Learning how to golf can no doubt be a difficult task. Even if you have played other sports throughout your life, golf is different. For instance, in soccer, it is easy to go out on a field and kick a ball around without any prior experience, even if you are not very good. With a little luck, you could even score a goal. In golf on the other hand, very few players can step out onto the golf course their first time and make a par (except of course Alex Ovechkin, who happened to get a hole in one; but that is extreme luck). Bottom line; it’s going to take some practice and a lot of determination. Take a look at some of these tips, and try not to make the same errors as many before you.

Some common errors that beginners make:

1.) Trying to crush the ball

Many new golfers step up to the tee box and think, “I have got to crush this ball as far as I can!” Do not make that mistake! If you take the biggest, most powerful swing you can, I will make a bet; one, that the ball probably will not go straight, and two, that it will not travel nearly as far as it would have, if you would have taken a swing with half as much power. If the swing is kept nice and relaxed, your club will stay on the proper swing path, and your swing will have much more rhythm. If you have a problem with trying to kill the ball, step up to the tee box, and think “nice easy swing.” Also, it may help to take a three-quarters length swing. On the takeaway, only go back three-quarters as far as you normally would.

2.) “Scooping” the ball

When hitting iron and chip shots, you may think that in order for the ball to go in the air, the club must hit up on the ball. Many beginners attempt to help the ball in the air by “scooping” it. In reality, hitting DOWN on the ball, not up, is what actually carries the ball into the air. The loft of the clubface will do this for you, if you just hit down on the ball. In order to hit down on it, your hands should be ahead of the clubface when contact is made with the ball. The club should also hit the ball first, and the ground second.

3.) “Going for it”

Imagine, you are on a par 5. You hit a nice drive straight down the middle. You are 200 yards from the green, but there is a pond surrounding the green. You can SOMETIMES hit an accurate shot 200 yards. What do you do? Lay-up, or go for it?

Beginner golfers lose so many strokes when trying to “go for it.” It is so tempting. “If I make it on the green, I’ll have an eagle putt!” But that’s being greedy. The smart choice to make, if you are not confident in hitting the green, is to lay up! In the situation I just described, if you lay up and hit the green on your 3rd shot, there is still a good chance for a birdie, and an even greater chance for a par. Don’t get greedy; play it safe, because there is nothing wrong with a par.

By: Savannah Durbin

About the Author:

Every golfer is looking for a way to better their game, and trying to improve their swing through trial and error make it a frustrating game. The majority of new golfers are self-taught, and until they take the game up seriously, it is an uphill battle trying to even learn the basics of the golf swing. So how does the new golfer find a short cut for a better game, without taking the fairways apart in frustration?

In learning a new challenge, you have to take one small step at a time. Start off with the smaller steps, or goals, and slowly working towards the bigger goals. The game of golf has a short, medium and big swing. Once you learn the short swing and game, work your way up to the big swing and game. Golf is all in finding the feel of your golf swing. This golf tip will surely improve anyone’s game, once they find the balance and feel of a pendulum golf swing in motion. The following golf practice tip will help you understand the golf swing and what it takes to make it work effectively.

Place yourself around a green or a target with a 7 iron, pitching wedge and approximately 10 to 15 golf balls. If you are on a practice range, try and find an obstacle to go over during the practice. It will boost your confidence on the golf course. Step away from the golf balls and practice short swings with your feet together glancing at your attended target. Do not attempt to hit a golf ball until you feel comfortable with your short swing. If you must, hit one golf ball with your desired club to find and feel the distance for your attended target. Use very little wrist action on the take-away and follow through creating a v shape with the arms. Try to find and feel the pendulum motion of the golf club by grazing the grass, as you swing away glancing at the attended target.

Your goal is to find and feel the pendulum motion of the golf club making contact with the ball with your feet together. You will notice how your upper portion of the body will automatically coil on it’s own, and you lower body will move in unison with your upper body. Once you find the pendulum feeling of the golf club and swing, take a bigger swing. Gradually learn to sweep the grass with a quarter, half, three quarter and a full swing. You will notice yourself losing balance as you take fuller swings, and have to gradually move your feet apart until you find a balanced comfort zone.

