Golf tips for beginners are some thoughts on what may be helpful to your golf game. Learning about golf is part of playing well and trying to master this very complex sport!
How to Get the Most from your Golf Lesson
The best word for golf "challenging". Second best word for golf "frustrating". Both of these words adequately define golf and yet there is such attraction and appeal to the game that these are easily overlooked. To overcome these obstacles you might want to invest in some lessons. When I first started skiing I thought my body was in an un-natural position - then came golf. And just as the Austrian ski instructors would come shushing down the hill and reach out with their ski poles behind your knees with "bend zee knees" so to do we look to our golf instructor for his advice. It's not easy to take a lesson. So attitude is first! You've got to willing to change a lot of things you may think you already know.
Most golf instruction today is based on either the "perfect golf swing" or the mental aspects of the game. (we personally think mental is uppermost). Have you heard the country/western song called "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug|). This song kind of typifies the relationship between you the golfer (bug) and the target (windshield). Have you noticed the pros lining up their ball? They're visualizing where the windshield is, so they can head straight for that sucker. If you can view your target and see that ball landing there, 9 out of 10 times it will!
Some claim that to have the right foot positions and the proper swing are most important. So where does it end or begin? Have your swing analyzed, your grip, your set-up and stance checked? How about confidence and mind-over-matter? You can find these techniques in all types of golf schools. Learn at a resort or a Golf Digest school. Or take lessons from a teaching pro in your hometown. The important thing is to get started off on the right foot and even if you have been playing for some time, you may need the discipline of going to golf school. The results can be dramatic. You must have the patience and honesty to deal with criticism and be willing to practice, practice, practice.
Chart the golf course!
Find out what that Golf Scorecard is all about. If you're planning a golf trip - try to arrive early so you have time to examine the course. The scorecard tells you distances, etc. and some do have diagrams of the holes. If the club you're playing doesn't do this - go into the pro shop and purchase that little book of big secrets. For about $4.00 you'll get an explanation of each and every hole. Reading this book can be invaluable in lining up shots and anticipating your overall strategy. Don't be afraid to ask the locals how they might play the hole, let's face it we need all the help we can get. And always look at each hole before you drive - plot that shot!
How to Read the green!
Putting or putting your game on the line. Drive for show, putt for dough. Ah, the crux of the matter even for many professionals. Besides having control of your putter and the perfect stroke, you must be able "to read the green". Who invented this game anyway? First you have to know the type of grass (remember the book you just bought), then you have to kneel down and figure out which way it grows, then you have to judge the distance and how the ball will break. Then the speed! (A former pro once told me to check the swirl around the cup to tell which way the grass grows - interesting.) Another hint that is not always totally accurate, but something to look for is that all grass grows towards water or the mountain. I'm not sure what you do if there is water and a mountain. Judgment here I should think. The two types of grasses basically used are Bermuda (which tends to slow putts) or Bent which is a smoother grain of grass and usually putts much faster. When you putt with the grain the ball goes faster, and of course going against the grain as in any endeavor, will result in a slower putt. So putt firmly when putting against the grain! Also note the topography of a green - is it flat? does it roll? A general rule is that the better the course, the more sophisticated and subtle are the undulations. Practice all techniques for putting - try visualizing a line from your ball to the cup. Try spot putting, in other words try to figure out where the ball will break and mark a mental X at that point and aim for that. Or use your putter as a plumb line. Hold up your putter and with your eye see if the cup falls to the left or right of the club. This tells you where it might break but just not how far.
Learn golf rules!
Not too many players bother about the rules these days...but they're important, and they can help you score better! Remember the boulder which was ruled a "loose impediment" for Tiger Woods? He knew to ask the question. Learn the rules and use them to your advantage. Read our most asked about golf rulings.
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