Golf For Beginners - A Few Simple Things Nobody Told Me

I am by no means an experienced golfer. I inherited my clubs, and have been begging my friends who golf regularly to teach me the game. I had no luck getting my friends to teach me; and I don't have family who plays golf to give me lessons instead. I am really a self taught golfer.

These are the lessons I learned on my first golfing experience.

I have had my clubs for 2 years and until very recently had not used them. The first issue I ran into, is that they are too short for me; but I cannot afford to buy new clubs. So I had to learn to compensate for my short clubs. The trick to compensating for short clubs, is to bend your knees a little bit more than you normally would for a comfortable swing. You'll find in this way that your knees will compensate for the shortness of the clubs.

Tip # 1. If at all possible, purchase golf clubs that are the correct length for you. This will make your game much more comfortable. If you are unable to get clubs in your size, you can compensate for clubs that are too long by choking up on the grip, and clubs that are too short by shifting your golf stance to accommodate.

My next mistake was to go to a golf course without any real idea of what I was doing and play my way through 18 holes. Good thing I didn't keep score. I had no how the clubs really differed or the purpose of each one. Nor did I know how to strategize based on the layout of the course and each hole. Fortunately for me, some golfers I was likely holding up, explained the mistakes I was making in selecting my clubs for each swing based on the layout and distance the ball had to travel.

Tip # 2. Before going to play on a golf course, go to the driving range. experiment with all the clubs to see how the ball moves (more distance with a wood, and more height less distance with an iron, the degrees of the iron determines how high or far it is likely to send the ball). At the driving range, you can just hit balls and nobody will see your mistakes. It is a great way to learn what you are capable of with each of your golf clubs.

Had I gone to the driving range first, a couple of times, I would have had a much better idea of what each of my clubs could do, and what I am capable of when using them. I also wouldn't have held up the games of the people I was playing or the people behind me if I'd had a better idea. I'm not experienced enough to use my clubs without a little guesswork. I also didn't realize that if I looked at the ball instead of where I wanted the ball to go, I was much more likely to hit the ball on the first swing.

Tip # 3. Look at the ball when you are lining up your club to it. Do not take your eyes off the ball until the club has made contact, then follow the ball with your eyes so you can find it (hopefully, it does sometimes have a tendency to end up in the water or the tall grass out of bounds) when it lands.

By the time I got the ball on to the green, I would then take another 20 swings with my putter trying to get it into the hole. This process was infuriating and on a number of holes, I finally gave up, instead of holding everyone else up. What nobody told me is that it is much easier to sink the ball if, instead of trying to use the putter to aim, use your body. Point your body in the direction you want the ball to go and your luck will improve.

Tip # 4.  Aim you body in the direction you want the ball to go. This doesn't mean face the hole, but line your body up to the hole.  That way you are directing the ball towards the hole instead off in some other direction.

These 4 tips would very likely have made my first golf game a little bit faster, at the very least I wouldn't have held up everyone playing behind me.  Each time I was given one of these tips, my game got a little bit better very quickly.

If any of my facts are incorrect (I am an inexperienced golfer after all), or you have questions feel free to leave a comment.