Golf is a sport we adore. It is very close to our hearts. Some of us spend the whole afternoon watching the tour wondering how players swing so effortlessly. Moreover, we would not get tired of watching it all day.
Sometimes you wish you could play golf too. While most of us do have the courage to pick up the golf clubs, some of us don’t. You want to start to play golf but you feel you don’t know anything. Furthermore, you feel like you don’t know how to learn. Deep down you think it’s too late to start playing.
This mindset is keeping thousands of people who love the sport, away from playing golf. It’s never too late, and it’s not very hard. With a little practice, dedication and hard work you’ll be playing golf in no time. Sure you might not be as good as a professional but you’ll learn to swing the golf club anyway.
A Guide to Help to Figure Out Golf
The one thing every aspiring golfer could ask for is a guide that’ll help them to learn to the decorum of golf. For everyone who believes it’s possible, we have a guide for you. Here is a step by step guide to learn how to play golf. This is the ultimate guide we believe.
This guide will look into everything. The equipment, the attire, the methods and the techniques; everything you need to get started will be here.
Golf Attire
Golf is a game for gentlemen. Properly dressing up is extremely important here in this game. There are multiple components in golf such as tops, pants, shoes, hats and other accessories. Wearing the right component according to the occasion is mendatory.
We’ll describe and guide you in getting the components right.
Tops
There is a lot of diverse range of golfing tops; polo shirts, sweaters, vests and many more. Polo shirts could be a right choice for you. They are affordable, durable and most importantly they’re comfortable. Usually, they’re made with good quality fabrics with the latest technology.
Then we have knitted sweaters and tops. If you find this form of clothes comfortable, you should use them. They also help on cold tracks. Many players love wearing vests on top of their shirts.
Currently, running and sports shirts are quite popular. Wearing them could be a good idea in golf. Adidas, Nike, Puma, and other major brands have the best top solutions for both beginner and pro golfers.
Pants
You can go for well-tailored and cut trousers. They’re fashionable and comfortable. They should be number one on your list. If you want to get comfortable, you can wear shorts as well.
There are new pants in the market that are made from the hi-tech fabrics allowing you maximum performance.
Shoes
Shoes are an essential part of your golf attire. The first question that comes to mind is if you should get a pair with spikes or not? The best answer is whatever suits you best. Some players prefer spikes for the extra grip and firmness. However, many players don’t like that at all. It’s your personal choice.
A good pair of shoes is required while playing golf. Your performance might be affected because of the wrong pair. Nike, Puma, Adidas have great golfing shoes.
Accessories
One key accessory we have to focus on is the gloves. The gloves play an essential role while holding the club. A good pair of gloves can be a blessing on the course. Then we have shades. If it’s too sunny, you should use a shade.
Hats
Golfing hats are very fashionable. They look good, and they make walking around the course easier.
Weather Protection
While playing golf, you’ll have to deal with the weather and it may have diversities. Somedays, it’ll be raining and other days it’ll be very sunny. For rainy days you’ll need a good raincoat, something to keep you dry.
Important Golfing Equipment
Getting the right equipment is very important for golf. Although it might be difficult to get the right things, slowly you’ll learn. For further help, you can ask your fellow golfers also.
Golf Clubs
You need a minimum number of golf clubs. Usually, you can carry up to 14 clubs. However, all you need is a driver, sand wedge, 6-iron, 8-iron, pitching wedge.
You can experiment with different types of clubs before actually spending money on them. Usually, different players have different choices when it comes to selecting clubs.
Golf Balls
Golf balls are extremely crucial. Getting the right golf balls from the right brand is a must. On the other hand, spending too much on them isn’t wise. Since you are a beginner, you don’t need very good balls. They really won’t make a difference in your game in the beginning.
You should just focus more on buying many balls as you can because commonly beginners tend to lose balls.
Tees
A good tee is a good investment. They are brightly colored and shaped like a slim pin.
Club Heads
Club heads are critical. They cover the clubs. Otherwise when it rains, the club could be damaged. To avoid this and to keep your clubs in good shape, you need good club covers.
Golf Bag
A golf bag is something you have to carry throughout the course. Golf bags carry all of your necessary equipment. You need to carry your club, golf balls, and other essential things.
Towels
Speaking of towels, you’ll need plenty of them. Towels are needed to clean the club. It whips off smudge and dirt from your shoes. Towels have a lot of purposes.
The Basic Rules of Golf
The rules of golf are very simple. There is a starting point called tee. You have to hit the ball hard and try to get it to the green area in the course. From there, your goal is to get the ball into the hole. The whole doesn’t only refer to the physical hole. There is a red flag to show the direction of the hole.
Usually, the golf course has about 18 holes. For beginners, 9 hole courses are recommended.
Maintain a Sequence
There is a sequence while playing. There is a starting hole and an ending hole. You have to maintain this. Each course has a different sequence.
Waiting for Your Turn
It’s important to know when it’s your turn to hit the ball. You have to avoid hitting it with everyone and wait for your turn. Usually the one with the beat score tee. Then the second best score follows.
Do Not Move the Ball
It’s against the rule to move that ball with your hands. The ball may fall into different places and in unexpected positions, but that doesn’t mean you can move the ball. However, if there is a man-made obstacle, the situation is different.
Hitting the Ball Outside of Bounds
Hitting the ball outside of bounds will lead you to be penalized. In that scenario, you’ll have to take a stroke penalty. Then the shot must be played from the spot where it was initially hit.
