7 Essential Golf Tips for Beginners

Are you a beginner looking to improve your golf game? Or maybe you've always been interested, but you're not sure where to start. 

In light of recent times, golfing can be a great way to relieve stress and improve your mental health. You can socially distance while playing with friends, and it's a great outdoor exercise. 

You shouldn't let your inexperience hold you back from those benefits. Here are 7 golf tips for beginners.

1. Buy a Starter Set

When you first walk into a sports store, there's going to be a lot of options for you to choose from.

It can be confusing for a first-timer, as you won't know which club to buy or what the differences are between them. Additionally, golf clubs can be expensive, and you don't want to waste more money than you need to in the beginning. 

Luckily, you can find starter and prepackaged sets for affordable prices. They won't be the best clubs in the market, but they'll perform well enough as you learn the ropes. 

2. Get a Good Fit

For those a little more acquainted with the tools of the sport, getting a good golf club fit will dramatically improve your game performance. 

For those unaware, a club's fit refers to all its physical characteristics, such as weight, length, and loft. Every golfer is built differently, so their tools should be different as well. 

Beyond the length and lie angle, custom shafts won't be as necessary if you're still developing your skills. It's something to keep in mind, though.

3. Start on the Practice Range

It might sound tempting to hop on the full golf range with your friends, but if you don't have much experience with swinging a club, it'll only cause frustration for you and other golfers on the range. 

Instead, opt for visiting a practice range until you're comfortable.

At a practice range, you can hit as many golf balls as you want and master your swing, aim, and see how the wind affects your stroke. Plus, you can stay as long as you like without being pressured to skip a hole. 

Once you've spent enough time at the range and are comfortable, you can graduate to the full range. You can always come back to practice later if you want to hone your technique more.

4. Balance Your Stance

A simple thing to remember but difficult to master is finding the right balance with your posture and swing. 

Improve your golf stance, and everything about your game could improve.

Your knees should be flexed when you take a swing, legs shoulder-width apart. A wider stance may be required for longer clubs. 

Shift your weight forward for shorter irons and clubs, and shift your weight to your back foot for long clubs. 

Don't bend at your waist when swinging. Turn your shoulders on the backswing for more power. 

These are just a few key details that can make or break your golf game. 

5. Master Your Swing Tempo

Now that you have your body perfectly balanced and in position, it's time to work on your swing. This should be done at a practice range, where it doesn't matter how much you mess up before you get it right. 

Actually hitting the golf ball takes a lot of hand and eye coordination. Over time, you'll develop a swing style that is most comfortable for you.

If you watch professional golfers, you've probably noticed that everyone swings at least a little differently. They all vary based on various factors such as their height, strength, and personal preference. 

That doesn't necessarily mean that it'll also come naturally to you all the time. 

Taking lessons can help you weed out bad habits you might develop. If your stance is on point, it's just a matter of developing better aim and figuring out your swing strength. 

6. Practice Makes Perfect

If you've opted for an instructor, they will drill into your lessons on finding a good balance and start with how to square the club at impact. It's one of the most basic lessons, but you won't get it on the first try. 

If you've taken it upon yourself to learn how to golf on your own, you could have learned everything wrong and committed it to memory. The last thing you want to do is go back to square one after months of individual practice. 

Practice makes perfect, as they say, and it's not only a key golf tip for beginners but a key tip for everyone. 

And don't feel like practice is restricted to the warmer months. You can practice your stroke plenty well even in the winter.

See an expert about your grip so you're not rusty come Spring. 

Work on your mental game by creating a routine and imagining the game you'd be playing. It's a trick often used by experts ranging from musicians to even surgeons. 

You can even invest in a golf rug to perfect your short game, for the rare chances you aren't nailing hole in ones.  

7. Walk the Course

Last but not least, walk the course as you play.

Not only will it help to loosen your nerves and relax between shots, but it allows you to see the different angles of the golf course that you might normally miss as you cruise along on a cart. You can take the time to think up your next shot and what club you'll need to use.

Plus, you'll be saving money by not renting a cart for the round. 

Golf carts can also cause damage to fairways, since modern astroturf is more susceptible to damage, so you'd be saving money for the owners as well.

Swing Away at a Local Course

These are just a few golf tips for beginners to get you started. Check out our other articles for more tips.

And if you're in the area and looking to golf, check out one of our programs for your opportunity. Our course has four sets of tees, offering a comfortable game for new and more experienced golfers.