Green About Golf? Learn From The Pros
by Terence Uniacke
There’s something almost primitive about the game of golf. It’s really nothing more than using a club to knock a ball into a hole. So, how come so many beginning golfers still feel intimidated by this very basic sport?
To be fair, there really is a lot for a beginner to learn before he or she can look and feel confident on the green. Playing golf is all about understanding lines and angles, and knowing how to get the ball from point “A” to point “B”. You’ll also need to know about the finer points, like how to stand and even how to swing the club properly. Taking your game from “good” to “great” also requires the ability to putt like a pro.
OK, maybe there really is a lot to learn. Let’s begin with the basics. To play golf, you must hit the ball correctly in order for it to reach its destination. You also need to sink the ball into the hole. Winning the hole means achieving these two steps in fewer swings than your opponents. Your score increases with every stroke, and you don’t want that. The winning golfer is the player with the lowest score.
There are advanced players and professionals who are more than happy to dole out nuggets of golf wisdom to eager beginners. They’ll tell you how and where to stand, where to place your feet and how to hold your club. You can follow the advice of others, as long as you realize that it’s perfectly acceptable to different techniques until you find the best one for you. Each golfer has his or her own tricks for golfing with skill and precision. Don’t expect to mimic each little movement and golf the perfect game.
In spite of receiving the best advice and most educated instruction, your best education will come from getting out there and golfing whenever you have the time. You might not feel too confident when you look at your scorecard, but you’ll only get better each time you go out and keeping working. The secret to beginner’s golf is practice, practice, practice.
Pay attention to your long swings, and your short swings. Long swings are the ones that carry your ball away from the tee and onto the green. They’re also used to take the ball over the couple of hundred yards to the next green. Your short swings are used to putt the ball into the hole. Use utmost precision and hit the ball softly when you’re on the green, which can be up to ten or fifteen feet wide.
Certain environmental factors, including the slope of the land, the wind and even the direction of the grass blades, can have an effect on your shot. The weakness or strength of your short swing will also affect your putt. When you practice for every scenario, you’ll be ready for anything on the green.
Learning how to play golf involves a certain understanding of motion. Watch the golfers playing ahead of you to see their movements and motions. Note how the ball travels when it has been hit down the fairway, and watch how it bounces off of the terrain and rolls across the grass. You can see the action of the ball, and notice how those actions can change without notice.
Using this information can cause you to hit the ball a little differently. By altering the motion of the ball, you can move it more efficiently to the green.
If you’re green on golf, don’t worry; it doesn’t need to be a daunting affair. Learn the basics of the game and then practice, practice, practice. It won’t be long before you’re offering your own bits of wisdom to newcomers on the course.
Terence Uniacke contributes to several web sites, on sports instruction and sports recreation subjects.
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