Second year of golfing

With the newly discovered sport, I’ve been evading any responsibilities for past 6 months. Memories and numbers.

Timeline

It’s far from end of the season yet, but I already spent most of money and time I planned for golf for this year - hence this summary, even if a little early.

In Poland, we use to play until November - traditionally the last tournaments are organized around 11th to celebrate National Independence Day. From what I experienced, it’s easier to enter a course and meet fellow players in the middle of the autumn than in April.

Initial season

It started from an all-around indoor training. Following advice from my coach, I enrolled for a few beginners tournaments. I recall taking some nice shots, but it wasn’t enough to get nice results on the scorecard.

Rest of the year was dominated by so-called “Second Steps” project, where I was supposed to level up my skills with a group of other enthusiasts under the guidance of local pros: chipping, swing mechanics, strategy and whatnot. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its promise - chaotic scheduling and communication issues led to unfinished programme.

I’ve been playing at a handful of courses, hitting the driving range, and consuming rather cheap balls and gloves - all at random - until the cold came around. The very last entries in my golf spreadsheet (sic!) date back to the November short trip to Dublin, where I put my hands on a Guinness ball marker and squeezed in a range session.

The turning point

2026 looked like it would be similar. After a harsh winter, golfers slowly started appearing in the wild. A week after Easter I set sail for a new destination - Wrocław - to take part in two series, again intended for beginner golfers.

A day at Gradi GC left me feeling nothing else than raped.

The next day at Wrocław GC, however, left me thinking I could come back and achieve something there. That’s how I stayed on this particular competition.

Fast forward to June. Never been to that course before, I’m in the flight with two delightful strangers, the sun is burning us alive at 35°C, and the suffer has no ending as we’re stuck behind other groups for 6 long hours. I shot 132 - 60 over par.

Apparently this score was good enough to bring my handicap down, and by good few points - finally! I must admit this shifted my attitude a bit. I only pretended to not care. At that moment, I found my motivation, an excuse to splurge, a will to learn - just to chase this magic number.

Metric: PLN / HCP

Inspired by some videos of advanced amateurs giving it all to shave off some HCP, I calculated my own ratio of money spent per handicap points dropped. It’s based off total costs, as it’s impossible to tell if my progress was influenced by better clubs rather than, say, a new stylish hat.

It turned out to be 1470 zł / 1 HCP (roughly 395 USD).

Faces of tournament play

This post goes online after my symbolic final contest - out of 11 I played this season. I’m happy I attended the Beginners Cup at WGC, which accounted for 6 of the ranked games. Speaking of which, I look at tournaments as the easiest way of having my official HCP up to date; golfing itself would be as important, while the social aspect is something I’d put the least emphasis on.

Yes - the sport introduced me to new people, and they have all been lovely, but I can’t say the same about some quirks I witnessed, such as:

• Getting frustrated about their shots - I mean physically, destructively mad.
• Insisting on filling scorecard with pencil instead a pen - no ma’am, all scores are final when I’m marking.
• Playing by some makeshift rules - one can get really creative just not to replay a bad shot.
• Rushing through the course - I’m not talking about pace of play, but the pace of marching. When they get too old, they simply get in a cart to keep me chasing.

Cost breakdown

I put together a chart telling where the money went - grouped in four categories, with some degree of details. It looks neater than the LibreOffice Calc file I mentioned before. Key observations are:

• Not a penny spent on personnel. I’ll pay a visit to a pro sooner or later, but seemingly it’s not required to goo(l)f around.
• 2026 was year of the gear. I bought new putter (I’m thinking of it as a playable trinket), two fairway woods and a set of wedges to fill yardage gaps, as well as 14-way cart bag. As I stated before: you gotta spend to call it a hobby.

What’s in the bag

• Driver: Callaway Mavrik (10.5°)
• Woods: 3w Callaway Mavrik (15°), 5w and 7w Wilson DYNAPWR Max (18° and 21°)
• Hybrid: 3h Callaway Mavrik (18°)
• Irons: 6i-9i Callaway Mavrik (24°, 27°, 31.5° and 36°)
• Wedges: PW Callaway Mavrik (41°) and Takomo SF002s: 46°/8F, 50°/8F, 54°/12V
• Putter: Bettinardi Antidote SB2

Golf apps I use

R&A Rules of Golf

(App Store) In my opinion, it should be mandated, just like collared shirt or pitchfork. It’s easy to navigate, covers every situation I can find myself in, and removes any uncertanity or argument. I reach for it every time my ball lands god knows where.

Gimme

(App Store) An attempt at golf social network, from Polish creators. The killer feature is player’s profile, where I can post my casual rounds. The feed may be idle sometimes, but the team does their best to grow. There’s more to it: achievements, thematic “buckets” and… free drinks. Check it out!

Golfshot

(App Store) I grabbed one of the most popular apps just to get going with a smartwatch. After a few rounds I find it useful: GPS yardages supplement the rangefinder, and the stroke counter is good for double checking the score (counting your putts separately is insightful, or so I think). No wonder so many people rock a watch at the course, although this particular app is spamming me into subscription (and will do so forever, because I’m not paying).

YouTube

There’s a meme saying “every app is a dating app if you’re Indian enough”. In a similar spirit, you can be an anything app if you are YT. I became a fan of Golf Sidekick channel, because it promotes some ideas that are as convincing as effective, for example: keeping the ball in play instead chasing distance, or popularizing fairway woods. Sprinkled with a dose of humor (and the background views and weather to kill for), it’s the only golf show I watch regularly.

My first times in 2026

• Playing full distance 18 holes. I still prefer nine, but no doubt the eighteen gives you the proper fitness, practice, and is more economic.
• Driving a golf cart. Convenient, but adds another moving part to the game - and it’s pricey compared to green fees. Fun fact: in Poland, this vehicle is universally called a brand name “Melex”.
• Swinging low effort. Influenced by Matty Boom Boom, I’m starting to understand not every shot must be olympic cannon. Body lasts longer, and the score is not sacrificed.

Metric: km / hole

Another factor I thought of is the distance travelled by holes played.

That value for me equals 16 kilometers / hole (10 miles).

This is honestly terrifying. That’s about 290 km (180 mi) round trip to play just one 18-hole round, which means:

• Łódź is a golf desert. The nearest course with par 5s is 150 km away, which pretty much lines up with the calculation above. It would be even worse if I added commute to the range or Trackman facility - thankfully they’re much closer.
• I lied to myself about the nature of the playday. I could feel it, but now I’m certain: when I go golfing, I’m effectively leaving for a long car drive, with a smidge of sport in the middle.

I don’t even want to think what it would be in a more saturated country like USA - one mile? Two?

Priorities for next season

• Casual play over tournaments. For a while, I’ll pass on fixed dates, queuing to hit the ball and searching for other people’s balls. I’ll sign up for a contest if one’s happening nearby, or I feel it’s time to adjust my handicap.
• Shrink the travel. Multi-day, multi-round stays at golf destinations is the way to enjoy the game - not the route.
• Make sense of woods, including the driver.

And, to finish this piece off, things I most probably won’t do:

• Become a golf fan. I can’t see myself in front of TV for the whole weekend or following professional players in person.
• Be a burden for my flightmates - hopefully there will be few of them.
• Be fitted - yet. If anything keeps me from progress, it’s not the equipment.