How To Improve At Golf – Professional Advice For Rookies

Golf is a very unforgiving game. A millimeter off with your clubface angle or swing path can mean a shot 60 yards offline. This small margin of error makes the game doubly difficult can intimidating for rookies. In this article, you'll get 5 hacks that will help you navigate the early stages of learning the game with less pain and frustration.

• Focus on your short game

As the old saying goes: "drive for show, putt for dough." Hitting the ball an extra 25 yards off the tee won't make a difference to your game but becoming a wizard around the greens will send your handicap tumbling into single figures.

• Leave your ego in the locker room

Everybody who starts playing golf will always get carried away and try to smash the ball as far as possible. Don't fall for this trap. Don't try to hit the ball too hard and don't hit driver on every hole. The easier you swing, the better your contact will be. Better contact means solid, straighter shots and lower scores.

• Lessons before the course

Get lessons and get the basics down before you go out on the course. Think about it: you wouldn't sign up for theater class and go on stage before you take any lessons, would you? Would you get piano lessons before you jump on the piano at your local watering hole and start playing in front of everybody?

• Get your tools right

Buy equipment that will help you and not hinder you. Clubs that are too long, too heavy, too difficult to hit and not fitted correctly will make getting good at golf an uphill battle. Speak to your local pro, explain to him how long your have been playing and what your goals are. He or she will be able to point you towards a basic set that will help you get started and stay within your budget.

• Learn to let go.

While on the driving range, you might be focusing on all sorts of swing keys and technical details, on the course, however, you need to see you target and relax. Think about when you play ten-pin bowling. You grab the bowling ball, see the pins and let the ball go. Your mind is not occupied with too many thoughts. When you get out on the golf course, you need to play with the same mentality.