Scoring Each Hole Individually
There are a defined number of shots that are called ‘pars.’ Pars is the number of shots the player must make to get the ball in the hole. They are ideal numbers.
You have to identify the length of courses using pars. Three par courses are far closer.
How to Win
The only way to win in golf is to have the lowest score. The person with the overall lowest score wins. You can achieve this by finishing the course within par or below par. That’s the only way to get a low score.
You can evaluate your performance by checking your consistency. Hitting pars and below pars regularly is an indication that the player is doing good. However, It’s hard to get pars as a rookie. So you have to be patient and keep on practicing.
Golf Swings: How to Master Them
Mastering golf swings are indispensable. They may seem easy to do but in reality it’s very difficult. They’re not impossible to master either.
The idea is to learn the process of these swings and to be careful about the to-dos and not-to-dos to become master at it.
Standing Properly
Firstly, you have to stand with your knees and the knees should be slightly bent. Your feet must be far from each other while your hip distance is appropriate. The weight of your body must be distributed in the middle of the midpoint of your feet. You must not put too much pressure on your toes as well.
Then your knees need to bend over a little more towards the hips. That way you can reach the ball with your club. Your weaker side of the body should be facing the ball.
Moving the Club
You have to move the club backward and it must be parallel to the place you’re standing on. While swinging, the stronger hand needs to be near you. Accordingly, as it passes your stronger leg, you have to change the center of your weight and shift it towards your dominant leg.
However, the club needs to be parallel to the ground, and the round part should be facing the sky.
You should bring up the club by 90 degrees. The weight has to shift to the more dominant and powerful side. The elbow must be folded. The arms need to be parallel to the ground while swinging.
Movements Along the Shoulder
The non-dominant or weaker shoulder needs to be directly below the chin while twisting. If you stretch the lateral muscle properly, the club will move up above the head. Hence, the hands need to be 1 o’clock high.
Hit the Golf Ball: The Next Step
After the swing, the next step is to hit the ball with the club. Hitting the ball needs practice and a few strategical techniques. Without hitting the ball properly, your ball won’t go very far. Moreover, you’ll have a hard time getting a par.
The weight needs to be shifted towards the other side as the club goes down. Then it would shift to the direction of the swing. The wrists need to be hinged in the mean time.
Consequently, the hips will turn while making contact and the body straightens on the direction the player hits.
Follow Through
Following through is very important. It determines the result of the swing.
The arms need to follow through, and the club must still be in motion after hitting the ball.
Etiquette While Playing Golf
In many sports, etiquette is the key to become a player people around will like. Like all other games, you have to ensure you are maintaining the nick nacks of golf properly. Below are some essentials to abide by while in the filed;
Knowing When to Hit the Ball
Playing in groups, you have to know when it’s your turn to hit the ball. Changing sequence is rude and unacceptable.
Practice Swing
You must limit your practice swings to just 1-2. Otherwise, you’ll take up too much time. In the mean time other plays will have to wait for their turn.
Knowing when to Talk
Talking while playing golf is a common practice. Humans are social beings and golf is a very social sport. This means there will be a lot of communication. Talking to other people is great but there are some moments when you shouldn’t talk.
In other words, when another player is taking a shot, you shouldn’t distract them anyway. Talking takes their concentration away, and they play bad shots.
Being Careful Not to Hurt Each Other
We don’t want unwanted injuries while playing golf. Golfers have to walk across the course. As a result, when another playe swings, a golf ball might come towards them. That’s when you have to warn them.
There is a safe word for this, you have to yell “fore”. This alerts everyone nearby that a golf ball is coming their way.
When you’re just starting as a newbie, you have to be extra careful. Your shots will not be perfect and they might not be going in the right direction. As soon as you notice someone is on the path where the golf ball is going, yell fore.
Injuries related to the golf ball is exceptionally terrible. Golf balls fly at a very high pace. They might be small, but they’re massive for their side for the speed. As a result, they’re dangerous.
Staying Away from Shots
Taking a golf shot requires a lot of concentration and preparation. Being in the way while taking a shot is a bad practice. This makes them nervous. In addition, they worry if the ball might hit you.
The best practice here is not to get in the way of the player shot. Standing away from them, a few yards away is a good idea.
Not Collecting Other’s Balls
While playing golf, there are multiple golfers using the course at the same time. Their ball might just land into your hole.
You should not touch their golf balls or move them. You should wait for them to come over and move it themselves. It’s rude to move another person’s ball on the course.
Losing a Ball
While being new at playing golf, you can make a lot of bad shots. The ball can fly off to different places. Sometimes you might not find them. You can look for them but you should not look for them for more than 5 minutes.
5 minutes is all the time you get to search for a ball. You should not exceed the time limit. In case you can’t find the ball within 5 minutes, you should take a penalty.
You will have to do another shot from the same location. You have to drop the ball holding it up at your shoulder. The place it lands is where you’ll play the shot.
Importance of Etiquette
As it’s said that golfing is a sport for gentlemen, having a decent mindset and behavior is very important. By following the thing mentioned above, you can maintain a great sportsmanship persona. You’ll easily meet more players and you can learn more from them. That’s how you’ll grow.
If you don’t follow these etiquettes, you’ll end up being disliked by your fellow golfers. Moreover, people will remember you as a person with no manners.
Our Final Thoughts
To conclude, I’d like to say golf is a beautiful game that we all love. It’s never too late or too early to start playing golf. This guide should help you to learn everything you ever need when it comes to playing golf.
