Are you ready to start playing golf?
No matter your age or skill level, anyone can learn how to play this amazing game! But doing so does take some preparation.
To help you out, Big Buck Golf has put together this ultimate guide of golf tips for beginners!
Golf Bag Essentials
Before you hit the green, make sure your golf bag is packed with all of the essentials:
Custom-Fit Golf Clubs
As a beginner, you may not think it’s important to have custom-fit golf clubs, but having the right clubs will help boost your confidence and better learn the game.
Custom clubs are designed to fit you and your playing style.
Tees
Tees are those little things you poke into the ground to hold your ball when you start each hole of golf.
Tees come in different shapes and sizes, but the most commonly used length is 2 ¾ inches.
However, personal preference and swing style will eventually dictate if you need longer or shorter tees.
Balls
While many amateur golfers don’t put a lot of thought into the balls they choose, you can immediately up your game by making sure you have the right golf ball in your bag!
Look carefully at the different types of golf balls. Some are designed for additional distance or control, while others give a better spin.
Ultimately, it may take some time to determine your playing style before ball choice becomes crucial - just make sure you take some with you!
Towel
Golf towels are handy for various purposes, such as cleaning and drying golf clubs and wiping off sweaty hands.
Divot Tool
A divot tool is a small piece of equipment that can be used for repairing pitch marks or, well, divots!
Pitch marks are ball marks and depressions left in the ground after a ball lands on the green. Overall, it helps you better maintain the green you are playing on.
Ball Marker
Ball markers are used to mark your ball’s position if you need to pick up your golf ball to clean it, align your putt, or if the ball is in the way of another player.
Ball markers are not special pieces of equipment. Some players use small objects such as coins!
How to Grip Your Golf Clubs
Please don’t grab your golf club like a baseball bat and swing away at your golf ball! There are much better ways of gripping your club.
Your golf grip is an important element of your entire swing, and learning how to grip early on will only improve your game as a beginner.
To get you started, here is a step-by-step guide to gripping your golf clubs:
Grab your club with your left hand first, with the heel of your palm resting along the top edge of the handle.
Look down and rotate your right hand to the right until you see two knuckles on your left hand.
Move the heel of your right hand on top of your left thumb and close your hand to form a “V” that points to your sternum.
Hold your golf club in front of you at waist height and horizontal to the ground. Make sure you square the club face!
Now that you know how to grip your golf club, let’s talk about the different types of grips. As a beginner, knowing how to switch between grips is going to help you develop your game!
Golf Grips
There are three different types of golf grips:
10-Finger Grip: This grip utilizes all of your fingers and is a comfortable grip for beginners. This grip will give you more power.
Overlapping Grip: The overlapping grip is common. Simply position your pinky between the other hand’s index and middle finger ridge.
Interlocking Grip: An interlocking grip begins with the 10-finger grip but with your pinky interlocked with the other hand’s index finger.
How to Properly Swing Your Golf Club
Holding your golf club properly is one thing - now it’s time to learn how to swing!
Swinging all starts with the stance where your front foot should be slightly ahead of the ball, with your club resting near the center of your body.
Position your feet a little wider than your shoulders with the golf ball around the middle of your stance.
Get close enough to the ball so you can reach the ball with the club face with your arms straight and relaxed. Try to avoid bending your elbows or overstretching your arms.
Before you take a swing, check your alignment. This is the direction your feet and shoulders are pointed in.
You want to imagine that the line passing from your back shoulder to the front shoulder and back foot to the front foot is pointed directly at your target.
Give your knees a slight bend and slightly balance your weight onto the balls of your feet.
Be sure to distribute your weight between both feet evenly.
Relax your grip a bit and start your backswing!
This is when you lift the club back and bring it above your head. Rotate your torso by
shifting your weight to your back foot.
Follow through with your downswing, shifting your weight back to your front foot and locking your arms before impact.
Swing the club through the movement, and keep your eye on the ball! You can check out where it’s going when you’re done swinging.
When to Use Different Golf Clubs
Even wonder why golf bags are so big? It’s to hold all the clubs you will need for an awesome game!
There are six basic types of golf clubs and different times when you should use each:
Driver: The driver is used to give you distance off the tee at the beginning of a hole.
Fairway Woods: Woods are a versatile type of golf club that are used on the fairway or in the rough. If you struggle with a driver, you can use a wood to tee off.