With enough practice and effort, your golf score will improve dramatically with the knowledge of what it takes to make a ball bounce off the face of a golf club with a pendulum motion of the golf swing, once you find the balance and feel of a short swing and game. Practicing this golf tip frequently will also help in choosing the right club and swing, for distance in your short game.

By: George Gabriel

About the Author:

If you are just getting into the sport of golf, you have probably heard thousands of golf tips from well-meaning golfers. However, what many golfers fail to realize is that many of the golf tips that work well for one golfer, simply do not work well for another. Here are some golf tips that work well for everyone.

As a beginner, do not rush out and buy a set of high priced clubs. Buy a set of used clubs, or better yet rent your clubs. Take a little time to see if you really enjoy the game of golf, and if you will stick to it first. The used or rented clubs won’t be the top of the line, but they will get you through several games of golf to see if you are going to stick with it. This is also a good opportunity to start researching exactly what clubs you need when you are ready to buy a new set.

Golf is fun, but the sport should not be taken lightly. It is a sport - it isn’t just a bunch of retired men knocking a ball around. It takes a great deal of skill and technique to master the game. The pros you see on television make it look quite simple - but it isn’t. The concepts you will learn from more experienced golfers will sound easy - and look easy - in theory, but in practice, they are quite difficult. The sooner you realize this, the faster you will start to improve your game.

While golf does require skill and technique, it is still meant to be enjoyed and the experience should be relaxing. If you get angry over bad shots or you find that you are not enjoying the game, you should back up and re-evaluate your reasons for playing the game. Try to look at things from a new perspective. It is a game that tests your skill - but it should not test your patience!

Choose your golf aids carefully. A great deal of money can be wasted on aids, courses, and videos that turn out to not be any help at all. When possible, buy used aids, courses, and videos. Save your golfing money for more important things - like clubs, balls, and tees! Used clubs aren’t very good - used training equipment usually works quite well.

Golf is great exercise. Riding in a golf cart defeats that purpose though. Walk, don’t ride! Save the cart for the days when you really are too old to walk a short distance - take advantage of the exercise that you will get by walking from one tee to the next, and take the time to actually enjoy the walk!

Alcohol is often served at the clubhouse - but you should wait until you finish your round of golf before consuming any. First, the alcohol will greatly alter your game. Second, alcohol is a dehydrating substance, and this isn’t safe in the hot sun. Carry water with you during your game, and make sure you drink plenty of it!

Becoming good at the game takes a lot of practice. Use your practice sessions to learn what mistakes you are making, and work to correct them. Don’t just keep making the same mistakes over and over, thinking that it doesn’t matter, or that it is too hard to learn! If you’re going to play, play to win!

Use training aids, and if possible, video tape yourself playing a round of golf, making sure that you get close up shots of you teeing off, close up shots of the club hitting the ball on the tee-off, and even shots of you putting. Have a friend run the camera for you for best results, and review the tape in slow motion to see what needs the most work.

The most important golf tips you will ever receive are the ones that focus on good sportsmanship. Never make fun of other players. Some people do look funny playing golf - but those funny looking people can probably beat every aspect of your game, and they will have the last laugh. Be respectful of your fellow golfers, and listen closely to the advice of the seasoned players.

By: anonymous

About the Author:

Here are some great ways to focus on your game that will make a big difference, almost immediately, if you take a little time to work them into your play.

1. Prepare Yourself Well

Mentally give yourself the time to start to calmly prepare for your game. This simple golf tip is to try not to rush to get there and be exhausted. More, it’s about giving yourself the space to mentally prepare for your game - and be at your best.

Whilst golf can be a relaxing experience, it’s also vital to remember that it is quite a strenuous exercise. True, you are able to take your time while you walk the 4 or so hours (unless, of course you have a cart!), but you also have to use a lot of energy both swinging your clubs as well as psychologically getting into the right frame of mind for every shot.

2. The Hands Have It

The second of our simple golf tips is to ensure that you get your hand muscles prepared as well. The most vital components of your golf swing are the two things at the end of your arms - your hands. Every shot depends on how well they are prepared.

