Man buy those golf shirts at Wal-mart. I've been getting mine for less than 15.00 all summer. Buy cheap golf balls by the bag, look for ones in good condition. Look like new. As a new golfer you will lose more balls on a real course. Typically I lose 3 a day since I'm just getting back into the game. Doesn't hurt though because I know the balls are cheap. Get lessons, when I was young I started with Jr Golf, got some great instruction. What you want to avoid is getting a golf swing like Charles Barkley.
Recently I purchased some used Nike CPR Clubs on EBay. Got a set for about $200 shipped to my house. These clubs are a big improvement over the clubs I had in high school. I hit the ball sometimes almost perfectly straight. If I hit a bad shot in the woods, my next shot will be perfect down the center of the fairway.
Finally some things I have learned with age which have greatly improved my scores.
Swing at 80% of your capacity. My worst shots come when I overswing. (Do not use your driver until I tell you to use it). Most of your bad shots come as you get closer to the hole. I.e. chips and putts.
Distance doesn't matter, if your next shot is from the middle of the lake or the back of a tree, best to swing slower and keep it in the fairway. At the end of the day, there is no place on the score card for 300 yard drives. All that matters is the final score. So use course IQ or course management to keep yourself playing within your ability.
Tiger Woods can hit a 200 yard shot around a tree and over the lake and land within 10 feet of the hole. You can't so don't try playing outside of your ability. These little tidbits have shaved 10 strokes off my game since my return to golf. (20 year layoff).
