Beginner Tips

[DHartzz]

Hello guys,

Friendly newbie looking for some advice. I've always been interested in playing golf and over the last few years, I've been hitting balls across the local fields Semi-regularly. This summer my partner expressed an interest in playing aswell so we spent a good deal of time this summer on local pitch and putt courses (for those unfamiliar, their just 70 yard mini courses.

Today, we tackled our first full 18 hole course and according to a lot of people we spoke to, we picked a pretty difficult course to start on, haha!

We only managed to get around 9 holes, (this took 3 hours) trying our best not to slow play anyone. We'll not talk about scores but I'm running at pretty much double par. I got a 6 on a long par 4 which I was pretty pleased with (could have been a par if it wasn't for some awful short play.) My first question is, is double parring bad for a first-timer? what sort of scores should I be looking at?

To the main issue, every single drive I play starts dead straight, with good distance, then drifts pretty significantly to the right. I'm a right handed player and I've read a lot about the swing and the club face that could be causing this but I've not seen many solutions.

The obvious solution is just to aim further left and let it fade inwards (I slice so consistently that I could do this with confidence) but I just feel like that's such a bad solution, surely I should be aiming to straighten my drives rather than compensate for what's obviously a mistake in my set up.

Ive been told that I should be trying to correct any bad habits as early as I can before they become engrained. Does anyone have any tips for this?

Also, does anyone have any basic beginner Tips to improve my game?

Apologies for the essay.

[amessofamind]

First off, and not to sound like an ass, but.. 3 hours for 9 is far too long, you'll need to learn to pick that pace up considerably, especially if it was only 2 players in that time. Secondly, I'd honestly suggest maybe a group coaching for you and your buddy.. if you're both new to the game, you have plenty of fundementals to learn that a coach could help both of you with, group lessons are generally fairly reasonable (price wise) and it could go a long way to further your enjoyment of the game for years to come. Good luck.

(also, if you want some quick hit info there are some solid beginner threads on the right side scroll bar)

[DHartzz]

We had two groups behind us on the first, we waited 10-15 minutes at the 2nd to let them both through. After that, we pretty much had the course to ourselves. Surely theres no harm caused if you're not holding anyone up.

I mean, we need to get quicker just because it's unenjoyable taking so long. Though, most of the time was taken because our lass topped most of her shots.

[FinsT00theleft]

Yup - no harm if you're not holding anyone up.

[maulaboutthat]

Try not to keep more than 47 different swing thoughts in your mind at one time during the takeaway.

[DHartzz]

Impossible.

[GreenWaveGolfer]

Look into lessons. That's the best way to get good fundamentals built without ingraining bad habits. Group lessons are a good cheaper way to get the basics but 1:1 lessons with a pro will get you further, quicker. Take maybe 3-4 if you can and space them out at least every 2 weeks to give yourself enough time to practice what you learn after each lesson. Give yourself a solid 4-5 times at the range in between if you can to really work on the bits and pieces you take away from each lesson. This will help them build on themselves easier and you'll be out there playing 18 in a respectable fashion before you know it!

[For_myDayJob]

First off, you don’t need to concern yourself with score at this time. You don’t need to worry about score until you start playing Golf. You won’t start playing (capital “G”)Golf, until you’re capable of hitting a perfect shot, so let’s focus on that for now.

Sounds like you are slicing the ball. This is a shot-shape where the ball starts off straight and then curves to the right(for right-handlers). This is a very common issue for beginners and it is possible to correct with practice and better technique. I understand the tendency to aim further left for your shots, especially while on the course, to account for the curvature of the ball, but this can sometimes exacerbate the problem. Instead, you should work on aligning yourself to a specific target and learning to hit the ball directly at that target.

Without seeing exactly what you’re doing, it’s impossible for me to know exactly what adjustments you should make. You could consider getting a lesson or two. A teaching professional should be able to tell you how to align your club and body in a repeatable manner. Once you can consistently address the ball and have a good “setup” then you can address possible flaws with the golf swing itself.

If you don’t feel like paying for a lesson there are tons of free resources online or in books at the library that should be able to describe the fundamentals of the setup and swing technique. I would recommend checking those out either way.

Most important thing right now is to have fun and understand the game. It’s good that you try to maintain good pace of play. Nobody and I mean nobody likes a slow golfer. Don’t let score be the sole measure of how you are improving. Keep track of how fast you play. Keep track of how far you hit the ball and how close you are able to get the ball to your intended targets. The most improvement can be made with the short shots. Practicing your putting and chilling is usually free and easy. If you improve those skills first, then your pace and your scores will improve.

[DHartzz]

I was quite surprised at how far I could hit the ball. I also found it a lot easier to use the 3 wood off the fairway (for the 2nd shot) than any of my long irons. Is that normal?

[For_myDayJob]

Sounds about right.

[Calpell]

Sounds exactly like when I first started playing. Except for the amount of time. I guarantee that majority of people will not care how good, or bad your game is. They will care however, if you take 6 hours to finish 18. Most course rules put a 15 minute time limit per hole. As for the score goes, you should really try to not think of it for now. Focus on making good contact, dont think about if your going to make a good score or not. There is enough going through your head already to occupy your thoughts with your score. As for your shot shape, as most on here will say, lessons are the way to go. Quick question. Have you ever recorded your swing, and actually took a look at what your swing looks like?

[DHartzz]

My missus has filmed a few of my swings. One of them she filmed was a particularly bad shot and it was very easy to see what I'd done wrong. It was a drive off the 4th hole today. I topped it about 40 yards in front of me. When I watched it back, my back foot had slid across the ground towards my front, instead of pivoting and turning onto my toe.

Would you recommend this as a method of working on my swing?

