Q: What's the very first step to take if you are thinking of playing golf?
A: I believe in taking a lesson or clinic. You might think I'm saying this because I make money off it, but I don't care! Golf is a very, very frustrating game and if you take a lesson first, you don't get as much of that frustration.

More people take up golf than any other sport, and then more people give it up, because of that frustration. It may look easy, but golf is different from other sports. In every other sport with a ball, the ball is either moving or you move to it. In golf, the ball is just sitting there and you have to make it move.

So if you take a lesson or multi-week clinic or group lesson, you'll get some general knowledge and a good foundation so you're not going to get frustrated and you won't develop bad habits.

The next step is that as soon as you do take those lessons, you need to get right out and play golf. Golf pros used to encourage you to take lessons and wait to play, but that's totally changed. Now, we say, 'yes, you should take a lesson' but go out and play and have a ball. Then come back and give me feedback about what you need to work on.

Q: How do you choose where to take lessons?
A: You can call any public golf course or any driving range and inquire. Ask if they you have a Professional Golf Association, or PGA, professional there, teaching lessons. They'll all offer different packages. Individual lessons will be at one rate, clinics (group lessons) will be one price. Many pros offer a series of individual lessons, like six for the price of five.

Q: How do you choose the right instructor?
A: If you know some golfers, ask them who they would recommend for lessons. Anyone who plays will have run into all the pros. Ask around, go by word of mouth. Ask if they specialize in new golfers.

Q: Would you recommend an individual or group lesson?
A: Whatever you're comfortable with. If you think, "I could never swing in front of other people the first time," then you want an individual lesson. Some people can feel like they can hide better in a group. For me, teaching is all about making people comfortable so they'll come back and go play. We promote the game of golf. We want people to be as happy and relaxed as possible.

Q: So the first step is a lesson, and the second step is going out on a course?
A: After your lesson or clinic, you're going to have some good ideas about how your body should move and how your club should move. So you're ready to say to your friends that play, "I want to try this."

Go out with somebody who knows their way around a golf course. You don't have to hit every single shot. You can hit a couple of shots, then pick the ball up and bring it up by the green, then hit a couple of chip shots, then putt a little bit. It's not like you're going to be playing for a score the first time you go out. So you really just want to go the first time with someone who can help you keep up with the pace. Hit all different kinds of shots. One time you might hit a tee shot, next time you might hit a shot on the fairway. Swing a bunch of times and if everyone is passing you by, just say "I'm just going to pick mine up and come up where you guys are." Then you're not stressed about holding people up. This can be one of the biggest stresses for beginner golfers.

You need to get right out there. I think the reason why a lot of people quit is because they haven't gone out there on the golf course and had a hoot of a time, and absorbed other things besides the fact that you're playing golf — like the sun and the grass and how beautiful it is and the camaraderie. You need to enjoy the whole experience and not just stand for five weeks and concentrate on one little thing.

Q: What would someone learn in their first lesson?
A: You'd learn how to put your hands on the club, which is the same — more or less — for every shot. You'd learn proper posture. If you're not standing correctly you can't make the correct motion. You'd learn alignment which is very important. In a first lesson, I talk about your set of clubs and which club does what.

Most importantly, and this is a huge thing, I talk about how the golf ball gets up in the air. It's the opposite of what everybody thinks, and once someone understands this, it's what keeps them playing golf.

The biggest misconception in golf, when you start, is how that golf ball gets up in the air Most people think you have to hit up on the ball to get it in the air and that is not true. You need to hit down and through the ball to get it to go up in the air and you let the loft - the face of the club - get the ball up in the air. Every club has a different angle, or loft, to the face so you can make the exact same golf swing and create completely different shots.

Most people end up with their body position completely wrong. They're leaning back to slide the club under the ball, but really you want to lean forward and go through the ball, so the club face squares up to the ball. This is where the frustration factor comes in, right here. For new golfers, this is the biggest misconception and this is the most important thing I could ever tell you.

Q: What's the shot to learn first?
A: I like to take a medium iron, like a 7 iron or 5 iron, to start with. The length is manageable and there's decent loft on the face, and it's right in the middle so you get a little of everything. So I'll have someone hit 7 irons both off the tee and off the ground. I also might have someone hit a 5 wood off the tee and off the ground in a first lesson to give them an idea of the difference between an iron and a wood. The swing's the same but the lengths are different and the clubs are different. Then once you learn the technique with one iron and one wood you can use it on all other clubs.

For the short game — chipping and putting and all the stuff that happens on and around the green — I would recommend taking an entirely separate lesson. It's totally different.

