5 Fantastic Golf Tips for Beginners
Golf Tips for Beginners
Updated 07/09/2018
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and you’re going to learn how to play golf.
Let me be the first to congratulate you on your decision.
Whatever your reason for learning to play, golf is the greatest sport there is. Built on honor, integrity and sportsmanship (embodied by The First Tee); golf is a window into a person’s soul. You can learn a lot about someone just by how they conduct themselves on the golf course. Being outdoors in the fresh air and getting some good cardio exercise also isn’t a bad way to spend 4 hours either. You may also want to keep a psychiatrist on speed dial, too. Golf can be frustrating and drive you to the brink of insanity if you let it, but let’s not get into that right now. The game is magical.
There’s no need to buy a book called “Golf Tips for Beginners” or anything like that, because I’m going to hook you up with some free tips. You’re welcome. So basically, if you are a beginner golfer who is looking for golf tips for beginners, you’ve come to the right place.
“….golf is a window into a person’s soul.”
1. The Proper Golf Grip
Golf is like any sport in the fact it takes practice and repetition to become good. Before you can swing a golf club you need to know how to grip it.
The first golf tip for beginners is the most basic and the most important. You can’t swing a club properly with the wrong grip. To start gripping the club, hold it in front of you at eye level with your right hand (assuming you’re right-handed). Now take your left hand and put the pad of your hand on the top of the club and close your fingers around the club. Got that? Great. If you want to do a test to see if you have it right, let your arm fall by your side and push the top of the club down, if the bottom of the club comes up, you’ve done it properly.
Here’s a great video outlining.
2. Putting
Another golf tip for beginners worth knowing focuses on putting– specifically, your set up to putting. You can’t make a lot of putts without first having proper fundamentals.
The putting stroke resembles a pendulum. Back and forth. Same speed back as forward, regardless how long or short your putt is. To achieve this pendulum swing, your shoulders must be level.
If you’re right shoulder dips lower than your left, the putter will swing low to high and that’s not good. Keep those shoulders square and make sure your putter is aligned with your forearm. The shaft of the putter shouldn’t be dipping below your arms or be above it either. Having a proper set up on the greens is going to allow you to make far more putts.
3. Chipping
The next golf tip for you beginners is about chipping.
Even the best of players miss the green from time to time. You will too. Having a good short game is a sure-fire way to lower your score.
Again, you need to be properly set up to execute quality recovery shots. Your wedge has built in loft to help get the ball in the air and out of the thick grass. Let the club do its job.
If you have the ball too far back in your stance, you automatically decrease the loft on your club. That means you will hit down on the ball and pop it about it about a foot in front of you. Not good. Instead, move the ball to the center of your stance and have your weight a little forward. This lets the club do the work. Moving softly through the grass and getting the ball in the air much higher so you can land in the on the green and let it roll to the flagstick.
Here’s a great video from Todd Kolb:
I’m sure your head is spinning now, but stay with me. It’s a lot to process but, again, repetition and practice is the key. Tiger didn’t break par during his first round and neither will you. But these golf tips for beginners can help get you there if you put in the work.
4. Iron Play
This next tip is on iron play.
There are few greater sensations in golf than watching one of your majestic iron shots soar through the sky towards the green, and landing safely close to the hole. A well struck iron is poetic in its beauty.
Ideally, you want the sweet spot of the club hitting the ball at the absolute bottom of your swing arc. The ball will sit a little forward of center in your stance with your weight about 60 percent on your front foot.
As you swing the club back, you still want your weight distribution to remain the same. Don’t shift all your weight to your back foot. That will move the bottom of your swing arc well behind the ball and you can’t make solid contact.
Keep your weight balance at 60-40 and strike the ball on a descending blow. Now hold that finish and watch your shot soar.
Todd Kolb breaks the idea down wonderfully:
5. Hitting the Driver
The final golf tip for beginners I have is about your driver.
You may only use it 10-15 times a round, but it sets the tone for the hole. In fact, hitting the driver well can set the tone for your entire round. A poor drive can bring all sorts of numbers into play. But if you can consistently split the fairway, not only will you be the envy of your foursome as you casually pick up the tee and give a quick glance at your ball bounding down the fairway; you’ll also see a lot more 4s and 5s on your card and not so many 6s or 7s.
With the driver, you want to catch the ball on a slightly upward motion in your swing. Have the ball teed up just off the back of your left heel and this time, have your weight evenly distributed between your feet. Again, don’t shift your weight back as you swing the club back. That will move the bottom of your swing arc, just like with your irons.
Keep your weight balanced 50-50 and this will allow you to hit the ball on an upward path and get your drives in the air and on the right path.
Review
There are a million golf tips for beginners out there, and it can be overwhelming at times.
The tips here are easy to follow, easy to do and they work. Golf can’t be mastered in a day or a week and truthfully, I’m not sure it ever can be. But if you have the proper fundamentals, you’ve already taken a big step towards improving your game and having more fun on the course.
Golf has brought me far more enjoyment and fun than I could ever express here. I can easily recall good shots and great rounds I had 20 or 30 years ago. Golf is a game for a lifetime and I applaud you for taking the first step.
Good luck, work hard and most of all have fun.
I totally agree that nobody can swing a club properly with the wrong grip. I used to pay gold when I was young, and now my son wants to try it. I will make sure to teach him the basics, and maybe, I will send him to a junior golf camp in the summer. I hope that one day he will beat my level and become a true professional!
I’ve never been big into golfing, but my husband and I recently moved closer to his family, and they all love to golf and have suggested that we all play together. I’m rather abysmal at golf, so I figured I should at least do some research if I’m going to get any better. I really appreciate this article going over techniques step-by-step, especially the information on iron play; it’s helpful to know that my weight distribution should remain the same as I swing the club back.
