Standing on a hillside against a stunning backdrop of a railway viaduct, with a pond in front falling away to woodland, it was hard to believe that only 15 minutes previously I'd been in busy Bradford city centre.

But this beautiful place wasn't the countryside I know and love - it was a golf course.

I was on the 14th green at Hollins Hall Golf Club in Baildon, trying to hole a 50ft putt. And it wasn't easy. Like many of the greens on this stunning piece of land, it was not level.

"Bend your legs, relax, move slightly further towards the ball," said my instructor. As the club's golf professional, Brian Rumney helps novices like me to get to grips with the sport. His pupils come as young as six, up to 80-plus.

"That's the beauty of this game," he said. "It's not like football or rugby, where as you get older you give up. With golf, no matter how old you are, you can still play."

The lesson started at the driving range, which we travelled to in one of the many electric buggies parked in neat rows outside the clubhouse. They are nifty little vehicles and it took me by surprise as it zipped around corners and up and down hills. I soon discovered it was not the best place to try and make notes.

"That's the GPS system," explained Brian, indicating a small screen which can give you the exact distance of the vehicle to the nearest hole.

On the range - a long strip with an artificial surface facing a long practice area - Brian, a professional golfer for 23 years, gave me some ground rules. "The grip and your posture are important - they can make all the difference as to how you hit the ball."

The grip takes some getting used to. With your hands wrapped gently around the club, left hand on top, the little finger of your right hand rests on the space between your index and middle finger on the left. If it's difficult to fathom in print, it is equally hard in reality. It just doesn't feel right. "You'll get used to it," Brian told me.

He then demonstrated how it should be done. I was speechless. The ball flew into the air, a perfect arc. It seemed to go for miles. He did it again, and again - perfect every time.

Then it was my turn. I felt quite excited as I raised my eight-iron, swung and watched, as the ball took off. "That was very good," said Brian. I couldn't believe it, the ball had left the ground, and in a straight line. It brought with it a wonderful feeling of elation. I had another go. Amazingly, it happened again. "Very good," Brian repeated.

I then had to assure another course employee that "No - I haven't played before." The nearest I'd ever got to playing was putting on the cliff top in Scarborough. I suggested that having been a reasonable tennis player might have contributed to my success.

A couple more goes, all not bad, and it was off to the 14th. I asked Brian what score he would give me out of ten. I was thrilled when he said "eight". It made me wonder whether I'd missed my vocation, whether I should be teeing off at Palm Springs for a big pot of cash.

Brian was ten when he started playing. "My uncle played, so I had a go and liked it. In the summer holidays my parents would drop me off at the golf course on the morning and my uncle would pick me up on the evening. It was safe and you couldn't get into trouble."

And it paved the way for a successful career. Brian really appreciates his lot - playing the game he loves in beautiful surroundings.

"One of the great things - one of the many - about golf is that every course is different," he says. "If you play football the pitches are all the same shape and size. Golf courses are all so different, it is a totally new experience from course to course, and hole to hole."

Sinking a putt on a slope was not easy. My first attempt went way beyond the hole, the second struggled to within a couple of feet. I lined up again, and, as I think they say in golf, sank' it.

Back at the range, I couldn't wait to have another go. But I now know where the expression beginners luck' comes from. I got one ball into the air, but the others scuttled along the grass. "What am I doing wrong?" I wailed. "It sounds like a strange explanation, but sometimes the harder you try the more difficult it can be. Some people hit good shots when they don't need to, but they can't do it when they really want to."

Still, it was thrilling to watch the pro in action. Brian has played at some of the UK's top golf courses including St Andrews, Turnberry and Trune, and has achieved 12 hole-in-one scores, including one at the Bradford Pro-Am tournament in 2005 where he broke the course record with a round of 65.

Until our lesson, I had no idea that golfers can curl balls, swing them at weird angles and all sorts of other tricks of the trade. "You see that tree," said Brian, "I am going to hit the ball towards it, but then it will bend and come back towards the flag." I found it hard to believe. But, another seemingly effortless swing, and that's exactly what happened. Bend it like Brian' - a perfect title, I felt, should he ever decide to release a DVD of his golfing skills.

I had another go, and, just as Brian said, the golf grip I'd originally thought was weird, felt exactly right.

The half-hour lesson was over with too quickly. My conclusion: I used to mock golf - all those funny shoes and awful sweaters - but now I've changed my tune. I love golf. I'm writing this a week later and I'm still suffering withdrawal symptoms.

  • Helen played golf at Hollins Hall Golf Club, Marriott Hollins Hall Hotel & Country Club in Baildon. For more information ring (01274) 534212 or visit www.Marriott.co.uk/golf
  • Six one-hour lessons in a group of between six and ten including all equipment and club hire costs £65 per person. Individual lessons cost £25 for 40 minutes.