By making sure that you have the time to get a few practice swings in - both the big clubs right down to the putter, your hands will prepare themselves to be in the right shape for a great game’

3. Swing, Swing and Swing Again!

Whilst on the topic of swinging to get your hands into shape, remember that every swing is the same, and yet every swing is different too. All the muscles in your body need to both relax as well as to develop those excellent muscle patterns that you will use through out your round.

So all your muscles can be warmed up with a focused and prepared stretch and swing routine, which will then give you every chance of making it without damaging yourself - as well as a great round and score too.

Swinging can effectively pull out any stressed or rigid muscle in the hand. It’s best to keep on practicing swinging. Experts say that almost 50% of a golfer’s ability is based on swinging.

4. Choose Your Club Wisely

One of the biggest distinctions between the great golfers and the adequate is how they use their clubs. you often hear ‘he’s a club short’, or he needed ‘half a club less’. The great players have perfected the art of having the consistency of swing and then matching that with the very best choice of club too.

That’s why one of the most important simple golf tips is to get your swing into order before you start and then club your shots accordingly. When you are not playing, but merely practicing, take time to ‘play’ with club selection to get used to the best ones to use in exactly the right circumstances

5. Get To Know Your Swing

It’s a common understanding that a golf swing has a number of components. When you are developing your game, understanding what is working well with your swing, and what needs attention, makes it useful to get to know all the elements of your swing.

The key components are:-

a) Club alignment

b) Setup of your position and posture

c) The back-swing

d) The backswing

e) The take-away

f) The follow through

Get to know them well and set-by-step recognize when each or any of the are not working well enough.

6. Know the course

If you want to succeed in your golf, it’s important to know all you can to make yourself effective. So far, we’ve looked at all the things you are in control of. Next up needs to be an understanding of what you aren’t.

The final of our simple golf tips, is to remember that the course may be unfamiliar to you, so it’s critical to your success to at least have a close look at it, even if you can’t walk it.

Most courses have a map where, if you are observant, you can make out those places where you might have problems and prepare yourself for them. No longer a blind swing and hope - now you are fully prepared for what the course can throw up for you.

These are just six simple golf tips that you can consider before you go out to play. By preparing properly, thinking about your game and getting to know what’s out there coming at you, you will have every chance of making the most of your game.

Remember, it’s down to you, and you alone. The difference in not in these tips, but how you personally take the time to use them.

By: Martin Haworth

About the Author:

Coming from someone who has been playing golf for over 40 years, if you are thinking about starting to take up the game start with some tips for beginner golfers. A beginner golf swing instruction set of lessons if probably the best thing that you could do. This will not only give you some confidence, but will also help you to improve your golf score right off the bat. Now there are many things that you can do to improve your golf game or even take away from your game, but speaking from experience, a good swing will usually produce some good results.

Have Good Balance is a Great Tip for Beginner Golfers

Getting the right tips for beginner golfers, is going to make the game much easier. Now whether you are trying to hit a drive off the tee or a fairway iron, having a comfortable and confident swing can help. As mentioned before there are many different aspects to playing golf well. One key is to have good balance. Taking the club head back with good balance and then delivering the club head on the ball on the downswing with good balance will produce a fine golf shot. If you try to hit the ball like you are chopping a piece of firewood is not going to produce any type of result that you want.

When taking a golf swing as a beginner is sometimes a difficult thing to do. Having a smooth transition at the top of the swing with smooth rhythm is going to produce the swing that you want. Having smooth transition will help to deliver the club with good club head speed at impact. For the beginner golf swing, instruction can teach them the correct stance and grip, the balance that is needed to hit the ball straight and very long, depending on the club that you are using.

Beginner Guide to Golf, Keep the Golf Swing Simple

When trying to hit a golf ball, you are going to find that it is a lot of hand and eye coordination. Having good hand/eye coordination allows the golfer to strike the ball at the right moment at the bottom of the golf swing. What will happen over time is that each golfer is going to find a swing that is comfortable for them. When they find this swing that is when their game is really going to start to improve.