Thanks for reading and the comment Heidi! We try to do our best to help golfers of all skill levels, so it’s always nice to hear our recommendations working! If you would like more information on iron play, here is a popular video we did last fall:
https://youtu.be/7HX_CvHmUwc
Let us know if it helps!
Hi Bradley, I’d be interested to learn more about golf tips from you! You’ve shared such an informative article and I am sure a newbie golfer like me will appreciate your effort. It really helped when you included these videos aside from a very detailed explanation, cheers!
Thanks for reading Joy! If you are newer to golf and would like some other great tips, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, where we are always posting new videos for golfers of all skills and levels!
Here is a great video to help you with your short game, including club selection, setup and motion: https://youtu.be/OHj0HCfgn5M
Let us know if it helps!
I have been trying to learn golf this summer, so thanks for these helpful tips. I can see why having the ball too far back when swinging can make you miss. I’ll have to try centering my stance and putting my weight forward when swinging.
Thank you for the comment Derek! We love to hear when our information clicks with other golfers and helps them understand their own game better. Here is an article on ball position that may help you out when setting up with different types of clubs/shots: https://usgolftv.com/instruction/ball-position-at-address/
Let us know if it helps!
Hi, thanks for these thoroughly explained beginner lessons. As I just start learning golf, I read a lot anything about the golf. I must say that these tips are quite perfect for me. Also, the videos are very helpful too.
Thanks for the effort.
John, thanks for the feedback and kind words! We do our best to provide our readers with the best information to help them improve their games and enjoy golf more.
If you want a great video to work on your putting, this will help you get a proper putting setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhZxm-caEeY&t=43s
Let us know how it goes. Thanks again for reading!
Your article helped me a lot to take my doubts, thank you very much.
Thanks for the comment Jessica, we are doing our best to help golfers get better and enjoy the game more! Hopefully you check out our YouTube channel for more great golf tips!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgz5-3igA0IfsyWGKTr6YKA
I have started playing golf all alone. I am practicing in the golf in the golf practice net. For better swing I have chosen best driver for beginners. These are great tips shared by you. Any golf beginners, like me will be grateful for your blog. I especially liked your tips for iron play. I have faced problem for my heavy weight. Now I will start to lose some weight.
Very valuable information, it is not at all blogs that we find this; congratulations I was looking for something like that and found it here.
Thanks for reading and the comment Jessica! Which tip did you find most beneficial?
Thanks for taking the time to comment Nethan! Which tip do you think will help your game most?
Nice information. Thank you for sharing ideas and tips. I am beginner of golf and i totally confused about that golf lessons are worth or not.
I want to impress my dad when we go golfing this Saturday. I loved the tip that you gave to have the proper grip on the club. I will be sure to learn about the grip that is needed, so I can do well.
Thanks for reading and sharing Jack, hope it went well!
Thank you for assuring me that constant practice and repetition of skills and techniques will help me excel in golf. My father wants all of his children to visit the golf course he purchased this weekend and enjoy the sport he loves just like he does, although I admittedly like indoor sports than outdoor ones. Still, I’m his most competitive daughter out of his children, so I want to make sure that I won’t lose to my five older brothers.
Thanks for reading and the kind words Zoe, be sure to let us know how it goes! Hope you continue to follow our content in the future, lots of great information on the way!
I have been trying to learn golf this summer. Thanks for the tips.
Welcome to the game! Appreciate you taking time to watch and post a comment. Stay tuned, we have more great content coming…
I consistently either push out to the right or have a wild slice to the right, I’ve just finished my 2nd session at the range using your 5 tips with a nice slow tempo and hit the straightest shots I’ve ever managed. Thank you!
Tracey, YES, made our day…this is why we do what we do. Thank you for sharing your story. Be sure to checkout our YouTube channel for more great tips.
I am an amateur golfer. Rule of regulations are confusing but this post clears the confusion. Thank you for the post.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment Julia! Which tip did you find most helpful?
Hi Nick,
Kudos for the nicely written article.
All the tips you mentioned above are important, however, in my opinion, chipping can be one of the most frustrating parts of the game. While it may appear easy, it involves nuance and creativity.
We don’t learn how to chip in a year or two, but, as in golfing generally, we continue to practice and evolve our skills for as long as you play.
Thanks again for the post
You made some great tips in your article and I’ll definitely try to remember how to properly hold a golf club for when I start taking some lessons. My husband and I are planning on moving soon and one of the houses we’re considering is a golf course home. I thought it’d be a fun idea to go golfing with my husband if we ever move there so I’ll take some golf lessons if ever we do.
Tammie,
Great to hear you are playing some golf. It is a truly great sport! A house on a golf course sounds like a good deal.
Thanks for your work Bradley. The only thing I would add: if you’re new to golf, start by playing at a local par 3 course. These courses feature shorter distances and are less intimidating for beginners. Once you build some confidence, head to a full length course to continue growing your skills.
Great suggestions Josh, always a good idea to learn in a more comfortable environment!
I am currently looking into playing golf as a hobby since my husband gave me the idea a month ago. So thanks for these helpful tips a beginner like me could follow such as putting a proper setup by minding your shoulders and keeping them nice and leveled. There’s so much I still need to learn so I am now thinking about getting an instructor to help me.
Claire,
Welcome to the game!Appreciate the kind words as we are here to help. Check out our YouTube channel for ways to keep learning.
If I were to try golfing, I would make sure to rent a cart so it will be more convenient to roam around. Thank you for sharing the importance of buying good-quality gears. I also agree with you that this type of sport will require regular practice.
that is great to see because i just started learning playing golf and thanks
Our pleasure….be sure to also check out our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgz5-3igA0IfsyWGKTr6YKA