Tips for beginners?

[anonymous golfaholic]

It has to be good practice. If you spend 10 years practicing a bad swing its not going to help much.

I agree, perfect practice makes perfect, but practice will still make you a lot better even if it isn't fundamentally sound.

I learned to play golf without any assistance of any kind. I didn't have any family or close friends that played. My only influence was books, the Golf Channel and the millions of balls that I hit. I shot my first round of even par, during a tournament, 8 years after I bought my 1st set of clubs. My swing may be full of faults but I can play a hell of a lot better than without practice at all.

Also, it's not like you can just go get a lesson and all of a sudden be good at golf. It takes a ton of hard work...or fun, if you love it like I do.

 

[eclark53520]

I agree, perfect practice makes perfect, but practice will still make you a lot better even if it isn't fundamentally sound.

I learned to play golf without any assistance of any kind. I didn't have any family or close friends that played. My only influence was books, the Golf Channel and the millions of balls that I hit. I shot my first round of even par, during a tournament, 8 years after I bought my 1st set of clubs. My swing may be full of faults but I can play a hell of a lot better than without practice at all.

Also, it's not like you can just go get a lesson and all of a sudden be good at golf. It takes a ton of hard work...or fun, if you love it like I do.

I believe it takes far less practice and time to be good with a fundamentally sound swing than without. No doubt non typical swings can be good, but more maintenance is typically needed to keep them in tip top shape.

No time like the beginning to shape a fundamentally sound swing.

It still takes a lot of work, don't get me wrong, but if you have the chance its worth it.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

Here's a few tips.

Don't come here after playing 3 months and proclaim to be hitting 350+ yd drives.

Don't claim to be close to a scratch golfer after 6 rds.

Be a little humble as this game can quickly kick you in the ass just when you think you know what you are doing.

Don't waste thousands of $$$ looking for the magical driver that will add 50 yds to your drive, that's all marketing bs.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Here's a few tips.

Don't come here after playing 3 months and proclaim to be hitting 350+ yd drives.

Don't claim to be close to a scratch golfer after 6 rds.

I think you have mistaken us for Golf WRX.

 

[Augster]

Assuming you are right handed, practice hitting shots with only your left hand over and over and over. This will teach you to swing the clubhead.

Also, hop on YouTube and watch every Shawn Clement video. Do everything he says. I would suggest getting his downloadable DVD series to watch his "best" videos in the correct order for learning. That way you won't have to sift through all 200 YouTube videos. Best $30 you'll spend on golf in your lifetime.

WisdomInGolf dot com.

 

[cypressperch]

Good instruction from the very beginning is so important. Unfortunately, getting a professional instructor is not always going to mean you will get what you pay for. Some courses will have three or four instructors, and the head pro almost always charges the most. Over half the time, the head pro will be the wrong choice. Ask around about the possible choices. When you finally start taking lessons, ask yourself questions like "Is this pro really interested in teaching me or is the pro just going through the motions? Is this pro a very good communicator that I can understand? If the pro seems bored, look elsewhere. A good teacher has enthusiasm, communication skills, and they know what they are talking about.

The stuff given you on the subject of etiquette, especially care of course and pace of play, was great!

John Jacobs book THE GOLF SWING SIMPLIFIED is excellent. The part THE GEOMETRY OF GOLF will be of great use for as long as you play golf. "The flight of the ball tells you everything."

Do not try to grasp too many ideas at once which results in "paralysis from analysis." If you find yourself in position to hit a shot and you just cannot pull the trigger, you are probably thinking about too many things. It is natural to be afraid of hitting a shot badly, but like someone said, "Golf is not a game of perfect." The greatest golfers only hit two or three shots in a round the way they wanted to, so it is, indeed, a game in which we are trying to hit the best bad shots we can. Golf is a game of confidence. If we put perfection as our goal, then we are doomed to fail. If you are failing often, you will seldom develop CONFIDENCE. So avoid perfection as your goal so that you can be confident, and with confidence your improvement will be a lot faster.

A lot has been said about the importance of practice. Make certain that you do not spend all of your time at the range and practice area. You have to be able to play the course, and that means a lot more variety in the type of shots you will face. Playing the course will tell you what things you need to work on at practice. When practicing, change your target frequently and change your club frequently as well. This will make your practice similar to playing the course, and that will help you carry your game from the range to the course. Sincerely, Cypressperch

 

[Christian Friborg]

It has to be good practice. If you spend 10 years practicing a bad swing its not going to help much.

Whilst at the early stage, I guess my swing should be corrected yea? or else I would be practicing bad swings. Thanks for the advice

 

[Christian Friborg]

True enough. I guess that's why paying for instruction from a pro is never a bad idea.

I will certainly invest for paying a pro to teach me, but at the mean time, the dvds will do

 

[Christian Friborg]

I agree, perfect practice makes perfect, but practice will still make you a lot better even if it isn't fundamentally sound.

I learned to play golf without any assistance of any kind. I didn't have any family or close friends that played. My only influence was books, the Golf Channel and the millions of balls that I hit. I shot my first round of even par, during a tournament, 8 years after I bought my 1st set of clubs. My swing may be full of faults but I can play a hell of a lot better than without practice at all.

Also, it's not like you can just go get a lesson and all of a sudden be good at golf. It takes a ton of hard work...or fun, if you love it like I do.

I will keep that in mind. Hard work, hard work, and hard work. It's not something that will just happen. Thanks for the advice mate

 

[Christian Friborg]

Here's a few tips.

Don't come here after playing 3 months and proclaim to be hitting 350+ yd drives.

Don't claim to be close to a scratch golfer after 6 rds.

Be a little humble as this game can quickly kick you in the ass just when you think you know what you are doing.

Don't waste thousands of $$$ looking for the magical driver that will add 50 yds to your drive, that's all marketing bs.

