Even if you’re brand new to golf, I’m sure you already know that the game is more challenging than any other sport. Not only do you have to battle the course and conditions, but you have to learn how to hit every shot imaginable. Plus, you have to learn how to master your mental game so your mind doesn’t hold you back from greatness.
No pressure right? Well, hopefully, this article will provide you the tips to improve your skills and create a strong foundation from the start.
10 Best Golf Tips for Beginners
1. Play the Right Equipment
One of the best golf tips I’ve learned in recent years is to start playing the right equipment. If you’re playing blades or unforgiving clubs and shooting in the 90s, you are making golf even harder on yourself.
Instead, play the right clubs for your current ability. Who cares if your friends give you grief for carrying hybrids or a 7-wood instead of long irons. At the end of the round, the only thing that matters is your score!
Don’t forget about your golf ball either. If you’re a beginner golfer, you want to make sure to play the right type of golf ball. Ideally, you want one that emphasizes more on distance than spin. As you evolve, you can try out a softer golf ball to help you spin it with your shorter clubs. Buying the right golf ball for beginners will also save you money!
2. Focus on The Fundamentals
While most golfers want golf tips to hit it farther and shoot lower scores, don’t forget the fundamentals. So much happens at setup before you ever hit the golf ball. Make sure to double-check these checkpoints before hitting the golf ball:
Proper Stance
The first thing you need is a solid stance. Make sure that your feet are shoulder with apart with your knees bent in an athletic position. For longer clubs like your driver or fairway woods, widen your stance to compensate for longer golf clubs.
Good Posture
Once your stance is solid, the next golf tip is to develop a good posture. You want to try and have your back flat, tilt your hips, bend your knees, and keep your head slightly back at address.
Find The Right Grip For You
Another important golf tip is to make sure your grip matches your swing. If you’re brand new to golf, start with a neutral grip. As your swing develops and you start to notice tendencies, you can weaken or strengthen your grip as necessary.
3. Double Check Your Alignment
One of the biggest mistakes that so many players make is that they don’t aim square to the target. If you’re aimed right, your body will realize it and make an effort to pull it back left. If you’re aimed left, your mind will make adjustments to get it back to the intended target.
Before trying to change your swing, check your aim first. Have a friend video your swing if you’re on the course or use alignment sticks at the driving range. The more square you are to the target, the more likely you will hit a better golf shot.
4. Master Your Tempo
Don’t the PGA Tour players make golf look easy? While I can’t create an article sharing every golf tip from them, I will share one important nugget.
If you think about it, among all the great players in golf, most of them don’t have much in common. But the one thing they all have in common is a great tempo.
They all have a 3:1 tempo. This means their backswing is three times as long as their downswing. So if you want to mimic anything about the guys you watch on TV, make it your tempo. Regardless of if your swing speed is fast or slow, your tempo needs to match this 3:1 speed for full shots.
Otherwise, you will have difficulties with your swing, transition, and follow-through. Master your tempo early on for a life of more consistent golf.
5. Don’t Let Anger Get In The Way
Imagine hitting a really bad shot, how do you react? Do you make it personal and get mad at yourself, as if you’re the only golfer to hit an embarrassing shot ever? Or, do you laugh it off and focus on the next shot?
If you want to become an awesome golfer you have to understand that bad shots are part of golf. Even the best of players still hit bad shots and they get paid millions of dollars to play this crazy sport. Let go of the tension. Always remember to have fun when you’re on the course, there are a lot worse places you could be!
6. Make Your Driver Your Best Friend
If you’re like a lot of beginning golfers, you might have a love-hate relationship with your driver. As it has the least amount of loft, it often exposes your swing flaws more than other clubs. While the misses can be scary at times, try to find a consistent swing with your driver.
Even if you don’t hit it straight all the time, don’t worry about it. As a beginner, focus on distance. If you can hit it long, you will have shorter clubs into the green which are much easier to hit than hybrids and fairway woods.
Here are a few more golf tips for your driver:
- Increase the loft. If you’re a beginner golfer, make sure it’s set at least 10.5 degrees or more. This will make it easier to hit and help get the ball airborne.
- Check your shaft. As a beginner, don’t make it harder to hit by playing a stiff shaft. Instead, opt for a regular or senior flex shaft, depending on your age.
7. Practice Your Short Game
While your driver should be your best friend, don’t forget to love your wedges and putter as well. One of the easiest things you can do to improve your scores is to practice the shots around the green. Spend time on the chipping green hitting different types of flop shots, bump and runs, and bunker shots.
The key here is to just practice more. Sure, it’s not as sexy as bombing drives on the range, but if you can’t score from 125 yards and in, that’s extremely frustrating.
8. Tee It Forward
As a beginner golfer, I highly recommend teeing it forward. Don’t make the course more difficult by trying to play the tips or one back from them. This will leave you with a lot of long approach shots which will likely slow your round down and not make it a very fun experience.
Instead, tee it forward or start playing on par-three golf courses. As you evolve, keep playing different tees and new golf courses. I bet you will have a lot more fun and probably keep the foursome behind you a lot happier as well.
9. Get Lessons Early
If you’re a brand new golfer, you have the advantage of not having formed bad habits over years or decades like a lot golfers. Instead of trying to learn how to play the sport on your own, hire a swing coach. Even a few lessons to work on the fundamentals will help you drastically speed up success.
A good swing coach will help you get your feet, hips, and shoulders square to the target. From there, they can help you with your takeaway, transition, and downswing. Plus, they can work with your chipping and pitching skills. Create the right habits from the beginning to become a solid golfer from the start.
10. Create a Pre-Shot Routine
The final golf tip is to create a pre-shot routine. A pre-shot routine will help you stay focused during the round and help you stay consistent. That way when you’re about to break 100, 90, or even 80 for the first time, you don’t sabotage yourself.
Your pre-shot routine will help you pick the right club, choose a target, get square to the target, and have your mind in the right place. Practice it first on the range for a more effective practice session and it will feel effortless on the course.