If you watch professional golfers, you will see that not all swings are the same. They have found a swing that is comfortable and repeatable for them and that is what they have developed. When you are getting beginner golf swing instruction, they teach you how to square the club at impact. This will help you to avoid hooking the ball or slicing the ball. Now what you do see in all professional golfers is that they all have fantastic balance taking the club back as well as great balance while delivering the club head on the golf ball. When you watch their follow thru swing, they are in perfect balance. So you want some tips for beginner golfers, then practice your balance through the golf swing.

Maintaining good balance and having good fundamentals thru the golf swing is going to help eliminate your frustration and aggravation time on the course. This will allow you more time on the fairways and greens, rather than spending most of your time in the woods or rough looking for your lost golf ball. This will also make the game nice for the group that is playing behind you. There is nothing worse than playing behind a group of beginner golfers, who have never practiced anything, and really have no business on the golf course. They should be spending there time on the range practicing their swing and finding that balance point. Now if they don’t hold anybody up, well then I guess it is ok.

So now you have some tips for beginner golfers to help you enjoy yourself more and have some fun with this great game that is called golf. If you are looking for more great beginner golf tips visit: http://puttlightsout.com/golf-tips/golf-tips.html

By: Steve Madigan

About the Author:

Playing a chip shot from the fringe of a green versus putting through the fringe can be a little confusing for the average golfer. A lot of golfers choose to putt for the fear of not being able to control the distance of a chip shot around a green, and lets not talk about choking a chip shot. More often than not the confidence lies in the ability to putt the ball. When do you decide to chip instead of putt?

A quick review of some your options will help in the decision process. The circumstances have to be right to putt the ball. Here are some golf tips to consider and several situations to help your decision on choosing to chip the golf ball rather than electing to putt.

You may want to chip in these circumstances.

(1)Wet grass or thick grass.

The moisture or thickness of the grass is going to slow up the ball considerably, therefore weight of putt has to be determined to get it through the grass, and once you get it rolling on the green, the weight of putt it took you to get it through the fringe may not be enough or too much distance for the golf hole. In this circumstance there is too much weight control to consider.

(2)A very wet or slow green.

Chipping the golf ball will take a lot of moisture out of play, and a slow green forces you to swing harder with a putter to get the golf ball up to the hole, when the art of putting should call for a soft touch.

(3)Long grass and uphill to the hole.

You have to hit it harder to get it through the grass with a putter and up to the hole. Eliminate the chance of getting the golf ball caught up in the grass by chipping out and over.

(4)Over 7 feet of grass between golf ball and start of green, and hole is beyond center of green.

Chipping over the grass will eliminate slowing the golf ball up if you have a lot of green to work with.

(5)Hole is beyond center of green and more than 20 feet.

The odds are higher on getting the golf ball beyond 20 feet with a chipper versus a putter.

(6)Sprinkler system directly in front of line to golf hole or other obstacle that will affect the roll of golf ball.

Eliminate possible deflection of golf ball by chipping over the obstacle.

(7)Too much rolling terrain in the first 1/3 distance to the hole.

Taking most of the rolling green out of play by chipping over will give you a lot less rolling green to read unless you are very good at reading greens.

You have the ultimate decision on your ability to play any one of these golf club selections in these circumstances, but there is a good reason to think about these circumstances before you choose the club. I hope some of these golf tips will help in your decision process, and your goal to save strokes.

By: George Gabriel

About the Author:

We get asked all of the time for quick golf tips. The question usually comes from someone who has to play in a corporate golf tournament or they are someone who does not play often and they are going on vacation and will have a chance to play a round at a prestigious golf course and are looking for quick golf tips. Here is a list of five free quick golf tips to enjoy your corporate event or vacation.

1. If you have any time before your event to practice, you do need to take advantage of this. Current golf instruction will say that you should spend twice as much time on your short game as you do your full swing. I know, I know, I know. How are you going to get the ball to the green? Without much time before the event, you will improve faster by spending time on getting the ball in the hole as opposed getting the ball just close to the green. If you do not get to play often, chances are that you hit many of your irons close to the same distance. Unless you have time for some golf instruction, this will not be fixed in a short period of time. Get the feel for and mechanics of chipping, pitching and putting.

