Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?

I love golf, and I have an old set of clubs that my grandfather gave me, but that's it, and I never really had the money to add green fees to my expenses. I go to the driving range, and play the putt putt, and I frequently knock a ball around the yard with a 9 Iron. Doing only these three things, is it possible to eventually play an actual round of golf, and do average or above?Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?The biggest obstacle for you will be knowing which club to use.

I used to play golf all of the time. I was very good as a kid...I even have a few trophies.

When we moved after 4th grade, it was to a town that didn't have any good (or close) public courses, and the 2 country clubs had 10-year+ waiting lists. So, I didn't play again for years.

In high school, I had a friend who was very good, and he invited me to play up at Alvamar - a public Championship course outside of KC.

Now, apart from occasionally going to the driving range, and numerous putt-putt games, I hadn't played a real round of golf since I was 10 or 11. I was now using my Dad's clubs (I ended up being an 1" taller than him, so they were a good fit).

So, we get up there and my friend and I get a tee time with a couple of guys playing in a 2-man scramble tournament. I end up winning the toss and teeing off first. I got in there, lined it up, and smacked it about 250+ yards right down the center of the fairway. My friend was shocked, and those 2 guys just stared.

Well, that was it for me. Basically, whenever it didn't matter how hard I hit, I was fine. But as I got closer to the green (or if it was short hole), I'd be all over the place. I had no earthly idea how far I could hit a 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 iron.

My friend could tell me what he'd use...but that just gave me a general idea.

So, that is going to be your biggest obstacle. You'll be overshooting and undershooting the greens, hazards, and fairways. If you do start to play again, go in with a notebook and make a note of how far you're hitting each club. That's going to be the way that you can maximize what you already know how to do: drive and putt.Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?
If this is what you think is your best answer that might be part of your problem. One of the main reasons people go the the range is to figure out how far they hit each club. This answer makes no sense.

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Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?I had a similar experience. I used to putt and fool around with clubs and one day I eventually got to play on a golf field. I've never taken a lesson in my life but eventually I was doing better than friends that had taken classes. After playing for a while on the real thing I started getting better fast. My best scores were far from good, but I would say definitely above average. I guess it depends on how easy it comes to you, and you said you've already had some practice with irons which in my experience are the hardest clubs so I guess you're going to do fine.
In my opinion, being good would take a lot of practice, like with everything else but in my experience if you've had a little previous practice with clubs it's going to be a lot easier for you.
Yes you can become a decent golfer with out ever playing golf on a golf course. The average male golfer in the US is about a 23 handicap. That is a average score of 95 give or take a few shots either way depending on the golf course. Its not that great of a score. The reason for this is because the average golfer is the opposite of you, they play golf and never go to the range. To become a good golfer you have to combine both. If the range has a short game practice area spend a bunch of time there when you are there. That's how you shoot good score, a great short game. The only way you are ever going to find out if your practice has been paying off is to get out and play. I know golf is expensive but depending upon where you live you should be able to find a affordable course some where. Keep practicing and try to get out on the course.Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?You can't get really good at golf without playing a round, but the practice will not hurt. As long as when you go to the range you use all of your different clubs and determine the distances that you hit each one, you will not do that bad. If you can try and get out and play a round of golf every couple of weeks or so, you will get better. If you look around you should be able to find a course that you can play 9 holes for around 20$.Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?
You can master your swing without ever playing a round, so you can be good at golf without ever playing a round! So Yes! But, you'll never know how important each shot is, unless you play, you don't get mulligans on the course!
there is no pressure during those activities. golf really messes with you, you feel pressure on every shot. no one can just play golf without experiencing this pressure.Can one become good at golf, without ever playing a round?
no, you need to practice actually playing the game, just like everything else
I doubt it. Golf is one tough game.
Like in every game - there is more than just a sum of skills that make you good or bad in a particular game.

You have probably trained up a good swing at the driving range and around the yard, and also your putting skill.
But, until you go out for a couple of real games (to "feel the grass") its kind of like learning to fly in a flying simulator. Training in a controlled environment.


Cause it isn't just drive+putt. There is the feel of the terrain, the weather, the winds, the competition...

You can probably play a pretty good game of golf with your skills but to be "really" good 鈥?you would need to occasionally play a real game on the real course too.