| Learning how to golf can no doubt be a difficult task. | | | | three-quarters as far as you normally would. |
| Even if you have played other sports throughout your | | | | 2.) "Scooping" the ball |
| life, golf is different. For instance, in soccer, it is easy to | | | | When hitting iron and chip shots, you may think that in |
| go out on a field and kick a ball around without any | | | | order for the ball to go in the air, the club must hit up on |
| prior experience, even if you are not very good. With a | | | | the ball. Many beginners attempt to help the ball in the |
| little luck, you could even score a goal. In golf on the | | | | air by "scooping" it. In reality, hitting DOWN on the ball, |
| other hand, very few players can step out onto the | | | | not up, is what actually carries the ball into the air. The |
| golf course their first time and make a par (except of | | | | loft of the clubface will do this for you, if you just hit |
| course Alex Ovechkin, who happened to get a hole in | | | | down on the ball. In order to hit down on it, your hands |
| one; but that is extreme luck). Bottom line; it's going to | | | | should be ahead of the clubface when contact is |
| take some practice and a lot of determination. Take a | | | | made with the ball. The club should also hit the ball first, |
| look at some of these tips, and try not to make the | | | | and the ground second. |
| same errors as many before you. | | | | 3.) "Going for it" |
| Some common errors that beginners make: | | | | Imagine, you are on a par 5. You hit a nice drive |
| 1.) Trying to crush the ball | | | | straight down the middle. You are 200 yards from the |
| Many new golfers step up to the tee box and think, "I | | | | green, but there is a pond surrounding the green. You |
| have got to crush this ball as far as I can!" Do not | | | | can SOMETIMES hit an accurate shot 200 yards. |
| make that mistake! If you take the biggest, most | | | | What do you do? Lay-up, or go for it? |
| powerful swing you can, I will make a bet; one, that the | | | | Beginner golfers lose so many strokes when trying to |
| ball probably will not go straight, and two, that it will not | | | | "go for it." It is so tempting. "If I make it on the green, I'll |
| travel nearly as far as it would have, if you would | | | | have an eagle putt!" But that's being greedy. The smart |
| have taken a swing with half as much power. If the | | | | choice to make, if you are not confident in hitting the |
| swing is kept nice and relaxed, your club will stay on | | | | green, is to lay up! In the situation I just described, if you |
| the proper swing path, and your swing will have much | | | | lay up and hit the green on your 3rd shot, there is still a |
| more rhythm. If you have a problem with trying to kill | | | | good chance for a birdie, and an even greater chance |
| the ball, step up to the tee box, and think "nice easy | | | | for a par. Don't get greedy; play it safe, because there |
| swing." Also, it may help to take a three-quarters | | | | is nothing wrong with a par. |
| length swing. On the takeaway, only go back | | | | |