Top 5 Golf Tips for Beginners

It’s not easy to pick up a sport at any age, but it can be particularly difficult to take up golf as an adult. There is a lot to learn and remember, and because you’re trying to do it in an already competitive environment (like your office’s golf league), you don’t have time to struggle through the learning curve.

Golf is a game of patience and precision, but that doesn’t mean it has to be miserable for you. With some tips from professionals, you’ll see your golf game improve before your very eyes.

Most people would be better off taking up another sport, like tennis or racquetball, but if you think you want to try golf, here are five tips to help you get started.

Find a Driving Range Near You

Because golf is played by hitting a small ball, you need to learn how to control the power of your swing. You can’t do this without practice, and even if you have access to a course, it may be difficult for you to get out there on a regular basis.

By going to a driving range, you can warm up and practice on a regular basis. Despite the name, these facilities aren’t just for driving around; they also have plenty of open space for chipping and putting as well.

Driving ranges are great for learning how to properly control your clubface, swing speed, and follow through. You’ll be able to see immediate results from all of your practice swings, and you’ll develop muscle memory that will help you on the course.

Try a “One-Piece” Swing

It’s pretty easy to read and watch instructional golf videos these days. Your local public range might even have a TV with a satellite hookup so you can watch live coverage of professional tournaments or state championships. 

By taking in as much golf knowledge as you can, you’ll discover that the pros all have something in common. They use one-piece swings to control their shots with just a straight back-and-forth movement of their arms and shoulders.

Instead of winding up like an amateur, take some time to learn how to make this simple swing and start hitting better shots. Hitting with a “one-piece” swing will put you on the fast track to learning how to control the power and direction of your shots, and it will shave strokes off your game right away.

Learn How to Control Your Club Face

The face of your club doesn’t just hit the ball; it also sets the power and direction of your shot. By learning how to keep it square at impact, you are setting yourself up for more consistent shots.

To do this, you need to keep your hands ahead of the ball at all times during your swing. If you try to pull a shot by holding your hands behind the ball, you’ll hit it even harder than you’d like. If you try to push a shot by holding your hands in front of the ball, you won’t be able to get any power, and your shot will go left or right.

The easiest way to keep your hands ahead of the ball is to focus on keeping your arms out straight as you swing. Your arms should form a “T” with your body before you swing, and your wrists should stay cocked until you hit the ball.

By keeping the clubface closed just a bit longer than usual, you can pull off this seemingly-complicated move with ease. With each swing, force the handle toward the target while closing the clubface. Since the handle is pointing left, your ball will fly to the right of your target.

By practicing this at the driving range, you’ll quickly see an increase in distance and accuracy on your full shots as well as putts. Even if you’re not playing a game yet, you can already be working on becoming a better player.

Spend Time at the Range Just for Putting

Like we mentioned above, you don’t have to play a full 18-hole game of golf to improve your game and lower your score. While you’re warming up and practicing your swing, spend some time doing nothing but chipping and putting on the practice green.

While chip shots are hit with more loft on the club, you can learn to control direction by using your putting stroke. You’ll also build up the muscles you use for hitting shots once you start practicing this way.

This is a great way to improve your short game, which is often overlooked by some of the greatest golfers of any skill level. Hitting good chip shots will help you chip up close to the pin, and sinking those short putts will give you more confidence on longer ones.

Practice Using a Self-Aiming Device

One of the most frustrating aspects of golf is lining up shots, whether putting or hitting tee shots. For beginner players especially, it can take forever before you line up your shot correctly.

Instead of wasting your time lining up a shot, invest in a self-aiming device to make things much easier on yourself. These gizmos project a bright red dot onto the ground ahead of the ball, helping you aim it perfectly every time.

If you’re not sure which device to get, don’t worry. You can learn about all of them on Wikipedia’s article on “Golf training aids.”

Once you have one of these devices as part of your golf arsenal, lining up, your shots will be a breeze. Spend less time shipping golf clubs for the perfect game equipment or fumbling around when you play, and enjoy more time on the course with this simple tip.

Conclusion

As you can see, learning the game of golf isn’t as daunting as it may seem. With just a few swings and some time at the driving range, you’ll be hitting better shots than ever before. Try to play at least once a week so you can get used to everything before you go out for your next game of 18.

You can try out some specially curated coupons if need be. And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll shed that “beginner” status and become a professional golfer!