The Beginners Guide To Golf

After reading this you’ll be roaring to get on to the course. Welcome to the world of Golf. We’ll be your navigator. We’ve had this guide put together to help put YOU in the best position possible to succeed at golf. There are no quick fixes or shortcuts when it comes to playing golf and ultimately your level of success depends on you.

The Golf School’s Complete Guide To Golf For Beginners

And we want you to have ALL the knowledge possible about getting into the game of golf. So you’re just beginning or are a beginner and need help.

The biggest improvements in golf over the last 20 years.

• Custom Fitted Clubs
• TrackMan and other ball flight analysis
• Greater Understanding of the ball flight laws
• General Golf Club improvement

In theory golfers today should be better than ever. In reality, they are still at performing at the same level as they were 20 years ago.

Forget the old school misconceptions about Golf. Golf is cool and it’s cool basically down to one reason. And that reason, is Tiger Woods. There’s before Tiger and after Tiger and whilst there’s been some unbelievable golfers before Tiger, he is the one who gripped the attention of the world in the 2000s. Getting in to Golf can be as simple as picking up the phone and booking a golf lesson.

Alternatively, you can:

Play a few rounds of Pitch and Putt

Starting to learn golf on pitch and putt courses is a simple way to start swing a golf club. There’s no pressure, you can wear what you want and you’ll get a taste of what golf is really like. For a great pitch and putt experience try visiting Heaton Park Golf Club in Manchester. They have an 18 hole pitch and putt course which has some terrific greens, even when the summer hasn’t been so great.

Par 3 Courses

Par 3 courses are the middle ground between pitch and putt and getting on a full golf course.18 holes of golf can really be exhausting, but 9 holes of a par 3 course can be the perfect introduction in to playing golf. It’s harder than pitch and putt and will test your abilities.

Local Municipal Courses

We’re lucky in Manchester there’s so many fantastic municipal courses which offer cheap access to a good standard of golf.

Indoor Interactive

Indulge in an incredibly chilled atmosphere with food and drinks and get your self down to somewhere like the green in Manchester.

You get the clubs, and within minutes you can be teeing off on some of the best golf courses in the world.
Visit the local driving range

Going to the driving range without having lessons can be a negative, but where better to hit your first golf balls at you local driving range.

Get a 7-iron, 50 balls and get swinging.

Getting Kids Into Golf

Getting your kids into golf can be a great way to boost their social and life skills.

But, don’t be the type of parent who forces their kids to play golf. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to try it out, but if the kid doesn’t like it then they aren’t going to learn to their full potential.

Getting into golf for the beginners

What not to do:

• Don’t play with players who are a lot better than you
• Don’t use the white or yellow tees – DRIVE OFF THE RED TEES
• Don’t spend thousands on golfing equipment
• Don’t dress like an idiot

Finding people to play with.

If you’ve already got some golfing buddies, great. If you’re taking up golf and don’t know anyone to play with, there are various ways to find a round with someone.

• Find golfers at your local range
• Meet people on the course who are playing alone
• There are websites that help you find a golfing partner close by. Like a dating website but for the game of golf.
• Group golf lessons can be a great way to meet local golfer’s who you could arrange a game with

Setting your budget and sticking to it.

Setting a budget lets you know exactly what you’ve got to work with.

To start playing golf you will need.

• Golf clubs
• Balls
• A bag
• Some tee’s, a pitch marker and a divot repairer
• A golf glove

The best thing to do when getting your first set of clubs is to buy second-hand. Second-hand clubs are a great way of entering the world of golf without spending a fortune.

What to wear on the golf course.

Polo Shirt

The polo shirt is the go-to item to wear out on the golf course. For the majority of golf clubs, you need to be wearing a shirt with a collar. You want to have the polo shirts as plain as possible. Golf clubs don’t love fancy emblazoned polo shirts. You don’t want to be wearing polo shirts with sports clubs logo too, these can be frowned upon at some golf clubs. Definitely don’t wear: T-Shirts, Vests, Long Sleeved T-Shirts, Hoodies

Trousers / Smart shorts

Smart, comfortable trousers to get you through the round.