2. When it comes time to play your round, make sure you loosen up before the round. By loosening up your muscles, you are allowing yourself to relax and prepare your body for the athletic movements you will be making during your round. Your time should also include some time on the practice putting green. You will want to become familiar with the speed of the greens.

3. Grip pressure and arm tension is something that all golfers should monitor during every single swing. Your shoulders and your forearms should not feel like they have any tension in them at all. To give you an example, if you take your grip and hold the club out in front of you with the shaft parallel to the ground. If your shoulders and forearms are relaxed enough then the golf club should drop to the ground. This is the feeling of how relaxed your shoulders and forearms should be during your golf swing.

4. Balance is an underestimated part of the golf swing by most amateurs. In your setup, you will need to check your balance from side to side (left to right) as well as from front to back. You can do this by simply swaying side to side until you feel balanced and do the same from front to back. This will allow you to find your perfect balance. Now the key is once this is found you may need to move closer to the ball or farther away from the ball to stay in balance.

5. Once you start playing your round of golf, leave your ego at home and make and aggressive swing at a conservative target. What does this mean? Do not always go flag hunting on every hole. With not playing very often you are not going to hit every shot where you are looking. Increase your chances of playing better by aiming at the largest part of the green or the part of the green you are most comfortable with trying to hit a golf shot.

Assuming you do not have much time until your event, use these five quick golf tips to have a successful day. To conclude the five quick golf tips, let me give you the best of all of the quick golf tips of them all. Make sure that you HAVE FUN! It is just a game.

By: Max Johnson

About the Author:

Are you looking for golf tips for every part of your golf game? If so, then you are in the right place. We are going to give you 3 golf tips on how to hit better drives, 3 golf tips on how to hit better irons and 3 golf tips on how to hit better chip shots.

3 Golf Tips on How to Hit Better Drives

Everyone is in love with the fact of trying to get as much distance as they can from their driver. Some players are even obsessed to the point, it hurts their scores. A test with tour players was done years ago on this subject. They had them hit their drive. If it was in the fairway, fine. If it was in the rough, they had them play that ball. In addition, they put in play another ball that was in the fairway but thirty yards behind their tee shot in the rough. Believe it or not, these players scored better from the fairway thirty yards behind the original ball in the rough! That proves how important hitting it in the fairway is for all of us. Here is how you can hit better drives:

1. Make sure your ball position is correct. Many amateurs play their driver to far forward in their stance in an attempt to help the ball in the air.

2. Use a full swing but only swing 80%. This means if a full swing is normally 100mph then you are looking to stay in balance and swing at 80mph.

3. Make sure that you have the correct shaft in your driver. Many players have pre-conceived ideas that they need to hit a certain flex shaft. I would make my decision more strictly based on the ball flight.

3 Golf Tips on How to Hit Better Irons

Many players do not believe that they can improve their iron play by slowing down and making sure they have the proper club in their hand. Remember the closer that you are able to hit your irons the shorter your putts will be and then you will look like a better putter! Improve how you hit your irons with these 3 tips:

1. As simple as it sounds most players do not know the average distance that they hit each golf club. The key word here is average. How long you hit your seven-iron one time (downhill and downwind) simply does not matter. I would rather brag about the low score I shot after the round than the long seven-iron that I hit on the eighth hole!

2. Take the time while you are on the golf course to find the yardage to the front and back of the green as well as the distance to the hole.

3. Choose the club that allows you to make a full swing. This takes away many variables that can go wrong during your swing.