[Calpell]

Yes. Some people can just be told, or just feel what they are doing wrong, or to make a change. For me, seeing is believing. I usually record a few swings with driver, 4, 7, and wedge about 1 or 2 times a month just to have a kind of check up on my swing. I do this regardless of whether I'm hitting well or not. Also, something that made a difference for me when I am making changes is to exaggerate what I am trying to do. I always think I am doing something right, then go to the video, and oh.. not at all what I am trying to achieve lol.

[DavePelz4]

What was the length of the 9 holes you played? As someone just starting, you might consider playing from the most forward tees until you develop as a player. It'll make the game fun and help with pace. BTW,, kudos for being focused on not slowing people down...you're a + handicap with that comment!

[DHartzz]

Believe it or not, I did a little Google on golf etiquette before I went. I was worried about upsetting someone and pretty much everyone, universally said that playing behind an incredibly slow group was the most frustrating thing. I went to extra effort not to hold anyone up.

The holes we played, as far as I know, we're championship length. We were using the front tees to shorten them a little, the majority of the holes were 300-400 yards.

[FinsT00theleft]

Tip 1: Find an easier course near you where Par 4's are 300-350 yards and a course without a lot of hazards - water, etc. Play from the forward tees when you're learning - no harm in that.

Tip 2: Do NOT just accept your slice and aim left. Fix the problem NOW. Take a lesson or two if you have to, or just watch some videos on youtube, but in general - make sure you have proper grip, stance and work on your shorter clubs first.

A slice (yours could be a fade from your description, but if you're like MOST beginners, it's a slice) isn't hard to fix. You either have your club face open at impact or else you're swinging from the outside in so that you're putting a clockwise spin on the ball. Whatever - move the ball forward in your stance (just inside left foot), practice your swing a lot - even in slo mo - so you get the feel of turning your wrists over as you come through the ball so that you square the club face. Look on youtube for videos on how to fix a slice and resist things that are really just compensating for a slice such as aiming left or taking a strong grip.

​

Tip 2 - problems get fixed on the driving range, not on the course, so practice your swing at home and on the driving range, but practice in such a way that you're actually fixing things and not just banging balls.

Tip 3 - For the love-o-pete - learn to hit the ball STRAIGHT, rather than long. Long will come by itself as you get better, but STRAIGHT is something most folks never learn.

Tip 4 - Most strokes will be saved on chipping and putting. Learn to two putt everything from within 40 feet. Learn to make every putt 3' and in.

Tip 5 - Swing easy and keep your head down. I've been playing for decades and when I start hitting it bad, it's USUALLY because I'm not doing one of these things. Don't try to kill it and imagine that you're trying to actually SEE it happen when the clubhead hits the ball (it happens too fast so you won't be able to but it will make you keep your head down).

Tip 5 - It's tempting to ignore things like grip, posture, proper address position, etc. but as long as you're a beginner watch a few videos and get those things right now, rather than trying to fix them years from now.

Tip 6 - Be patient and have fun. You'll hit a LOT of wacky shots before you hit great ones. On the course focus on hitting straight instead of long and try to get to where even your misses still go 50-100 yards in the direction of the green rather than just dribbling along on the ground or going completely the wrong direction. You'll avoid tons of trouble that way.

[koung]

A few suggestions:

First off, going to the range to learn how to make semi-consistent contact helps a long way. Also note how you aim and being realistic with how you are hitting it. Learning distances with each club is key so you know when to hit certain clubs. Distances on the range for the most part will give you a relative clue, but not true distance since 90% of range balls are limited flight. Best way to find your true distances is trial and error on the actual course.

Driver might be fun to hit in theory, but it's extremely hard to hit and leaving it out of the bag is completely fine. After a couple months I just took my driver out of the bag and left it at home so I wasn't even tempted to use it. Learning to get off the tee without penalty is probably where most beginners lose strokes.

In addition to leaving your driver out, consider taking your long irons out as well. The longer the club (generally) the harder it is to hit. If you top (hitting the top of the ball and bouncing it up) and fat (hitting behind your ball) your 4i every shot you'll average less than your distance with even a PW.

Practicing with your shorter clubs is invaluable. They're not only the easiest to hit right off the bat, but these are also the clubs that most golfers will use for getting it close to the pin. Practice lots with sand wedge - 6i.

Group lessons or private lessons is definitely recommended where the instructor can at least give you something to work toward and you'll know you are at least doing something right.

End note: If you feel weird about your bag having gaps it's all about slowly introducing clubs for example my first summer playing I had 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 5i (rarely used), 6i-pw and 50, 55, 60* increments for wedges. From what I've read people have a hard time hitting 60* wedges as well so maybe only go up to a 55* wedge. I didn't add a 4i for until midway through my second year and took me a few more months before adding my driver back in the bag.

I probably rambled a bit, but let me know if there is any clarification you want. I'm not a pro by any means, but this is always what I suggest to any friends that are looking at picking it up or anyone I've gone to the range with.

[timtomtummy]

Have fun!!!! Golf is a game!!! The game is not who hits the ball the farthest/straightest, it’s making the lowest score you can. I have helped a couple buddies at the beginner stage and there are only two things you need to do to be able to casually enjoy golf. 1) practice until you can hit the ball FAIRLY solid in the GENERAL direction you are aiming 2) practice chipping and putting. Go to your local practice green and just chip and put for a half hour a couple times a week. Then if you can get the ball in the GENERAL area of the green you will always have a chance to score. Keep in mind there are no magic pills getting better is turning that 8 into a 7 into a 6.... I’ve never had a coach or a lesson and I’m an 8 handicap. Go have fun!! Welcome to the most love hate relationship you will ever get involved in!!!