Golf for Beginners

Golf for Beginners

Archive for May, 2009

Golf for Beginners: Top Picks

Check out some of our Top Picks for Beginning Golfers

Golf for Beginners: Golf Club Rules

Golf for Beginners: Golf Clubs Rules

According to the official rules of golf, each player is allowed to carry with them a maximum of 14 clubs in their golf bag.

Beginner golfers may not be too concerned about having all of these clubs, but more seasoned players, like myself, know specifically which clubs will be used and what type of shot to make with them.

Those of you who are just starting out may only want to carry 4 to 5 golf clubs in your bag. You do not have to have all 14 clubs with you just because the rules set that number as the limit.

What Makes Up The Typical 14 Club Set?

There is a standard average number of clubs that many amateur golfers have in their golf bag and they are:

(1) Driver
(8) Irons
(2) Fairway Woods
(2) Wedges
(1) Putter

Golf for Beginners: Consistent Shots

When you’re just learning golf, for beginners consistency is something that will become quite important to you. Creating consistent shots in golf is a must. What happens with a lot of players is that, as you look from down the line, the golf club has a tendency to get too vertical on the downswing. It leads to taking too much turf, steep divots, and a ball spinning off to the right.

All of this is influenced by your setup. For example, if you have too much bend in the upper body, and the arms are extended far away from the body, there is a lot of tilt. This causes the golf club to get too vertical on the backswing, which will also create the steepness in the downswing, sticking the club into the ground, and the arms tend to reverse rotate.

So by standing taller at address and getting the end of the golf club pouring more toward your belt buckle, that will put you in an ideal position from address. However, this doesn’t mean that your swing will get more rounded to produce a consistent shot, so a simple drill can help.

The 15, 10, 5 Drill

First take a practice shot with the ball 15 inches above the ground. By swinging so high you have a nice rounded swing, almost like a baseball swing, and after swinging through, it allows you to square up the clubface. Next move to 10 inches above the ground, around and through, then 5, around and through, then on the tee, making sure the end of the golf club is pointed at your belt buckle.

Golf Driving Range Tips

Here are 5 golf driving range tips for the next time you’re headed out for some practice. The driving range is meant to be a serious practice tool which can benefit every golfer’s game.

1. Don’t just knock the balls out into the air to see how far they can fly…instead have a goal of exactly what you want out of each session.

2. Always aim for a target, whether it be someplace on the artificial green, a yardage marker sign, or a patch of grass.

3. Learn when to stop. When you come to the point on the driving range when you have reached your goal for the day, learn when to stop. Hitting too many balls can lead to injury and boredom.

4. Give equal practice time to your short game as you do your long-distance shots.

5. When practicing your short shots, never hit them from the same spot each and every time. Vary your length and distances for faster progression.

With these simple golf driving range tips, you’ll get more out of each session and progress at a faster pace.

Golf Cart Etiquette

Is there such a thing as Golf Cart Etiquette? Absolutely!

While golf was traditionally meant to be enjoyed on foot, enjoying the exercise, getting fresh air… not everyone can or wants to walk the entire course. In that case, there are golf carts.

Are you familiar with golf cart etiquette?

1. Do not drive over the fairway because it will leave marks and deep ruts in the turf.

2. Never drive a golf cart onto the green, ever! When you approach the green, simply park the golf cart on the side of the green, closer to the next tee.

3. Try not to drive a car near any other player who is setting up for their swing. When you are getting ready to take a swing, the most frustrating experience can be a disturbance from someone else, especially an inconsiderate player driving a noisy golf cart right past your area.

Golf Balls 101

What exactly is the reason for all those little dimples all over a golf ball? It’s not just to look different, there’s purpose behind the design! The small dimples give the ball lift in the air with the proper amount of spin. Golf balls are made with a specific number that indicates compression. This explains how densely packed the inside of the golf balls components are.

