Basic Golf Lessons for Beginners

Basic Golf Lessons for Beginners

If you have just started golfing and are looking for some Basic Golf Lessons for Beginners you are in the right place. It is always best to start with some of the basics and moving on to some of the best golf swing tips at a later stage.

Here are some things new golfers should focus on and Basic Golf Lessons for Beginners.

Grip

A proper grip is crucial for consistent and accurate shots. Learn the basic grip by holding the club with your lead hand (left hand for right-handed players, right hand for left-handed players) and then wrapping your trailing hand around the grip. Practice the correct grip in your free time. Golfers can practice the golf grip whilst watching their favourite tv show.

Stance and Posture

Set up your stance by aligning your feet parallel to the target line, shoulder-width apart. Keep a slight bend in your knees, maintain a relaxed back, and tilt forward from your hips. Your weight should be evenly distributed between both feet.

Alignment

Proper alignment ensures that you’re aiming at the target correctly. Pick a spot a few feet in front of your ball and align your clubface towards it. Align your body parallel to the target line, keeping your feet, hips, and shoulders in line.

Check out the Post on Golf Alignment Sticks, to learn a little bit more about Golf Alignment.

Swing Basics

Focus on developing a smooth and rhythmic swing. Start with the takeaway, where you bring the club back low and wide with your arms, turning your shoulders. As you transition into the downswing, shift your weight onto your front foot, rotate your hips, and bring the club back down, striking the ball before extending through. Focusing on the Grip, Aim and Setup before hitting a golf ball, will make the learning process a lot easier in the long run.

Short Game

Practice your chipping and putting skills as they are vital components of the game. Work on controlling distance and accuracy when chipping, and practice your putting stroke to improve your touch and consistency on the greens. The short game will become the most important part of the game once your game develops. Most of the top golf professionals dedicate most of their practice to the putting green.

Etiquette and Rules

Familiarize yourself with basic golf etiquette and rules. Learn about the order of play, how to take turns, and how to behave on the course. Respect the course and your fellow golfers by repairing divots, raking bunkers, and keeping up with the pace of play.

Check out the post on How to Golf for Beginners.

Practice

Dedicate time to practice regularly. Focus on repetition and consistency to build muscle memory. Start with shorter clubs and gradually move on to longer ones as you gain confidence and proficiency.

It’s worth noting that taking lessons from a qualified golf professional can significantly enhance your learning experience. They can provide personalized guidance, correct any swing flaws, and offer tailored advice based on your skill level and goals.

There are Two basic fundamentals you should be focusing on before a player goes out and hits a golf ball.

The easiest way to learn some of the basics are to start with some golf grip training and then learn the perfect golf setup.

Golf Grip Tips

The first is the most important one of all.

The grip will be controlling the golf club, and if a player does not grip the club correctly, they are sacrificing distance, accuracy, and control of the golf ball.

Handy Tip- If a player learns how to grip the golf club before they start hitting golf balls it makes learning the game a lot easier and players will improve at a rapid rate following some simple golf tips.

Three Ways to Grip the Club

There is a lot of information on Golf Grip Instruction and many different golf grip hands positions that some players choose to implement.

Here are the three most common ways to achieving the perfect golf grip.

Vardon (Overlap Grip) – Named after the great Harry Vardon, this is the most important grip of all. The right pinky overlaps the left index finger. The opposite happens for all those lefties.

Interlock Grip– Usually more targeted at players with smaller hands or ladies this is also a very common grip.

The right pinky interlocks with the left index finger. The great Tiger Woods uses this grip and a lot of other more accomplished golfers have won several majors implementing this style of golf grip.

Baseball (Ten Finger Grip) – This grip is usually used to get beginners to get a feel of swinging the golf club.

It is a lot easier to learn the correct grip as early as a player can so they do not form any bad habits.

If a player wants to improve fast, it is suggested to not use this grip. It is very hard to control the distance you hit the ball, and also feel and accuracy around the green becomes difficult.

Although some players will end up with a strong golf grip or a weak golf grip, the baseball grip makes it very difficult to get any consistency with ball striking and some proper golf grip tips should be implemented.

If you are struggling to get a feel for the correct golf grip, then a Golf Grip Trainer might be a good option. This training device will help you get your hands in the correct position on the golf club.

In terms of how hard to hold the club, some golf grip pressure tips need to be implemented.

If a player was to hold an open full tube of toothpaste and make sure that none of it seeps out, they would have to grip it lightly, but not too light as there would be no control.  The golf grip is very similar as a player needs to hold it tight enough for maximum control.

Golf Setup

One of the best golf tips when a beginner golfer is starting out is to implement the correct golf setup posture.

The proper golf setup is in the below photo.

Although this is a golf setup for irons, the same needs to be implemented for the golf setup for woods.

You will notice how relaxed the player in the golf setup position is.

3 Key Points

1. The knees of the player are not bent (a common misconception) they are flexed.
2. The arms of the player are just hanging directly down from the shoulders.
3. With the arms hanging the player can bend from the hips to get the club to the golf ball.

Too many players bend their knees too much because it is common advice. They also reach for the ball with the arms.

A player needs to be relaxed, and one of the most helpful golf setup tips is to let the arms hang down from the shoulders as will be explained in the below video.

If the clubhead is not directly behind the ball from this position it means a player is standing too far, or too close to the ball.

They can just shuffle their feet back and forth, until they reach the correct golf swing setup position.

Conclusion

Once a player gets the correct grip and setup they can start focusing on hitting some shots.

These are some simple golf swing tips, which cover the two most important basics before swinging a golf club.

For a very good guide to get started, check out Ben Hogans book on the Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

It is important to know where exactly to position the golf ball in your stance for each golf club. Use the following link to find out more. Golf Stance Ball Position

For more information visit the post on How to Golf for Beginners which helps a player understand some of the key concepts of the game.

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