Q: So learn the big game first?
A: I teach that way, just because it's more satisfying. A lot of people need to see the ball go in the air. When you swing the club correctly, you get a tremendous thrill, seeing that ball fly. The long and short game are equally important but people want to hit the ball first and that's okay. Then little stuff is harder. Drive for show, putt for dough — they've been saying that for about a million years.

Q: What kind of course is better for beginners?
A: I'd say a 9-hole course. The 9-hole courses in the Greater Portland area in general seem to have a little more of a laid back attitude. Old Orchard Beach Country Club, Pleasant Hill Country Club in Scarborough and South Portland municipal are all 9-hole courses. Also, many of the 18-hole courses have 9-hole rates.

Also, if you're worried about going out for the first time, call and ask if there's a slow time there. You might feel more comfortable if you know there's a slow time, like an evening or early morning.

Q: Are some courses harder than others?
A: Yes, and all courses are rated against each other. In Maine, courses are rated for difficulty by the Maine State Golf Association. You can ask, at the course, about the rating.

Q: What else do you need to know before you play?
A: There's a lot of course etiquette to golf. It's not just rules, it's also about politeness and safety. That's why it's important to go with someone who's played before. Go with a friend — they'll help you with pace, where to stand, who goes first, that kind of thing. For instance, if you're playing when the sun is bright you have to make sure your body isn't casting a shadow into someone's shot. You need to know where to stand when someone is hitting, so you're not disturbing them and so you're safe. The person that's farthest away always hits first. On the putting green, you have to mark your ball so it's not in the way of someone else. You can't stand in someone else's line to the hole, because your foot makes an indentation. And so on. It's a big dance out there; that's what we call it sometimes. It may scare people at first but as soon as you start doing it, it's no big deal.

Q: How important is it to practice?
A: Practice on a driving range always helps. Cascade Range, for example, is great because it has hitting areas from grass as well as mats. Some golf courses have driving ranges too, and you can go to a course and hit a bucket of balls at the range. That's nice if you're going to play the course — you can go early and warm up.

All the preparation — practice, driving range, Golf Channel, books — is fine but it's not a substitute for getting out on a course. The reason why I want people to play right away is that you get into all different situations on the golf course. It's not flat like a range. You need to start getting into all kinds of situations and getting yourself out of them. For instance, you'll be out there and the wind will be in your face, then you'll start playing a hole that goes the other way and the wind's going to be behind you. Or you're going to be up against a tree or in a sand bunker. Getting into these situations and getting out of them — that's what playing golf is all about.

Q: What's the most important thing you need to play golf?
A: I would say patience and sense of humor. Golf gives and takes. Sometimes you hit a tree and it kicks the ball farther into the woods. Sometimes it kicks it right back out. You never know. You have to go with the give and take. You're going to hit good shots, you're going to hit bad shots, so you just need to enjoy the whole experience. the people you're with, and the course you're playing. As you get better you'll get more serious about your game, but you still have to have a good time.

May, 2002
— Interview by Melissa Kim, MaineToday.com

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Gear List
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Grips
Resources

Watch a video of Anne as she demonstrates a golf swing and talks about the key points of the swing. She also describes how she got started in golfing. View the 90-second video: RealPlayer (2.4 MB) QuickTime (2.1 MB). Need the software? Download RealPlayer 8 Basic for free. Download Quick Time for free. To top of page

Gear List Anne McClure shares her gear list and talks about essential items. CLUBS "The rules of golf allow you 14 clubs or less and you will get penalized if you have more than 14. As a beginner, you don't need all 14." Irons "Get every other club — a pitching wedge, 4, 6 and 8 iron or a 3, 5, 7 and 9 iron." Putter "For your short game." Woods "Now called metal woods — these are for distance and you need at least one. I'd recommend a 5-wood." And don't forget... Shoes "Sneakers are fine. As your swing gets stronger, you may want golf shoes. They have plastic spikes, called "soft spikes" that give you more stability." Gloves "A glove helps absorb vibration. Also, you are supposed to hold the club softly, not grip it tightly, so a sticky glove gives you a good, but light, grip. If you're a right-handed golfer you wear a glove on your left hand. Left-handed golfers wear a glove on their right hand." Bag Tees Balls Sunscreen Hat or visor To top of page

Resources A list of all the golf courses in Maine; A weekly column by Tom Chard, sports writer for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram; News & Features from the Portland Press Herald/Blethen Maine Newspapers; and Links to the best Web sites for Maine golf information. To top of page

Grips

Anne demonstrates three basic ways to grip a golf club: Baseball: Hands stacked on top of each other. click to enlarge Over- lapping: Pinky rests between the index and middle fingers. click to enlarge Inter- locking: Pinky and index finger linked. click to enlarge

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