Golf balls range from a soft compression number of 80 on up to an extremely hard number of 110.

A golf ball’s compression gives it a specific feel rather than distance. For example, if you are hitting a ball that has a 100 compression number, it is going to feel extremely hard when the clubface makes contact. On the other hand, a ball with a 80 compression number will feel softer.

Which Golf Club Should I Use?

Which golf club should you use for that shot?

When you’re new to golfing, one of your biggest questions might be…which golf club should I use for this shot? As you go down thefairway, you’ll be adjusting your shot each time. To start out, you want distance, but from that point on, you’ll be shooting for accurancy and precision.
This requires that you utilize different clubs for different shots. The club faces are made from either metal or wood. Different materials on a golf club will have different effects on how far the ball will travel, and how high it will go.

Should I Choose an Iron or a Wood?

Generally speaking, the higher the number on the club, such as a 9-iron for example, the higher the ball will go into the air, but with much less distance than a lower-numbered club, such as a 3-iron.

If you are new to golf and are a little confused about these numbers and what clubs to use, don’t worry, in time you will have a specific feel for each and every one of your 14 clubs when playing on the golf course.

I’m not going to break down the specifics of each club just yet, because I want you to have the general idea to start….

Higher number - more air, less distance
Lower number - more distance, less air

Beginner Golf Tips

Beginner Golf Tips – What Can You Expect As A New Golfer

If you have always wanted to start playing golf and experience the passion that sweeps thousands of men and women on the golf course every day, there is nothing stopping you from giving the game a chance and finding just how rewarding golf can be.

The attraction to golf appeals differently to each person, but we all enjoy the challenges, the unpredictability of the game, golf’s long-standing traditions, and learning the power of focus and concentration.

Additionally, here are some beginner golf tips of things you can expect:

1. Although golf can be a difficult game to play for the beginner golfer, you are only competing against yourself. You’ll learn in time how to use your mind and body to control all of the possible outcomes that your shot could make.

The fun starts when you are simply trying to make contact with the ball and as you get more experience, learning to steer the shot in a specific direction becomes even more rewarding.

2. Golf takes patience and unlike other sports, you need to give yourself plenty of time and to learn how to play well. That is what is so wonderful about this game, you can focus at your own pace until you are ready to advance.

Beginning Golf: Golf is for Everyone!

Beginning Golf you’ll see that golf is truly a sport for everyone…male, female, young or old. For those of you who have never stepped foot on a golf course, know nothing about the game, but would like to satisfy your curiosity about the the sport of golf, then take notice of the following facts:

1. Regardless of your age, anyone can take great pleasure and enjoy the game of golf. Your athleticism is not a factor with this sport. Eventually, you will get faster and smoother with your shots, but it doesn’t matter how strong or weak you are. You can start playing today!

2. Golf has been around for over a thousand years, probably longer, but it’s been approximately 1000 years ago that we know for a fact when golf originated in Scotland.

3. Golf is a sport that you can enjoy for the rest of your life. It can be a passion that stays with you no matter how old you become. In fact, it is one sport that many older men and women enjoy into their golden years.

Basic Golfing Rules

Looking for basic golfing rules? Here are a few basic golfing rules by the USGA (United States Golf Association). Today we’re going to focus on three rules that come into play with the golf ball.

1. Once the ball makes its way to the putting green, the rules state that you are allowed to mark the its position. The benefits of marking the ball’s spot is so that you can pick it up and clean it thoroughly so as to avoid interfering with your next shot. Second, if your ball is in the same target line of another player’s ball located farther away, picking the ball up will reduce the chance of ruining that player’s putt.

2. Another rule concerning the ball when it hits the putting green is that you must remove the flagstick to avoid a penalty. Who knew, right? Now you do!

3. You must always play your ball from the correct putting green. There may be times when you hit a shot and the ball lands on another hole’s green that is not your own. If this happens, you must pick up the ball and drop it at the nearest location of relief.

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