tennis etc, made the school teams for most of them, and spent the entire 6 week school holidays at the local 'rec.......football matches with 20+ players per team, no offside....."what's the score?"....."28-31"!!!......started Grammar School in '74 at age 11, 2nd week of Rugby training, and was tackled by a big lump of a kid, resulting in a total knee rebuild and 18 months off school!! The surgeon then told me "no more sports.....ever", which for a sport-mad kid was awful....however, he thought about it for a while, and came up with golf....well, that was it, as I HAD to play some form of sport! I got totally hooked, got my first h'cap of 30 3 month later at age 13, and by 17 was down to 5 h'cap......I had a few gaps over the resulting years, and in fact started playing again only 2 months ago after a gap of 5 years.....I have missed it soooo much! I had to get a h'cap again, and after 3 weeks of practice I'm now off 4.2...I have no idea how!
It's a stupid, irritating, wonderful, fantastic game to play!

Mom was an avid and competitive golfer - she used to strap my carseat to our golf cart (lived on the 9th hole of the local CC) so she could get out and play/practice. So I played from a very early age, but was too into hockey, skiing/snowboarding (was a very early adopter), and skateboarding until I turned 14 - for some reason, at 14 I wanted to play more, and I quickly got pretty good and went on to play college golf and some mini-tours (prior to grad school). Now 34 and still love to play with my Mom - Dad played too, and was pretty good (just a good athlete all around - played professional hockey), but he doesn't have the same passion my Mom does, and he wasn't really around much anyway.

From talking to a lot of people, I'm the rare guy that was taught by my mother...

I had a bad brek up with an ex girlfriend and needed something non routine to get my mind off of things. My mum invited me to play golf with them one day and i took her up. The feeling of being out on the course in the fresh air was amazing and i felt extremely liberated.

I started playing when I was 7 or 8. Just a way to spend time with my grandfather.

I know how you feel, aside from the fact that this game is so cerebral in itself the time between shots can lead to great thoughts .. (perhaps if Mark Twain had drunk less booze and played golf instead he'd have wrote more great works)? .
This game can be very theraputic at times...
63Brummie
fairways and greens

Amen to that....he's a phenomena!
63Brummie
fairways and greens

I remember caddie for my dad when i was very young. Actually the bag was bigger than me and after 4 or 5 holes he had to carry me but thats were it all started for me.

Then when a promosing rugby career was developing golf became the hobby to relax and pass the time yet now i think golf really has become the dominant form of enjoyment in my life (after my family of course) ((wife is sitting next to me))

Started caddying at a local country club back in the mid 1960s, when I was 13 YO or so. $3 per bag. Monday was caddy day, we could play all the golf we wanted. Some of the other caddies and I would play 50 - 60 holes on those days. Used an old set of MacGregors my father had, 1, 2, and 3 woods, 2, 5, 7, 9 irons. They were so old the irons had dimples on them instead of grooves and the shafts were painted brown!!

When I graduated HS, my father sent gave me a check for $100 made out to a local sporting goods store his HS buddy ran. Got a set of Wilson George Archer moder clubs.

Hooked ever since.

Because golf irritated me, and i wanted to put golf in its place...A never ending work in progress i wouldnt want to be without

My girlfriend in high school's father played golf. I was invited to join their foursome several times but never wanted to go out and embarase myself. I practiced weekly or so at the local driving range four about a year, with a few rounds of par 3 strung in there from time to time. I enjoyed these little rounds on the par 3. I went on vacation with their family and played a couple rounds in Myrtle Beach. I was hooked from this point on. All it took was a good shot or two and I was ready. I stopped playing while in college as I didn't have the money and played soccer at college. I picked it up again in my late twenties when my life calmed down a bit. I'm more addicted today then ever before.

I started hitting balls when I was seven, and started playing when I was nine. I just wanted to spend time with my dad, who was a low single digit handicap at the time. It seems he would play every weekend, and it was a great excuse to hang out with him. Now, some thirty years later, this game is in my blood. Now, when I hit a great shot, the kind that my dad used to hit, I can take a moment when the ball is sailing through the air and remember those times when we would play together.

Those moments in the sun, on the green grass, smelling the fertilizer, hearing a mower in the distance, chasing a ball through the dew as the morning sun rises above the tree line are all part of the memories that I hold dear. When I rip a 5-wood of the turf and park it on the green, I swear I can hear him say "Nice shot, Paul."

By the way, I have two daughters now, aged six and nine years. I am currently infecting the older one, who has quite a good swing. The little one is next!

My Dad was a teacher, and played golf all summer long. So if I wanted to hang out with him, it had to be at the course. I was swinging in the yard when I was 2, on the course at age 5, and have been playing ever since. Eventually became a club pro for a few years, so hanging out with my Dad definitely started my love for the game.

i started playing when i was about 10 years old because i was bored one day during summer vacation and i took my dads old rusty hickory shafted irons & a bunch of balls down to this big open field to kill the boredom. ive been hooked ever since.

I played football at a reasonably high level and broke my back in 96. Never played again. After operations etc I started golf in 2000, looking for something to replace the competition and found that it also maintains a good muscular structure around my back which is a bit dodgy. I have found golf much more of a passion than football was which is saying something.

I got into it when i could barely walk, my dad used to bring me when he had to babysit. I enjoyed the competion and have gotten more into it since i came off of a 2 year lay off. I now play just for the competition. I love being near the lead in a tournament, any tournament, and grinding out a win or a good finish. I love pressure, that to me is the true test of golf.

I also swear that one day, i will beat golf. I will play that perfect round with no mental or swing mistakes or putting mistakes. My low is 63 and i missed about 5 putts either dead in the heart and short or lip outs that day. Thats as close as its gotten to perfect for me.

I used to have a hit or two on family holidays but never got hooked on it due to my commitment with other sports.
Early this year i came down with a severe case of glandular fever and was not allowed to play my favourite sports (cricket, pre-season aussie rules footy, running).
Golf became my only option, and from that moment on i've been completely and utterly hooked. Obssessed you could say. No sport has forced me to work as hard as golf has, and i love every second of it.

My grandfather who was a teacher used to practice in the yard and to be with him i would go hit balls after that i fell in love.