One Beginner's Dream Season: What Her Coach Says Got Her There

Emma Booth with pupil — (Image credit: Emma Booth)

When Jenny Noades signed up for my women’s 3-week ‘New 2 Golf’ programme in March 2025 she had no grand ambitions, targets or vision of where the game might take her. She simply wanted to give it a go.

Less than one year later Jenny is a fully paid-up member of a golf club, the proud owner of a custom fit set of clubs and playing off a handicap of 20. By any measure that is quite the first year of golf.

As a coach, Jenny’s journey and progress has been a pleasure to watch and nothing short of inspirational to others taking their first tentative steps into the sport. I wanted to hear Jenny’s reflections on her first year in the game, and what she believes played the biggest role in making it such a strong start.

March - The Journey Begins

What made you want to start? I have always been very active and have played racket sports all my life. Over the years, I have had friends that played, but I used to think golf was a great cure for insomnia if it was on TV!

When I retired I knew I wanted to take up a new sport so thought why not give it a try. I signed up to the 3-week women’s beginner course at Winchester Golf Academy, as some of my cycling friends had recommended it, and I figured it would be a low commitment way to have a go.

Within half an hour of that first session, I knew I was hooked! It just felt so good when you hit the ball well and I just wanted to chase that feeling because unlike tennis or badminton, which I have played a lot, you don’t manage to strike it well every time, making it all the better when you do. I enjoyed the independent aspect of the game, the fact I could practice and play on my own, and knowing that my improvement and success was in my own hands, which is very different from my past experiences in sport.

Female golfer at the driving range — Jenny Noades

April - First Time On A Course

There is some luck involved in my timing as I joined the programme in March and April when the evening practice sessions were moved from the range to a local 9-hole course, Avington Park. The way those first few playing sessions are structured really helped and eased me into playing on a course, which is so different from hitting balls on the range. The Texas Scramble format was fun and not having to worry about playing from the rough or bunkers took a lot of fear away.

May - Invested In Equipment

Golf is an expensive sport, more expensive than any racket sport I have played, but when I know I am enjoying a new hobby, I am committed and want to get better and will invest to give myself the best chance at doing well.

In May I booked a custom fitting session, as I am taller than the average woman, and I knew this would be the way to go. I didn’t buy everything all in one go, but I enjoyed the progress from each new purchase and it didn’t take long for me to have a full set. I started with the driver first as I found it the most fun, then the irons, a lob wedge, hybrid and fairway woods.

June - Joined A Golf Club

I took a leap and joined Avington Park, where we had our playing sessions. I knew some other women from the practice sessions, which made it less intimidating, but I am quite a laidback person and have always been willing to throw myself into different environments with regards to sport. I started to play in the women’s rollup mornings and everyone was so welcoming. It was a lovely environment to get initiated into the flow of how golf clubs and on-course golf works.

July - First Handicap

I was keen to get a handicap and begin playing in competitions. I achieved this by submitting 9-hole cards at first and finishing with an 18-hole card. I was happy with 20, but also a little nervous as it’s quite a challenge to consistently play to this handicap.

August /September - Competitions

As a competitive person, I loved the challenge of having a card in my hand and knowing it was all on me. I have played in lots of different competition formats now. I really enjoy Stableford as it helps to keep the pace of play. I tried to play in a competition most weeks to keep getting practice under pressure.

Golf presents a challenge unlike anything I have experienced before. When things are going well it is easy to stay happy and positive, but when things don’t go as you’d hoped, that’s when the mental challenge of the game kicks in and you have to manage yourself and emotions.

Winter Golf - 2025/6

I still play, weather permitting, a few times a week. I am hooked on the game and it has become a big part of my life. So far winter golf has been all about investing in the right clothing to stay warm, lots of thin layers are the way to go!

I have also enjoyed the challenge of playing in the different conditions winter throws at you. In the UK, with cold, wind and rain, you never know what you are going to get! Not playing as much due to the weather has meant more practice time at the range, which I have tried to keep focused and purposeful.

Goals For 2026

I have been asked if I will play in some club matches.I am slightly nervous about it, but I am definitely going to give it a go, as it will be a new experience and a different type of pressure, which I know will ultimately help me to become a better golfer.

I would love to get my handicap down into the teens, which I do think is possible, but I am not going to hang my enjoyment on reaching that goal. Golf has already given me so much in terms of enjoyment of a new sport, challenge and social life. It is simply unlike anything I have ever done before and I couldn’t be happier that I took the plunge and picked up that club for the first time in March last year.

The Coach Says...

As a coach that specialises in coaching beginners, here are the reasons why I believe Jenny has managed to have such a successful first year of golf:

No expectations - Jenny went to her first session with an open mind and no preconceived expectations if she would be good, or would even like it. She simply wanted to have the experience of giving it a go

Embracing the challenge - Many adult learners are quick to become frustrated when they can’t hit the ball well every time. Jenny however, rather than resent the difficulty, she accepted that it is difficult and that is what makes it so fun and special to become good.

Emma Booth with a pupil — Jenny Noades with coach Emma Booth

Kept showing up - In golf, some days you play well, some days you don’t, but Jenny showed up week in, week out when life allowed to get in a bit of practice. Her consistency in showing up compounded into more consistent golf shots and increased enjoyment.

Out of her comfort zone - Even though Jenny has a sporty background, golf was still a completely different world for her. New equipment, new environment, different social rules and etiquette, but she felt the fear and did it anyway and that is where true growth and improvement comes from.

Took ownership of improvement - Jenny understood that it was up to her to improve, from how much she paid attention to her group lessons, how often she practiced, to making the right equipment choices. She put herself forward to try new things even though she didn’t always feel fully ready.

Invested in the right equipment - You don’t have to buy new, but having a custom fitting is always worth its weight in gold to ensure you get clubs that are the right length, lie and flex. If you have a budget in mind, speak to your nearest custom fitter and if they are doing their job well, they will do their utmost to find clubs that are right for you and within budget. I have no doubt that Jenny slowly building her set contributed to her success.

Made a social network - Through practice and playing sessions at the range Jenny made connections, which are great when first starting out. Social connections helped to give Jenny a sense of belonging and changed the priority from performance to simply enjoying the game and being part of something.

Discovered what type of golf is for her - Jenny is competitive so it felt natural for her to play in competitions, and as she suspected, she enjoyed that aspect of golf. That however doesn’t have to mean it is right for you. The priority should always be your enjoyment, so finding what aspects of the game you enjoy, be it range golf, social golf or competitions, is an important part of a golf journey.

If you are looking to start golf this year, or simply want to improve, hopefully Jenny’s journey has helped inspire you to give golf a go or to set yourself some new challenges for 2026.

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Emma has worked in the golf industry for more than 20 years. After a successful amateur career, she decided to pursue her true golfing passion of coaching and became a qualified PGA Professional in 2009. In 2015, alongside her husband Gary, who is also a PGA Professional, they set up and now run Winchester Golf Academy, a bespoke 24 bay practice facility offering not only all the latest technology but a highly regarded bistro. Emma is happy coaching all golfing abilities but particularly enjoys getting people into the game and developing programs to help women and juniors start and improve. Her 2022 Get into Golf program saw more than 60 women take up the game.

Emma is a member of TaylorMade’s Women’s Advisory Board, which works to shape the product offering and marketing strategy with the goal of making it the number one brand in golf for women. When not changing lives one swing tweak at a time Emma can be found enjoying life raising her three daughters and when time allows in the gym.

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