New Golfers, Beginners & Juniors
Going to a golf course to play for the first time can be a little intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. Everyone who comes to the golf course is there for the same reason, they want to have fun, test their skills, and play to the best of their ability. There is also a social and for some golfers a competitive element to the game. If you are a new, beginner golfer and reading this for the first time the most important piece of advice I can give to you is to be respectful of your pace of play (how long it takes to play each hole, and subsequently a round). If you maintain a good pace of play you should never run into any problems, regardless of your ability.
So where should you start? The best place to start is getting lessons with a PGA of Canada golf professional, these could be individual or in a group setting. A golf professional will be able to provide you with the fundamentals of the game. Perhaps a golf professional is not readily available, there are lots of great golf books, magazines, and resources on the internet.
The best place to start at the golf course is on the putting green. Most golf courses have a putting green that is within close proximity to the clubhouse and is typically free of charge to use. Chipping and putting is one of the most important areas to practice, with over 50% of all shots played from around the green. Perfecting your putting and chipping will really enhance your golf game with little to no cost. After you have become familiar being at the golf course and putting green, next take yourself to the driving range where you can experience hitting all of the other clubs in your golf bag. Start with a small bucket of balls and work on your shorter irons (pitching wedge, 8 & 9 iron), these clubs are designed to travel short distances and have the most loft. Take your time preparing and hitting each golf ball as opposed to rapid fire. As you become more comfortable you can start to introduce longer clubs (hybrids, woods) that are designed to go further.
You feel that you are ready to take your newfound confidence and golf game onto the course. If you are friends with someone who already golfs it’s probably a good idea to play your first round with them. Check with the golf shop ahead of time to see if they have any quieter times of the day, and perhaps that coincides with a preferred rate. Arrive 15 minutes before your tee time to check-in at the golf shop and confirm your starting time is still on time (on busy days there are sometimes delays). It would also be a good idea to ask what the typical pace of play is for 9 & 18 holes. Now where should you play from on your first round?
Most golf courses have multiple sets of tees with a variety of different yardages to suit a player’s skill set. For your first round it is probably a good idea to play from the most forward set of tees available. If you are still a little uncomfortable playing from that yardage then tee it up from the fairway marker in the middle of the fairway; there are usually fairway markers (blue – 200 yards, white – 150 yards, red – 100 yards) to the middle of the green. It is important that you get comfortable being on the golf course and navigating your way around. As we previously discussed it is also important that you play each hole in a timely manner; and don’t worry no one is watching you (unless you are slow). Enjoy being out on the course and take in all of the beauty around you; you have just embarked on a life’s lesson, called golf.
Keep it in the short grass!
Danny
