7 Common Beginner Golfer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

According to the National Golf Foundation, over a third of the US population over 5 has played at least one round of golf.

The popularity of golf is always growing as more and more young people pick up clubs and learn how to swing. It's a great sport because you genuinely do get better with practice. That said, it can also be intimidating to start out since technique, gear, and etiquette all play such an essential role in a golfer's success.

There are plenty of beginner golfer mistakes that almost every new golfer makes. If you want to start playing golf, this guide can help you get started on the right foot. To avoid common beginner mistakes, you need to know exactly what they are.

In this post, we'll look at these mistakes to help you develop your skills and proper golf etiquette. Keep reading and you'll look like a seasoned veteran on the links in no time.

1. Picking Poor Golf Clubs

Before you start your golf journey, you need to understand that your clubs are your best friend. It's an easy mistake to make since a new set of good clubs is going to set you back up to $1,000. If you don't want to spend the money before you decide that you're a real golfer, it's best to rent.

A good golf club will have clubs for rent and staff to help you choose them. If you do decide to buy, it's important to thoroughly test them out in the store. Don't be afraid to test out your swing with different types of golf clubs before making a purchase.

If you don't get along with your clubs, it's going to be really hard to get the hang of the sport. Beyond clubs, you're going to need plenty of other equipment as well. A golf bag, bag stand, head covers, proper clothing, tees, and balls (lots of them) will on be on the golf gear checklist.

2. Rejecting Lessons

A lot of lifelong golfers learned by going out with their parents or older siblings, but not everyone. If you don't have a background in golf, taking golfing lessons is a great idea. Having too much pride in getting proper lessons makes it trickier to get the hang of the nuances of golf.

Not everyone can afford to take private lessons. If you've got a good friend that golfs, you can always ask them to take you out to the country club and give you some pointers. Golf is a technique-based game, so you need to instill the proper techniques in order to hit the ball straight without hurting yourself.

When you have a good foundation, each round you play will go that much further. If you want to take golf seriously, lessons are a must.

3. Swinging Too Hard

New golfers have a bad habit of wanting to crush the ball down the middle of the fairway. When you put all of your strength into your drive but haven't developed your technique yet, you're going to lose dozens of golf balls.

Golf is about swing speed and rhythm. Strength plays an important role, but when you're a beginner, the focus should be on connecting with the ball and hitting it in a straight line. This involves alignment and club grip more than arm strength.

Once you've developed these more fundamental parts of your game, you can start putting more power into your swing for that extra distance.

4. Too Tight or Loose Grip

Speaking of club grip, that's another big problem for beginner golfers. It's one of the trickiest things to master, especially when you're trying to drive the ball off the tee. You can't let the club rattle around in your hands, but you can't white-knuckle it either.

If you keep gripping the club too tightly, you're going to develop poor form when swinging. A tight grip tends to throw your shoulder alignment out of whack, which is going to ruin your swing.

A lot of advanced golfers liken grip to holding a small child's hand. It has to be firm but not tight. If it's too loose, they'll be able to pull away from you when they see a shiny object, but if it's too tight, you'll hurt them. Always be cognizant of how you're gripping the club and everything will fall into place.

5. Playing From the Wrong Tees

Pride factors into golf in so many ways. Beginners tend to want to smash the ball off the tee and grip the club too tightly, as we've mentioned. Another big problem is not being able to admit when you're a beginner.

If you're new to golf, don't play from the wrong tees. It's good to push yourself, but you don't want to set unrealistic expectations. That's how you start to develop resentment toward the game.

Play on the forward tees until you're ready to move back. Some people do this for years because they're just not comfortable going to the advanced tees. At the end of the day, golf should be fun, so make that your main focus.

6. Not Warming Up/Practicing

Those who don't know much about golf tend to think that it's not really a physical sport, but they're dead wrong. Even a round of 9 holes can really take a physical toll on you. If you don't warm up, you can actually injure yourself as well.

There's a lot of twisting and bending of muscles that you might not normally use in your day-to-day life. Going straight in with a big swing to start your day can quickly result in pulled muscles. Give yourself a healthy number of practice swings and don't be afraid to go through a stretching routine before you start your round.

7. Not Learning Proper Golf Etiquette

Golf is a gentleman's (and woman's) sport. When you show up to the course, it's important that you know how to act so that you're not in another golfer's way.

One important thing is to let other golfers pass if they're moving faster than you. To avoid slow play, make sure you're walking at a reasonable speed to your ball and between holes. Start planning your next shot as your approach the ball and take no more than 30-45 seconds to make your shot when you reach the ball.

There are numerous other etiquette things to remember. Head over to this site to refresh your memory before you hit the links.

Avoid Beginner Golfer Mistakes

These are a few of the biggest beginner golfer mistakes that we tend to see. Golf is a complicated game and there's a lot to remember, but now that you know just what to avoid, you can show up to the links prepared.

If you're choosing a golf course to develop your skills in Miami County, Piqua Country Club is the best option. Since 1896, we've provided the area's golfers with a state-of-the-art golf course and event facility. To get your membership to the course, don't hesitate to contact us ASAP.