3 Golf Tips on How to Improve Your Chip Shots

Improving your short game and your chip shots is the quickest way to lower your scores behind improving your putting. Many players do not practice it as much because it is not as glamorous as trying to bang out the long drives. Even the best players miss greens so if you cannot chip the ball around the green, you will not be able to ever score very well. The short game of golf is where you really need to practice, so check out the following 3 tips:

1. Any time that you can hit a low **** that runs the ball up to the hole as opposed to flying it all of the way there, do it. This gives you more room for error and percentage-wise you will get you closer to the hole for the next shot, unless you make the chip shot! Do not be scared to use an eight, seven or even a five iron to get the distance that you need.3

2. Hold your finish until the ball has stopped rolling. Use this time to monitor your balance and evaluate the shot.

3. Know without a doubt where you would like the ball to land. If you claim to have trouble visualizing shots then explain where you want to land it out loud. This will accomplish the same thing.

Implement these golf tips into your game and you will see your scores go down and you will have something to talk about in the locker room!

By: Maxx Johnson

About the Author:

Spring is upon us and its time to break out those dusty golf clubs and get them cleaned up for another golf season. Here are a few simple golf tips to get your clubs ready for that first trip to the links.

Unless your clubs are extremely dirty, cleaning them for the new golf season is not difficult. All you need to do is get a bucket of warm water with some dish washing detergent in it. If it is too hot to put you hands in, it’s too hot. You may loosen the glue that holds the club head to the shaft. A wet rag, a dry rag and an old toothbrush or other nylon bristle brush and you are ready to go. It won’t take long to clean 14 clubs.

Some people like to soak the club heads in the water but all you need to do is to soak a rag in your soapy water and rub each club down lightly. By doing one club at a time, by the time you do all the golf clubs in your bag, the club you started with will have had a couple minutes to soak.

Next, dip your nylon bristle brush in the soapy water and scrub the club heads and grips. Pay particular attention to the faces of your golf club irons, getting into the grooves. Take your wet rag and wipe off any loose dirt that the brush removed. Rinse your clubs with clean water. Wipe the heads, shafts and grips with a dry rag.

You can wipe steel shafts down with a light coat of car wax if you wish but be careful not to get wax on the grips or face of your clubs.

This method will work with your putter, irons, fairway woods and driver.

If you have persimmon woods, DO NOT soak them in water. You may clean the faces with your brush and then immediately wipe them down and dry them.

While your clubs are out of the bag, now is a good time to wipe down you bag with a damp cloth and dry it with a dry cloth. Same goes for your golf shoes.

Once all your golf clubs are thoroughly dried ,you can put them back in your golf bag.

Now you have a nice clean set of clubs and should be ready for your first trip of the season to the golf course.

By: Scott Holmes

About the Author:

Often called, “the best loved golf teacher in America”, Harvey Penick has mentored and taught literally thousands of amateur and professional golfers. The author of several best selling books on golf, Harvey is known for his sense of humor and passion for the game. This article will feature several of his most fundamentally important golf tips.

* Warm up by practicing without a ball. Use a middle iron to aim at a blade of grass or a twig. Do not begin hitting a ball until you can hit the object you are aiming at consistently. This will help your concentration and ease tension.

* Believe in your “gut” instincts. When selecting a club, the 1st club that comes to mind is generally the club you should select. Trying to “outsmart” yourself will only hurt your confidence.

* While talking during a round, make sure you use positive words and expressions. For example, do not say,”I have to use my sand wedge”, you want to say, “I GET to use my sand wedge.”

* Do not be influenced by what your opponents say. Concentrate on the success of your next shot. Get your golf tips from professionals.

* If you hit an unsuccessful shot, do not immediately try and change things. Only when you are consistently hitting the same variety of bad shots should you make adjustments. Quite often it is your grip that is at fault.

* Many problems get worse when golfers start rushing. Do not address the ball until you are ready. Very often, taking a deep breath will help calm your nerves.

* Your eyes are a critical part of the success of your game. Be sure to see the whole ball, not just a part of it. Make sure that your vision is checked regularly.

* Do not overswing. Many golfers worry about hitting the ball a great distance. Create a belief system that the ball will go a long way if you do not worry about it. Just be concerned with making solid contact.

* Without fail, your left arm should be straight when striking the ball.

* When in doubt, check your grip and stance

Hopefully these tips will help you with your game. Harvey Penick is a great advocate of ENJOYING golf, not just playing the game. And the suggestions in this article are some of his most famous golf tips.

By: Michael Hutchins

About the Author: