Played my 1st round of golf

Good for you.  Very smart to play that way.  When I take friends out for their first time I tell them to leave the driver in the bag as much as possible.  The shorter the club the easier it is to hit. 

They usually don't believe me but they end up having alot more fun not hitting the ball 90 degrees to the right every time off the tee when they use the driver vs. 5 or 6 iron which most people can hit fairly well.

I find that beginners tend to put straighter then people that play alot because they tend not to put as much thought into it, though they tend to hit the crap out of the ball.  Short game takes practice, practice, practice, and if you don't play as often (like I am now) it is the first thing to go.

Fun... glad you had a good time.  Since I got in triathlon, I haven't picked up a golf club.  I need to get back out there.

So, you shot 118 and didn't hit a lot of bad shots?    Kidding.

Once you play/practice with some regularity, that putting will get a lot better.  Have fun with it! 

 Drivers do though. At least mine did a few years back. I tried to throw it down the fairway and pulled the throw (thats how bad of a day it was) splash in the water. I waded out to it. That was at least 3 years ago and I haven't thrown a club since. Main thing is to play shot to shot and have fun with it.

That story is hilarious! The only times I went by myself I went to the local par 3 course and made sure I went at a time when it wasn't crowded because I DID NOT want to get paired up with strangers.

Kleinrider, sounds like you had fun. Golf is fun and will continue to be fun if you don't take it too seriously.

My brother taught me how to play golf.  I started out playing "case and case" golf...

You go onto the first tee with a case of balls and a case of beer and by the eighteenth, they're both gone!

 You might consider finding a par 3 course in your area and do some work there. They are usually a lot cheaper to play than a regular course. You will have essentially eliminated the drive shot from the game and playing from what would be your second shot. Most every par three course I played was not very busy and I was able to play two or three balls at a time. Don't use a tee if the course will allow you to do so either. That way you are simulating play under "normal" course conditions.  

  Work on the drive at the range and also spend a lot of time on the putting green and then try a full course in a month. You will find it a lot more enjoyable.

 John - if you are interested in this idea, I know of a par 3 that's down in Wash Twp (my old neck of the woods).  Otherwise, let me know if you're ever looking for someone to hit the range with or play a round.  Haven't played consistently in a while but do love it so.

we'll have to meet up and play... I got serious about it last year... so I'm down to 100

sounds like you had fun...

Sounds like a great idea... 

great idea....  it's been a long time 

Here's a tip I used when I used to play - it makes keeping score much easier.  Ignore the on-course par markings and define was it a good round for you.  For example, if 100 is a good roung, make every hole a par 6 (in your head - don't tell this to your playing buddies or they will laugh at you).

Then, every hole simply play to the number and keep a tally of whether you are above or below the six range.

I used to this with 5 shots per hole and found it was very easy to track my rounds by being + or - from "5" per hole and keeping track of that number instead of trying to add 18 medium size numbers on a tiny scorecard with a tiny little pencil.

The most important part of your post was that you kept a legitimate score.  Your score will never get better if you ignore a bunch of bad shots.

Instead of going and playing par 3 courses you should just head over to a local course and spend an hour on the putting green on your triathlon rest days.  Instead of 36 putts over 4 hours you'll get 200 putts for free in one hour.

Speaking of Golf here's a list of rules to ensure proper etiquette

Congrats.  I hope that you are still playing.