Guide For Beginning Golfers
So, you’ve been watching some golf on TV, or you’ve been around your friends who can’t stop talking about how they played last week, and you’ve decided to join the growing golf population. The problem is, you don’t know that much about golf, and you’re a bit confused about how to get started? No worries, we put together a quick Guide for Beginning Golfer’s to get you started.
Getting started in golf can be extremely intimidating at first. There seems like there are so many rules; how do I know what clubs to use, and mostly how do I go out there a not look like a complete idiot?
The first rule of golf to remember. Most people are not “good” golfers. Every one of us had to start exactly where you are starting from, and it was not pretty at first. I’ve been golfing forever, and I’m still not a good golfer, and I resign myself to the fact that I’m never going to be competing on weekend in early April at the Master’s, but I can play golf and enjoy the heck out of it. So, don’t go into this putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Play for the fun, play for the memories, and play because it’s something you want to do.
Do I Need to Buy Brand New Golf Clubs?
No, in fact, your swing will change as you play more, so buying an expensive set of clubs right now doesn’t make sense. However, there are excellent beginner sets out there with larger surface areas that allow for a bit more forgiveness, and you can pick up a good used set to start.
My number one tip when purchasing clubs at any point during your golf career is, try them first!
There are all different shafts, and club heads built based on your swing, so before you buy, try them and have your swing analyzed. You will be amazed how much your game will improve with clubs that are fitted to your particular swing.
How Many Clubs Do I need?
The pros are allowed to carry 14 clubs in their bag but to start, you don’t need that many. The three must-haves in every bag to get started are the Driver, Putter, and Sand Wedge. After that, I would suggest a fairway wood or hybrid with an 18–21-degree loft, a 6-iron, an 8-iron, and a pitching wedge. You can have as many clubs as you want, but you will need to understand the distance you can hit with each to manage your club selection properly.
How do I know how far I can hit each club?
There are two ways to figure out your swing and how that translates into distance per club. The first is taking a lesson. This will help give you the basics of a swing and get you swinging the proper way right from the beginning. It’s very easy to go out and start hacking, but your swing is all about muscle memory, and you don’t want to train your muscles the wrong way.
The second is to have a plan when you practice at the driving range. Don’t just go to see how far you can hit your driver. Instead, go through a sequence of at least 12 swings with each club; this will get you used to swinging each club and give you an idea of the yardage you can hit each one.
There is no time like the present to start chasing that little white ball all over the course, and we hope with this quick Beginners Guide, we have pointed you in the right direction for years of memorable golf.