It is now a few years that I have been playing golf. If I had known what it takes to learn the game, even though I love it now, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Golf is a popular sport enjoyed by people all over the world. But for beginners, it can be quite difficult to know where to start.
In this article, we’ll discuss the ten things I wish I knew before starting golf. We’ll talk about how to get started, common mistakes that people make, and some helpful tips to improve your game. Golf can be a lot of fun once you learn the basics, so don’t let the intimidation factor stop you from giving it a try!
What is Golf – The Basics
Golf is an individual sport that is popular all over the world. The main concept behind the sport is to get a ball into a hole using as few shots as possible. Players will take turns, and during each round of 18 holes, players can use up to 14 clubs. Each club is unique, and they have different effects on the ball depending on where it’s being hit with the club.
The main reason why I love this game is that it’s constantly challenging. And while you do get better the more times you play, it can be difficult to find out where your improvement is and where you’re going wrong. Therefore Golf lessons with PGA PRO especially when you are a beginner are essential.
You could go for individual lessons which can be quite expensive or group sessions where you will meet people and it costs less. From my experience you will make friends, practice together and play together.
Driver vs Putter Myths
You would be surprised to hear that the most important club in your golf bag is not Driver but your Putter. Most of us have fun with driver whether you are playing on the course or in local driving range.
The interesting fact to know is that most of us are not able to hit driver more than 200 yards and quite often , we end up hitting the ball way far from our desired location. In contrast, most amateurs can make more putts from 10 feet than they can hits from the distance of 200 yards.
Mastering putting is more about mastering your mind than anything else and more and more amateurs are becoming aware of how important putting can be to their golf game.
The key ingredients to become good in putting are:
PACE CONTROL
Remember that feeling when you putt from 10 feet and all of a sudden ball goes straight in the hole? It is not that hard as it seems to be, you just have to control pace and speed of your putts. Practicing long puts will help you in reducing the total number of shots on the score card.
FACE CONTROL
It’s about aiming, make sure you have really good control of your putter head through impact. This will give you a lot of confidence in your putts.
LEARN READ GREENS
If you are a golf beginner then you should learn about how to read greens. Reading greens is a very big part of success in putting and if you can read them , it’s just like you are reading your opponents mind.
You will be able to know where the ball is going to land, which direction it’s going to take and how much break is there.
Practice Around the Green – Real Scenarios
The key to this practice is to make sure that you hit shots as you would do in a real golf scenario. As Rick Shiels has mentioned in his video in the real life scenario it will not always be a perfect lie so you should practice from the rough, bunkers and even the fringe.
Make sure you practice your chip shots on different parts of the green, to make it more effective and enjoyable. This is a great way of boosting your confidence before you tee off.
Not Understanding the Rules
Golf is a game with many rules, so it’s quite important to know what you’re doing wrong and how to correct it before you get out on the course. Playing golf by ear can be extremely dangerous because there are many situations where you could break a rule without even knowing it .
Knowing the basics will help you avoid breaking rules and also help you keep your scorecard. If you are a beginner, you should take advantage of the search engines and read about the rules of golf, you’ll be surprised how much you still don’t know.
Worrying About Your Score
Many of us golf beginners worry too much about the score we are hitting but keep forgetting that this is just a game. Although it can get quite frustrating if you keep hitting bad shots , it’s important not to take your game too seriously. The idea is to enjoy the game and have fun.
The score will take care of itself and you should not let it stress you out so much. Just remember that every shot is different and most of the times you cannot control it especially when you are learning.
Don’t Worry What Other People Think
I must confess that in my early days I was quite bothered about what other people thought, I was not able to enjoy being on the golf course. The feeling of shame and embarrassment is known to all of us who are beginners in this game, but it’s important to let go of these feelings and enjoy the game.
Most golfers have their own worries and problems so they are not judging you, it’s just in your head. We were all beginners once so just relax and have a good time.
Not Playing with The Right Equipment
Equipment doesn’t matter when you start, you can just borrow from a friend, family member who plays golf or rent a set of clubs from the golf shop. Once you are more confident in your game you can then look at investing in proper clubs that are tailored for your swing.
Golf clubs and golf equipment can get quite expensive, and you don’t want to end up wasting money on the wrong kind of club or grip that doesn’t fit your swing or playing style. It’s important to find out what works for you, and not get pressured by salespeople into buying something that you’re not comfortable with.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed my tips I wish I knew before I started golf. I hope you found it useful and that it will help you improve your game. Golf is a very enjoyable game once you get the hang of it. There are many different things to learn in order to play golf properly, but if you take it one step at a time and practice regularly you will be able to improve your game in no time!