• Golf Shoes
• Sweatshirt
• Waterproof Jacket
• A cap & sunglasses if necessary
• A glove
• Waterproof gloves/mittens

You’ve probably seen golfers wearing a glove and think should I be wearing one too?

Yes, you should be and most of them are under £10 so it’s not a huge outlay for something that will be benefiting your game.

It helps your to grip the club better giving you more control over where your ball ends up.

Note: You will also need a towel for your clubs.

You may also need a towel for drying your hands/grips when it’s raining. Also, golfers can sweat a lot when out on the course so you may find carrying an extra small towel beneficial.

Don’t wear: Cargo Shorts, Short Shorts, or 3/4 Pants

Which golf clubs are there and which do I actually need?

Drivers

The most difficult club in the bag. Send the ball the furthest but if you’re not hitting straight, you’ll be losing a lot of balls.
3 / 5 / 7 Woods

More friendly than the driver but can still be difficult to use for beginners.

• Fairway Woods
• Irons 3-9
• Wedges
• Putter
• Rescue Club

How to get your bag around the course?

Carry, Cart or Buggy

Carrying your bag around the course

Carry bag’s used to be a pain when they didn’t have stands. Now, most carry bags come with a pop out stand that makes resting your bag easy.

Even though they can be lightweight, if you’re not the fittest then it may cause more fatigue when getting around the golf course. Especially with hilly courses and for people who keep a lot of stuff in their bags

Pulling your cart

Motorised Carts

Expensive, but a motorised cart is probably the best way to get your bag around the golf course.

The cart does all the hard work so you can just walk next to it, like it’s a dog.

And don’t worry if you end up in the rough (rough).

Hiring a buggy

Getting your bag and clubs and other golf accessories.

What about which clubs to get?

If you’re a beginner golfer, just get any set of clubs. But don’t buy brand new, with Ebay and gumtree there’s so many used golf clubs for sale which will be a suitable set for being your first.

You’ll want to find a set that has a putter, irons, wedges and driver / woods.

The most important clubs are the putter and the irons. The driver isn’t vital at first, you’d be probably better of using a 3 wood as beginner’s can struggle to hit the driver consistently

Golf Balls
Golf Tees
Ball Marker
Pitch repair tool

Finding a course & pay & play vs membership

Finding the best course for your level.

Shorter courses are better for beginners

Playing 9 holes is better than 18 for new players

20 brand new rules for golfers in 2019.

• Now you’re dropping the ball from knee height whereas previously it was shoulder height.
• When you’re dropping a ball, measure the area to drop the ball with the longest golf club in the bag (this doesn’t include putters)
• Drop in and play from the relief area
• There’s now ZERO penalties for a double hit. This will be now classed as one shot
• Accidentally moved your ball whilst searching for it? You can now replace your ball without incurring a penalty
• If you’re ball accidentally moves on the putting green, just replace without penalty
• For lost balls now it’s 3 minutes search time and NOT 5 minutes. (Bloody hell)
• No penalty if your ball hits you or your equipment accidentally after a stroke
• No penalty if your ball strikes the flagstick when you have chosen to leave it in the hole
• Spike mark and other shoe damage on the putting green can be repaired
• Ball accidentally moved on putting green – no penalty and replace
• Ball marked, lifted and replaced on putting green is moved by wind to another position –replace ball on the original spot
• Penalty areas replace water hazards, and you can move loose impediments, ground your club and take practice swings in penalty areas without penalty, just as you can on the fairway or in the rough
• You can’t take relief from a penalty area unless you are at least 95% certain your ball is in the penalty area
• In bunkers you can move loosen impediments
• In bunkers you cannot touch the sand with your club in the area right in front of or right behind your ball, during your backswing or in taking practice swings
• Free relief is allowed if your ball is embedded on the fairway or in the rough (but “embedded” means that part of your ball is below the level of the ground)
• Unplayable ball in bunker – extra option to drop outside the bunker for 2 penalty strokes
• You cannot have your caddie or your partner standing behind you once you begin taking your stance
• Pace of Play – it is recommended that you take no longer than 40 seconds to make a stroke (and usually you should be able to play more quickly than that) and Ready Golf in stroke play is encouraged

How to score out on the golf course”]When it comes to scoring out on the golf course there is two main scoring methods.

• Stroke Play
• Match play
• Stableford