Irons: Irons are designed to help with approach and give you better control of the ball.
Hybrids: Hybrid clubs combine the best of both fairway woods and irons.
Wedges: Wedges are iron clubs used for high-trajectory, low-distance shots.
Putter: Once you’re on the green and close to the hole, a putter is used to help send the ball home!
How to Practice Your Swing on the Driving Range
A driving range is a facility where you can practice your golf swing, and you can make the most of your time there by creating a practice plan.
Here are some simple golf drills to get you started:
Alignment: At the driving range, you can use an alignment stick or driver to help you line up your shot. Pay attention to where your body naturally leans and practice adjusting your shoulders, hips, and feet in relation to your target.
Shot Shaping: In golf, you can shape your shot to control where the ball goes! You can practice various shots to achieve this, such as draws, fades, low runners, and punch shots.
Consistency: Perhaps most importantly, you should work on your consistency. Switch up your clubs and get a feel for how you play!
Check out our post here to create a perfect practice plan!
How to Play a Course of Golf
You have the gear and the grip, so now let’s play some golf!
Golf is played on an area called a course where you try to get the ball into 18 holes. Each course has a designated “par,” which is the maximum number of shots you want to take to get your ball in the hole.
The person who comes the most below par wins!
Each hole begins at a tee in an area called the tee box. Each player takes turns hitting their ball off the tee and across the course.
During the hole, you may have to avoid bunkers, water, and rough patches that make the game more challenging.
You can take as many shots as you want to get the ball in the hole, but going over par will affect your score.
Rules of the Game
Golf wouldn’t be a game without rules! While the rules depend entirely on who you are playing with, it’s important to know some basics as a beginner:
You must finish a hole with the ball you started with. You can change your ball between holes but not during a hole. If you lose a ball, you have to take a “stroke” penalty (which adds to your score) and hit a new ball from where you hit the last one.
You can only tee your ball behind the line created by the tee markers.
If you swing at the ball and miss, that counts as one shot.
The score from the previous hole will determine the order of play on the next hole. The lowest scorer (which is good) goes first.
You can’t move your ball to a better spot. You have to hit it wherever it is.
You also have to be mindful of penalties, which is an additional stroke added to your score if you break any rules or require a new ball due to a lost one.
Golf Course Etiquette
Golf is a time-honored sport that many people take very seriously. That’s why it’s important to understand some golf course etiquette.
As a courtesy to other players, you shouldn’t make any noise or move around while they are about to take a shot.
While you may be able to get away with this as a beginner, make sure you are not taking too much time to make your shots.
Lastly, respect the green and try to repair any damage you may have caused by hitting your ball.
How to Keep Score on the Golf Course
Keeping score on the golf course is simple. After each hole, you record how many shots it took you to complete it.
At the end of the round, add the scores together, and you’ll get a total score for all 18 holes.
Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to how many shots you hit on each hole and write down your score as soon as you finish a hole.
Golf Terminology You Need to Know
Apart from the rules and the gear, there are some terms that will pop up during your game that you need to know as a beginner:
Ace: An ace is a hole-in-one where you get a score of one by hitting the ball directly from the tee box into the hole.
Eagle: An eagle refers to two shots below par.
Birdie: A birdie occurs when you complete a hole one shot below par.
Bogey: If you finish the hole one above par, you get a bogey.
Fore: This term is commonly shouted by golfers when a ball is flying toward another player.
Handicap: This is the average number of strokes over par during a round.
Mulligan: A mulligan occurs when you re-hit your previous shot because you didn’t like where your ball landed.
Golf Tech to Step Up Your Game
If you’re ready to take your game to the next level, check out this golf tech to step up your game:
Approach GPS Watch: This watch’s GPS system allows you to map out hazards, shot yardages, and more.
Rangefinder: This tool can help you lower your score and improve your accuracy.
Launch Monitor: This gadget allows you to train more effectively by seeing your shots on a shot dispersion chart. You can also take videos of your swings!
Power Caddy: If you’re not ready for a golf cart but don’t want to lug around your golf bag, a power caddy will help lighten the load.
Find Everything You Need Online!
Are you ready to take on the greens?
Big Buck is proud to help get you started by offering a wide range of golf products from the best brands to get you started.
Check out our online catalog or get in touch if you have any questions!