Here are my top 10 golf tips for beginners.
Where appropriate for each tip, I’ve included a link to a suitable beginner video lesson within the site.
If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend you review the full golf tips for beginners guide after you’ve finished here.
It’ll give you the big picture and help to prevent much of the overwhelm and confusion that many new golfers face.
Tip #1: Take Dead Aim
Not just for your feet but also knees, hips, shoulders and club face. Most right-handed golfers aim right but this doesn’t always mean the ball will go right as often their swing will compensate for poor alignment. Check your alignment every practice session for the rest of your life!
More on: Golf Alignment
Tip #2: Create a Solid Stance
Create a stance which is wide, solid, stable and balanced. Build your golf swing from the ground up.
More on: Golf Stance
Tip #3: Develop Perfect Posture
Focus on great posture by tilting at your hips and not at your waist.
More on: Golf Posture
Tip #4: Make Friends with your Grip
Practice holding the club in the correct position even when you are not playing golf. Take a club into the house and every time you walk past it hold it for 30 seconds and soon your hands will be married to the club correctly.
More on: Proper Golf Grip
Tip #5: Start your Downswing with your Hips
Nearly every downswing fault is due to starting it with the upper body rather than ‘bumping the hips’. Imagine skimming a stone or throwing a baseball and how the lower body starts the movement with the upper body following.
More on the: Downswing
Tip #6: Make Range Sessions Count
Learn your trade on the driving range before you head for the course. Each range session should include 50 balls and should last at least 30 minutes with two practice swings for every ball. Practice with purpose.
More on: Golf Practice Routine
Tip #7: Use Plenty of Loft
Practising with a short, lofted club encourages better posture and cleaner ball striking. Everybody gains confidence in seeing a nice high ball flight. Too little loft encourages new golfers too use a destructive scooping action to get the ball upwards.
More on: Illustrated Definitions of Golf Terms
Tip #8: Leave the Driver in the Bag
Start with your practice sessions with your pitching wedge and move through your bag of clubs mastering each one as you go. Avoid using a longer and more difficult club until you are consistently and confidently hitting the shorter ones. Many golfers would be better to avoid the driver for at least the first 18 months of playing!
Tip #9: Try a Par-3 Course
Par-3 courses are great to develop your understanding of the game and your course management skills. You’ll spend less time looking for golf balls and you’ll begin to hone those all-important short-game skills
Tip #10: Review my Fundamentals Lessons Once a Month
As your interest in golf grows, you’ll begin to read golf magazines, watch golf videos and be tempted by “revolutionary golf swing programs” on the Internet.
If you’re not careful, you can fall into the trap of chasing that many different techniques and opinions that you end up with a disjointed golf swing and a head full of conflicting thoughts.
The fundamentals you’ll learn on this site are proven and time-served. Stick to them.
