For some people a round of golf is nothing more than taking a handful of balls out, and whacking them aimlessly toward the holes with whatever club does not get out of your way fast enough. To them, golf is the mindless bit of exercise they have to endure before they get to the drinking and fibbing portion of the afternoon. For others, golf is more than just a game; for them golf is a means of not only relaxation, but an opportunity for fitness as well. Golf can be all of these things as well as a chance for social and business networking, and for those people who view it that way, they would like to have some semblance of skill out there. These people will want to live and breathe golf, but first, they will have to learn the very basics.

The first step to approaching the game, after gathering all of the gear, of course, is to learn the fine art of patience. If you have ever watched a golf game on television, you know that there is a stillness about the game found in no other sport- a quiet grace that takes just as much hard work and dedication as the wrist shot in hockey, the leaping slam-dunk in basketball or the dramatic Hail Mary play in football. The golfer, especially the beginning golfer, must learn to be patient, to take their time and line up the shot; and to always be looking ahead to the next hole- what will you do when you get there? Will you know which club is the best bet?

Next, you should learn the general rules of the game itself, as well as the basic terminology. You do not want to get invited out to a round of golf with your boss and then look lost and over your head for the rest of the day. Take some time and learn these things, but do not feel that you have to go overboard and talk like a parody of “golfers”. Sprinkle in a term or two, but do not overdo.

The golf swing is not a natural action and you should realize that you will not grab a club and know exactly how to hold it, let alone to use it well. Consider how serious you are about golf and then decide if that warrants reading a book, watching a video or taking some lessons. If you are only going to go once or twice a year with friends with drinking the main goal, then flip through a book or two and be done with it. If you are more serious about golf however, you should at the very least rent a video to study a swing, but lessons are better for a number of reasons. For one, there is no way that a video can assess your own swing and help you to correct and adjust any problems that you might have with it. Lessons with a live instructor will give you the hands on, honest appraisal that may help you build a good, solid golf swing.

A good video that I can highly recommend for the serious student golfer can be found here at: Golf Training DVDs

The only way to learn is by instruction and observation of a professional. Have a great game and remember we never stop learning.

Share this: