Posts Tagged ‘beginners guide’
Basic Golfing Tips for Beginners: 4
We have all the seen the fantastically long, but very accurate drives of Tiger Woods. When he hits the ball, it sails through the air and lands smack in the middle of the fairway, some 300 yards away.
It is difficult not to let jealousy rise in us as we wonder if we could ever dare to hope to drive like that. Luckily, long drives are not the crux of the game of golf.
This where the “short game” comes in because without reasonable short game skills, those great long drives will have been wasted.
We call the ’short game’ those shots that get you onto the green from roughly a hundred feet away from the hole, no matter whether it’s from the fairway, a bunker, the rough or a drop zone. It includes all chips, sand shots and pitches.
In this middle stage of the game, you use the higher numbered clubs, your pitching iron and sand wedge or lob wedge more often.
You will find practice areas on most golf courses. You really must spend some time working on hitting the ball onto the green from various distances. Try to hit a ten-foot circle in the centre of the green at first. Experiment using your wedges, but remember that what works well for one person, might not work so well for you and your particular swing.
When you can perform this skill fairly consistently, it is about time to start practising how to get out of a sand bunker. Being able to get the ball out of a bunker can really cut your score quite dramatically and it is very frustrating if you can’t do it.
The way to do it is to plant your feet firmly in the sand with your left foot turned to face the hole. See an imaginary 4-inch circle around the ball and try to hit the outer edge of that circle.
Kick up lots of sand with the ball and swing completely through as normal. Don’t slow down the swing at all when or after you hit the ball. It should jump up onto the green and stop almost dead. This doesn’t work very well though unless the sand is soft and dry. On hard, compacted surfaces, you might need to avoid actually hitting the sand all together.
As in all aspects of golf, only practice will help you to improve.
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Basic Golfing Tips for Beginners: 2
What Should You Keep in Your Golf Bag?
There is quite a selection of golf bags on the market: some are very pretty, designer bags, made for looking good; others are practical golf bags designed by golfers for golfers and some are half-way between the two types. Then there is ‘big’, ‘bigger’ and ‘ginormous’ – big enough to use as a suitcase.
A basic, practical golf bag is one just large enough to hold your clubs (obviously), spare golf balls, tees, golf glove, pencils, keys, sunblock cream, ball markers, a ball retriever, an umbrella and a plastic raincoat.
You could also include other items that are handy when outdoors, such as tissues, a small first-aid kit or at least some plasters and some anti-insect spray.
A small pack of wipes can be just what you need too if it gets hot or you get covered with sand in one of the bunkers or you have to fish your ball out of a stream.
If you suffer from any allergies or illnesses, it is a wise precaution to carry antidotes with you. For example, if you are sensitive to bee stings then anti-hystamine or whatever you take if you are a diabetic. However, remember to replace drugs before their expiry date.
One item that doesn’t need to be in your golf bag is your cell phone. If you must carry it, turn off the ringer as a courtesy to other players. If you must use it, be aware of others who might be taking a swing or putting their ball. You have to be considerate!
If you have these items with you in your golf bag, you will be covered for most minor tribulations, like a bee sting, an ant bite, a blister or even a sudden downpour. If you know that you are well prepared, you will be able to relax that little bit more and enjoy your game that much more too.
Tags: beginners guide, Diet and Exercise, entertainment, exercise, fitness, golf, Health, hobbies, how to, men, other, outdoors, recreation, sport
Golfing for Beginners: Part 3
The term ‘the long game’ is used to refer to the drives (shots off the tee) and fairway shots, which means every shot with the exception of the ones you make to actually get onto the green.
For the reason that each hole has a different difficulty level, a different par and different obstructions, saying that you should use your driver on every tee every time would be totally wrong.
But don’t worry about it. This is something that you will have to learn with experience as you learn the various types shot you need to make, which will vary according to the club, the placement of the ball and your own personal style of swing.
Without putting too fine a point on it, the lower the number of the club, the longer and lower your ball will travel through the air. So, for example, a 4-iron will make the ball travel on a long and low trajectory and that will most make it roll when it hits the ground, whereas a 9-iron will impart much more loft to the ball and ensuring that it will go less distance both in the air and over the ground.
Don’t the professionals on the television make it look easy? They whack the ball long and straight time after time after time and never slice the ball sending it a sickly eight or nine feet or miss the ball altogether.
A very important part of the game is driving and if you spend many hours at the driving range you will see a big improvement in your distance shots. You should keep using the same club in the experiment to see what works for you if you move the ball forward or backward in your stance. And take a lesson or two from a pro, if possible to learn the proper swing from the beginning.
Mastering the long game will help you get to the green in fewer strokes, keeping your score and frustration levels down. Remember that it takes a long time to learn consistency and also remember that you’re supposed to be having fun!
Tags: beginners guide, Diet and Exercise, entertainment, exercise, fitness, golf, Health, hobbies, how to, men, other, outdoors, recreation, sport
Golfing for Beginners: Part I
The sport of golf has really boomed in public awareness over the last 45 years. It has produced fantastic world-champions such as Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods and world-renowned courses like St. Andrews, Sunningdale, Pinehurst ans Augusta.
Why has golf become so popular these days? Its the opportunity to be outside, to get a good whole body workout, network with friends or business colleagues at a leisurely pace, and to play a game that you can never play perfectly.
Your scorecard, over time, will demonstrate your improvement, which keeps you playing time and time again.
This is the first lesson for the novice golfer who doesn’t know anything about golfing.
Golf is played on an eighteen-hole course. Each hole has its own “par” (value), which is the combined number of tee shots (drives), fairway shots, chips (short hits as you approach the green), and putts (on the green) you should need to take.
‘Par’ is determined by the length and difficulty of each hole and can range from three to six. So, if you get the golf ball in the hole in six shots on a ‘par six’ hole, you ‘made par’; if you make it in five, it’s a “birdie” or seven, a “bogie”.
‘Hazards’ or obstructions are usually placed before all the holes. Ponds, sand bunkers and trees are positioned in such a way as to make it more difficult to reach the green. Novice golfers should try to find a course with fewer hazards, which is therefore easier to play.
Players keep their own score of the total number of shots taken for each hole. After the eighteenth hole, they add up their scores and the one with the lowest is the winner.
It is important for beginner golfers to not take themselves too seriously. It takes a long time to get good at this game; even though the professionals make it look so easy.
A good tip is to get the basics right from the start by taking a few lessons from the course ‘pro’, because then you will learn the correct posture and swing.
Tags: beginners guide, Diet and Exercise, entertainment, exercise, fitness, golf, Health, hobbies, how to, men, other, outdoors, recreation, sport