Now those are some good tips. Thanks for sharing that theres no such thing as a magical driver. The idea almost sold to me good thing I didn't buy it..

 

[Christian Friborg]

I believe it takes far less practice and time to be good with a fundamentally sound swing than without. No doubt non typical swings can be good, but more maintenance is typically needed to keep them in tip top shape.

No time like the beginning to shape a fundamentally sound swing.

It still takes a lot of work, don't get me wrong, but if you have the chance its worth it.

Thank you so muccch

 

[Christian Friborg]

Assuming you are right handed, practice hitting shots with only your left hand over and over and over. This will teach you to swing the clubhead.

Also, hop on YouTube and watch every Shawn Clement video. Do everything he says. I would suggest getting his downloadable DVD series to watch his "best" videos in the correct order for learning. That way you won't have to sift through all 200 YouTube videos. Best $30 you'll spend on golf in your lifetime.

WisdomInGolf dot com.

Thanks for the youtube hookup. Will certainly check that out

 

[Christian Friborg]

Good instruction from the very beginning is so important. Unfortunately, getting a professional instructor is not always going to mean you will get what you pay for. Some courses will have three or four instructors, and the head pro almost always charges the most. Over half the time, the head pro will be the wrong choice. Ask around about the possible choices. When you finally start taking lessons, ask yourself questions like "Is this pro really interested in teaching me or is the pro just going through the motions? Is this pro a very good communicator that I can understand? If the pro seems bored, look elsewhere. A good teacher has enthusiasm, communication skills, and they know what they are talking about.

The stuff given you on the subject of etiquette, especially care of course and pace of play, was great!

John Jacobs book THE GOLF SWING SIMPLIFIED is excellent. The part THE GEOMETRY OF GOLF will be of great use for as long as you play golf. "The flight of the ball tells you everything."

Do not try to grasp too many ideas at once which results in "paralysis from analysis." If you find yourself in position to hit a shot and you just cannot pull the trigger, you are probably thinking about too many things. It is natural to be afraid of hitting a shot badly, but like someone said, "Golf is not a game of perfect." The greatest golfers only hit two or three shots in a round the way they wanted to, so it is, indeed, a game in which we are trying to hit the best bad shots we can. Golf is a game of confidence. If we put perfection as our goal, then we are doomed to fail. If you are failing often, you will seldom develop CONFIDENCE. So avoid perfection as your goal so that you can be confident, and with confidence your improvement will be a lot faster.

A lot has been said about the importance of practice. Make certain that you do not spend all of your time at the range and practice area. You have to be able to play the course, and that means a lot more variety in the type of shots you will face. Playing the course will tell you what things you need to work on at practice. When practicing, change your target frequently and change your club frequently as well. This will make your practice similar to playing the course, and that will help you carry your game from the range to the course. Sincerely, Cypressperch

Why thank you very much for the very detailed advice, I really appreciate it. Your definition of a good teacher really struck me because yeah a lot could just go through the motions whilst teaching you but with no enthusiasm. I should find a teacher that has passion for the game and not the ones who just wanna make a quick buck.

I will also take into account how the game of gold is not a game of perfect. Perfection as a goal wouldn't be any good, confidence is the key, I see.

And again, thank you very much. This advice does kickstart me to a better understanding of the game.

 

[cypressperch]

I taught history and coached basketball for thirty years. John Wooden of UCLA fame never went to a practice without at least a notecard or two on which he had written down what he wanted to accomplish. Now, I coach myself golf, and I do the note card thing. Organization is important. You have to be in the process of covering all aspects of the game. You can try to cover too much, but if you are as bull-headed as I am, you will sometimes start with one club trying to accomplish something, and that is all you do most often as a result of wanting to get it perfect too soon. Stick to the teaching plan on the card.

I have one of those leather-looking journals with the built in page marker. It is dedicated to my golf. If I get a tip that works, it goes into the journal. I might record every shot of a round in there, and that gives good clues as to what to work on at practice. I also have a large pocket folder in which I put articles I really liked from golf magazines. Staple the pages. There are multiple pockets so you can have driving, putting, chipping, pitching, general swing, sand game pockets--whatever topics you want.

If you have a camera and a tri-pod, film yourself swinging. About three years ago, I felt like I was swinging well with good rhythm. I had people I did not know telling me how smooth my swing was. I was really walking tall----for a while. I had the ball going in the direction I wanted it too, but I was not getting what I thought I should be concerning distance. I got the idea of filming myself swing. I was amazed at my athleticism! I had the most horrible over-the-top move I had ever seen. It was so horrible, that I was absolutely amazed that I somehow got the ball square to the target line by impact. It took the better part of two years to develop and feel comfortable with a transition that begin with a shift/turn of the left hip with a simultaneous dropping of the arms/hands while my back is still facing the target. This allows for the correct line of attack to the ball from the inside out, to square, and then back to the inside (Incidentally, almost all of this is accomplished automatically by the rotation of the shoulders.) A solid hit with this swing path gives me around 40-50 yards more with the driver, and I now hit a pitching wedge or knockdown nine iron where I use to use an eight iron. Yes, I talk too much. But film your swing periodically, and this will tell you how your swing is improving.

Cypressperch

 

[LeftyHoges]

My best advice for the fundamentals... short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game, short game.... Have you got the idea by now? the best and quickest way to lower scores is to be great from 100 yards and in. If you're taking 3 shots or less from this distance then your never going to be worse than an 18 handicapper, then you can really focus on the long game.

My best single bit of verbal advice: Dont follow a bad shot with a worse one. Take your medicine, chip out and then take no more than 3 shots from 100 yards. Worst you'll have is 5 or 6 depending on the par of the hole and your score is still in tact.

Good luck!
LH