How to teach a beginer to play golf.where do I start?
My girlfriends Dad wants me to teach him how to play golf, he’s about 50 years old and only been to the range once or twice and wasn’t very good. But he wants ME to teach him instead of getting lessons. I’ve been playing golf since I was 12 and I’m now 23 so I have a few years under my belt but I’ve never taught anyone how to play golf before. Where do I start with this guy and is there a website,book,video or anything I can give him to get him started on his own first and then work some helpful tips into the equation. I know playing on the course is the best practice you can get but he’s not ready for that yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It all starts with the grip, right? start there. All the nuances of the golf swing . The stance, the inside out approach to the ball. The distance to the ball in relation to the club being used. The swing path, on plane, etc. etc. Then all the golf terms and what they mean. Then the ever important putting stroke. Gee it’s all so much fun! Try getting some golf training videos. (the library?) Sit down and watch them together. Freeze frame and explain what’s going on then have him try and imitate. So what eventually helped my driving technique was keeping my left arm , I’m right handed, straight with the wrist flat from take away to returning to the ball. I keep my motions to a minimum and play within my game. Good luck!
Playing, even if you’re really good, does not mean you can or should teach. I’m a scratch golfer and I’ll give tips, or let them know etiquette when we play but I wont teach. Does that make sense? Lessons really are the only way to go.
As you know the best way to start is with the correct stance and grip. I recommend going to and click on instruction and lessons. They have areas that you want to correct and answers from Golf Digest top 100 teaching pros.
Good luck.
The other option to truly teaching him would be to take him to a short par 3 course somewhere. That way he could get actual practice, you can give him tips along the way and he does not get in anyones way on a real course until he is ready.
I’m not a great golfer by any means, but I have been around the game a long time and I have taught many of my friends and family how to play. I always start out on the putting green, then work to chip shots, short irons, etc. I find that if you start them with small swings you can find the problems sooner so that by the time you get to the longer (and generally more difficult to hit) clubs, the little nuances are easier to deal with. Also, once they become fairly consistent with the swing, then you should help them figure the yardage for each club. They may not be ready to go to Qualifying school just yet, but at least they can get out and enjoy the links.
First off, it sounds like to me that your girlfriends dad is not so much looking to become a good golfer but rather trying to get to know you on a different level. That said, don’t expect him to shoot in the 80’s………ever.
But you first must start with getting him to grip the club right, get him to build a nice solid foundation in his stance and setup. He need to swing the club a few thousand times before he’s ready for books or magazines. If he’s only been to the range a couple times, he’s not going to be able to comprehend golf tips out of a magazine yet.
Start him off hitting everything off of a tee. It doesn’t matter at this point, he just needs to get the basic swing down. Next, since he is a man and all of us want to hit the long ball, instill in his brain that 70% or more of the power in your swing comes from your abs and below. This means that if you try to overpower a golf shot with upper body alone, you will lose.
ARMS-LEGS-LEGS-ARMS. This is the sequence of the golf swing, he needs to know that the arms should pull the lower body back into the “coiled” position and that the legs should release first, uncoiling the arms through impact.
Don’t have him try to take too many full swings at this point. Just try to get him to make clean contact with the ball. You can add power later. Slowly teach him how to transfer his weight to his back foot without losing his center of gravity…..no swaying.
Get him to trust that hitting down on the ball will make the ball go in the air better than scooping the ball off the ground. The ball will naturally roll up the clubface at impact when struck properly.
And the most important and probably what is going to be the least fun for him. Short Game. If he really wants to learn how to play and play well, the short game can make the difference by about 10 shots a round either way. Touch around the green is priceless, especially for a beginner.
Good Luck.