Golf Tips For Beginners

Starting a new game, like golf, is never easy. If you want to learn it fast, you might as well give up now because this attitude will only lead to frustration. It takes time to learn the game of golf and it is not like basketball or soccer. You cannot just pick up a ball, shoot it at a basket or kick it towards the goal. There is much more to golf than most sports.

Sure, it seems like you might just need a few free golf tips for beginners and you will be ready to go, but there is much more to it. Even with the five tips you can read below, you should consider attending beginners golf clinics, taking a series of lessons, or at least getting the advice of an area golf professional or a top golf guide.

Tip 1 - Start with Putting
Most of us have at least gone to a mini golf course or a putt-putt course, so putting is pretty easy to pick up on. This is actually the smallest portion of the golf swing and will help you to build the rest of your swing from it. Find a consistent set up and routine for your putting and you will find it much easier to become consistent.

Tip 2 - Move to Chipping Next
Chip shots are used when the ball is on a flat surface within a few feet of the green. Most golfers refer to this as the fringe, but it could be the fairway before you reach the green. Either way, the grass should be very short and you want to chip with an iron. Most will find a seven iron or eight iron to work well for chipping.

The idea with this type of shot is to land the ball on the green quickly and let it roll to the hole like a putt. The stroke should be much like your putting stroke and you should see the ball go up into the air just a little bit, then roll out towards your target. Put 60% of your weight on your front foot and keep your feet very close to each other when chipping.

Tip 3 - Build your Swing with the Pitch Shot
Moving to the next shot around the green, you want to learn how to hit a pitch shot. This shot is usually hit with a wedge of some sort and does not require a full swing. You will only need to swing about halfway back and forward to hit a good pitch shot (depending on how far you are trying to hit it). A good drill to work on is the toe up to toe up drill. This is when you take the club back until the toe is point towards the sky, then through until it is point to the sky again.

Tip 4 - Learn the Rules of Golf Before You Play
Before you decide to go play golf on an actual course, you should take the time to learn a few basic rules of the game. Make sure you understand how the rules work and as a beginner, this will help you to keep an honest score and see real improvement. You may need a few lessons and some time on the range before going on the course, but don't forget about the rules.

Tip 5 - Learn Proper Golf Etiquette
Another thing you want to learn before you go out on the course is proper golf etiquette. Out of all the free golf tips for beginners, this one is the most important. This will keep you from playing slowly and will keep you from irritating people behind or in front of you. If you learn proper etiquette it will go much further when playing with other golfer than your actual skill level will.

All these tips are important and I could probably triple this list without giving you enough information to start playing golf. It is very important that you get some type of guide or take lessons before you try to play the game with others. Just make sure you choose the right teacher before you spend your money on lessons.