Anxious About Starting to Play Golf? Beginners’ Golf Tips
If you have never played golf before the prospect of taking that initial step maybe daunting. Where do you go to get the information you need to learn to play golf? What golf equipment do you need? Who should you talk to? It can be very stressful understanding what to do.
Tip 1. Speak to people
Talk to you friends and any other people you come across who play golf about your interest in learning how to play. Be clear about what you want to know. For example, what golf equipment you need. How much to pay. What clubs to use.
As a background to this discussion you might want to talk about why you want to play golf and what interests you about the game. Discuss your anxieties and fears about starting. You will probably find that you will obtain a lot of information and reassurance from talking about playing golf that overcome the problem of taking the first step. Everyone has had to start sometime and most of them will be willing to share it with you.
Tip 2. Green to tee
It is often said the best way to learn to play golf is from ‘green to tee’. You may have heard this expression. Basically it means that you should start by learning to putt, followed by chipping and pitching and finally by learning how to drive off the tee.
This is sound advice.
You will not look an obvious beginner with a putter in your hand. If you start swishing a driver around, you will. Get a bag of balls and take your putter onto a practice green and learn to putt. Spend an hour 2 days a week practicing long putts and short ones from all parts of the green – uphill and downhill. You’ll thank me for this advice.
Tip 3. Learn with a friend
Ask around amongst your friends and colleagues and see if anyone wants to learn with you. You will both feel more confident about learning together. Add some competition to your practice as you learn to putt. Place a dozen balls each around the putting green and award points for i) getting nearest the hole and ii) sinking the putts. This’ll add enjoyment to your practice.
Tip 4. Learn how to hit the ball
Do you play any other sport – tennis, baseball, pool, soccer? You will know that you had to learn either how to hit the ball, kick it or catch it. You can’t start playing golf by banging sweet 250 yard straight drives off the tee immediately. Even Roger Federer had to learn to hit the ball. You will too.
After lots of putting practice, get a 9 iron or sand wedge and practice hitting short shots to the flag from around the green. Place 12 balls at different points between 5 to 15 feet from the green and learn to control shots onto the green.
Tip 5. Start up golf equipment
Don’t buy a set of golf clubs – not yet anyway. See if can borrow a putter and 9 iron pitching wedge (or sand wedge) from a friend. If not buy cheap golf clubs from a low cost sports goods store. You will probably get them for less than $15 each. You will need 15-20 golf balls too. You can get these second hand, usually from a golf club, or buy some ‘reconditioned’ balls, or beg or borrow them from your buddies. This is all the golf equipment you’ll need to start, so get out there, buy your clubs and start putting.
Tip 6. Watch the pros
And finally, if you are serious about learning the game, watch golf on TV. You will get a feel for playing shots by watching the pros play the game. Pay special attention to their putting and short shots around the green to begin with.