Beginning golfer tips?

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
3
76
Just picked up golf, went to the driving range a couple times and played an executive par3 course.

Some things I notice:

1. I tend to hit the top of the ball a lot (although its getting better) which causes it to just kind of bounce forward a few feet then keel over and die. How do I go about correcting that?

2. Then theres the rare occasion where i just accidentally drive the club into the ground 6 inches behind the ball (although this only happened maybe twice and only on practice swings). What's the reason for this

3. When I'm taking a swing, the one thing i focus on the most is shifting my weight around. This has given me much better results in terms of making good contact and hitting the sweet spot the majority of the time. Not sure if my method is correct but basically at address i'm evenly distributed, when i draw back, alot of my weight goes to the right foot then right as I swing and almost a tiny bit before, i consciously start shifting my weight to the left. Does this seem about right? WHen I first start, my friend told me to think about way too many things so I'd focus on one then totally forget the others etc.

4. The wedges are fun to hit, mostly because they're so easy. On the par3 course I hit a few wedge shots that landed within 5 feet of the hole and I ended up beating one of my friends =p

5. Any good tips for a beginning golfer like ?

6. I'm looking to buy some used clubs for cheap but will also carry me into intermediate skill levels. My friend suggested maybe some used Callaway clubs and to stay away from the cheaper brands. He said for a guy like me (5' 10'' 155), a regular flex graphite iron set would be ideal. Any one have suggestions?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
The best thing you can possible do is get lessons.

It's not something you can read about, you need somebody to watch your swing and give you pointers and lessons to help fix it. Get lessons.

From now on don't listen to your friend, he's an idiot. If anybody tells you that expensive or brand name clubs will make you better never listen to them again, it's just not true.
 

GrantMeThePower

Platinum Member
Jun 10, 2005
2,923
2
0
You are moving your body up and down. Keep your arms straight, your head down and dont move your whole body up and down or side to side. just rotate.

EDIT- on the clubs thing- get stiff flex. Thats just my opinon but for a youngish guy in good shape, you're going to swing harder than most once you get the hang of it. ebay will be ur friend.
 

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
12,530
35
91
IF you've got someone who can watch you or even a motion camera, you need to find out if your head is moving.

Raising your head just before impact is probably the major cause of topping the ball, a lot of beginners have this problem.

The other thing is moving your head/torso back and forth or dipping your shoulder (left shoulder if you're right handed) - these might be what's making you hit behind the ball on occasion. Both are something you'll want to fix asap. You really don't want to groove in such a fundamental flaw.

There are drills that can help you with both, but one thing that helped me was just to wear a cap. The bill helps me check the alignment of my head and makes me more aware of moving it too much.
 

mshan

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2004
7,868
0
71
I second spidey's recommendations about getting golf lessons.

You can buy an instruction book about basics such as grip and posture, but you will hopefully minimize bad habits and improve more quickly with a good instructor.

As for clubs, there are often game improvement club sets that may not have the big brand names on them, but are very competent and will make it easy to get the ball into the air.

I would also say just use a 3-wood and something like a 7 iron when practicing on the range because they are easy to hit.

 

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
3
76
Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
You are moving your body up and down. Keep your arms straight, your head down and dont move your whole body up and down or side to side. just rotate.

EDIT- on the clubs thing- get stiff flex. Thats just my opinon but for a youngish guy in good shape, you're going to swing harder than most once you get the hang of it. ebay will be ur friend.

Hmm ok I'll look into stiff flex. Right now I'm swinging pretty lightly, just focusing on form. Whenever I try to bomb the thing, it never ends well
 

Spineshank

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
7,728
1
71
I would get a cheapy set. Steel shafts. Regular flex. I swing hard and dont even use stiff flex on my irons. Woods is another story.
 

RightIsWrong

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2005
5,649
0
0
One thing about the lessons...

Make sure to ask if the instructor is a believer in "Everyone should use the same swing" or not. There are times when you will meet someone that has this idea of what a perfect/proper swing looks like and they will try to make you mimic that. Run away fast if you meed this person. Find someone that will tweak your natural swing to something that is consistent and gets you on the proper swing plane without a total overall.

 

brandonb

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2006
3,731
2
0
I'm far from an expert. But I have played for about 5 years.

What you said in question 3 is about right. That is the method you are supposed to use.

From what I remember from a golf pro who was standing near me at the driving range they gave me some pointers, which were:

1) You are supposed to place the ball near your front foot.
2) Then as you swing, transfer your weight from the back foot to the front foot. Doing this generally gives you more power as your hips movement increases the power.
3) It also reduces the power you need in your arms to make a shot. The reason you get crappy hits on the ball is because your arms are moving too much because it has to tense up to get a power shot which makes your accuracy about 0. Golf shot is not much different than a baseball bat. The harder you swing the more you tense up and are less likely to make contact with a ball. You want a nice fluid motion that is relaxed.
4) When you are swinging down, don't use much of any muscle, just let gravity bring the club down. When the club gets near your back foot, increase the power of the swing. Doing so will cause your arms to be more stable, and you will get a nice snap to your swing. Since the ball is towards your front foot, its on the upswing of your club so you will make better contact and not top spin the ball.
5) Practice!
 

Shaotai

Platinum Member
Jan 22, 2002
2,062
0
0
Look up Stack and Tilt. It seems to be good for those who are starting off.
I'm slowly moving to this swing style and like it. Others have had great success too.
But you have to commit to this swing, because it is very different than the traditional way of swinging a club.
 

MrMaster

Golden Member
Nov 16, 2001
1,235
2
76
www.pc-prime.com
I love going to the range and beating the crap out of the ball. Maybe in another month I'll be some expensive clubs. Right now I just can't afford new ones and I seemed to have 'lost' a few clubs so going to a course would be pointless.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Speaking of losing clubs - here's a really good beginner tip.

Never lay your club on the ground unless you're on the green and even then lay it down where it's obvious and between the hole and your bag. It's real easy to leave a wedge or two and lose the club. Most all golfers are honest and will turn the club in, but you never know. Or take a few irons while you look for your ball, set them down and forget about them. Many people will lay their clubs over the flag when they take it out forcing them to remember their wedge.
 

TheKub

Golden Member
Oct 2, 2001
1,756
1
0
Don't try and muscle the ball, let the club do the work. If you hit the ball properly you shouldn't even feel the contact.

Don't worry about hitting it far on the drives. The guy that makes fun of you because they can it it 30+ yards further than you is most likely the same guy thats happy with anything less than a 3 putt.
 

GooeyGUI

Senior member
Aug 1, 2005
688
0
76

Always try to golf in the mid-seventies to low-eighties.


If it gets hotter than that - head for the clubhouse.