Golf Is Not Skiing – Advice For The Golf Beginner

That seems so obvious that you must wonder what I am going to talk about.  We play golf in the summer and ski in the winter, what else do we need to know?  I have always looked at how I learned to ski as being quite similar to how I learned to play golf.  When I started writing for beginning golfers I didn’t really think about how different the experiences were.

The point here is that like so many people I learned each sport on my own.  I read how to books and articles.  I played, and thought my way through what I seemed to be learning.  I listened to people who were better than me and again tried to learn.  After a lot of time and fun, I realized that I had become better.  So what is the point?

Well, let’s start with my first article:  Why Not The Pro?  In both sports I chose not to bother with much or any professional teaching.  I participated and enjoyed my time, probably much more than I would have standing in a beginners class.  Then I chose my equipment to fit my budget and not to impress anyone with the latest and greatest fancy name.  Wow!  I saved some money there!

After several years I became an expert skier, yes black diamond trails, and a competent recreational golfer.  I was comfortable with both choices and decided to share the golf experiences.  I felt I could shorten the learning curve for golf beginners. 

The difference is I never regretted the skiing choice, but I do regret some of the golfing choices.  Skiing is a terrifying sport for those who have never tried it.  You go flying down mountains with trees and rocks whizzing by.  Golf is quiet and reserved in comparison.  Skiing is risky and golf is sedate.  Very few people ever broke a leg swinging a golf club, Tiger is the exception.  Yes, but skiing is simple to learn and golf is not.

Once you can turn to the left, turn to the right, stand up and sit down you are ready to ski.  Speed and difficulty are learned skills that come in time.  In golf every club is different and every shot is too.  You can learn to putt and never hit the driver well.  The best person from the tee and fairway may never learn how to play bunkers.  The short game is a skill set in itself.  Golf is much more like baseball than it is skiing.

I still don’t regret not taking professional lessons.  Many if not most amateur golfers will make the same decision.  Time, money and ego will all drive this decision.  Still, how do we learn to master this complex and difficult game?

The reality is that we can’t without help.  We are going to have to spend some money and some time learning this game or we will never be satisfied with our performance.  Every time we play with our friends we will have to face this.  Every time we hit another drive out of bounds we will face our short comings again.  Let’s not even think about taking three to get out of a bunker or taking four to get down from just off the green. 

This is my biggest golfing regret, that I didn’t take advantage of effective training aides to accelerate my learning curve.  Accept this personal commitment.  I am going to spend some time and money with training aides, books and videos.  I am going to spend some time and money learning to use additional clubs like hybrid irons, and various short wedges.   I am going to spend some time reading, watching, listening and learning or I will never get better.

Please take the time to leave a comment about this post in the space provided below.  To review my thoughts, comments and advice for beginning golfers, please continue to review the rest of my blog.  If you would like to see suggestions for training aides, videos, books, and clubs please visit my web page.  Fix-My-Slice.com

How To Break 100 The Mental Part Of The Game

How To Break 100

The Mental Part Of The Game

Advice For the Golf Beginner

If Tiger, Phil, or any other pro makes an 8 (a snowman) on any hole, that is terrible.  Your average score on a par 5 is 7 or more right now.  For a golf beginner an 8 is really no big deal.  10 is the score you should avoid.  The difference is a pro is trying to break 70 and you are trying to break 100.  Don’t let par, Tiger, or your buddy set your goals.

To break 70 on a par 72 course Tiger needs 3 birdies and 15 pars.  He plans his rounds thinking about which holes he can birdie.  Do you plan your rounds thinking about what score on each hole is reasonable and achievable for you?

To score 99 on a par 72 course you must average 5½ shots on every hole.  Somebody is asking themselves:  “How do I score ½ of a stroke on any hole?”  Obviously you don’t!  On the first par 4 you score a 5 and on the next par 4 you score a 6.  The average is  5½.

On the first par 5 you score a 6 and on the next part 5 you score a 7.  On the first par 3 you score a 4 and on the next par 3 you score a 5.  The average of all that is  5½.  (6+7+4+5=22 and 22/4=5½)

To break 100 you must average bogey and ½ stokes per hole.  To break 90 you must average bogey.  If you don’t believe me, do the math.  Now you understand the math, but what is the plan?

First, improve your skills. Don’t bother setting goals in a skill based activity unless you intend to improve.  A goal doesn’t make putts or hit straight drives.

Second, set your next goal within sight of your present skill level. If your average score is 120 then aim at double bogey per hole (108).  As you practice and improve one or two parts of your game you will find those 12 strokes.  You can’t get to 90 or 100 strokes until you get past 110.

Third, ask yourself what is par really worth? Par is an estimate of what a scratch golfer should score on a hole or total for the entire course.  Tiger’s par is really 68 or less and mine is around 90.  If your par is around double bogey then add two strokes to the listed par for a hole.  Now you have a reasonable target for your own performance.

Finally, what happens when you do score a snowman? There is no punishment beyond personal disappointment.  Tiger makes bogey sometimes, he just needs to shoot one more birdie to make his goal.  You need to score more bogeys and fewer double bogeys on the remaining holes.

At this point in time you probably struggle more on par 5’s than anywhere else. That is normal!  To reach a par 5 requires 3 accurate shots in a row.  Can you really do that right now?  To reach a par 3 requires 1 accurate shot.  You will probably loose strokes on par 5’s and make them up on short par 4’s and par 3’s. That is part of your plan.  Remember pros love par 5’s but they kill us.

Learn to play golf with joy.  You may never hit a drive 300 yards, but you can measure your own progress.  Set reasonable goals and then practice to improve your skills.  Measure your game against your own growing skills not what you see professionals do on Sunday.  Remember you aren’t just an amateur, you are a beginner.  Relax and enjoy every round.

For more information please see my web site. Please feel free to leave comments in the space provided below.

Buying Your First Set Of Golf Clubs – What Do You Really Need?

Buying Your First Set Of Golf Clubs

What Do You Really Need?

 

You are a beginning golfer, and it is time to buy your first set of clubs. Oh my God! What are we going to do now?

 

Options:

 

Actually there are several options. Don’t go out and buy the most expensive things you have ever seen. You aren’t ready for that quite yet. Your game isn’t polished enough for you to really enjoy high performance equipment.

 

You may consider buying a complete off brand set from driver to pitching wedge either new or used. The alternative is to buy an off brand set of irons from 3 to pitching wedge and then adding several woods. You can find these sets at many sporting goods outlets, on line, or even at many used golf equipment stores.

 

I will discuss the option that forces you to choose additional individual woods. The complete set leaves nothing further to discuss. You are going to need a driver, 3 wood and probably a 5 wood. Some golf writers suggest skipping the driver since most beginning golfers don’t hit a driver very well.

 

If you want to play golf and you don’t want to swing the “BIG DOG” then what is the point? Golf is a game of distance and accuracy. If you are afraid of the driver then play the executive par 3 courses. You will still hit lots of middle irons and practice putting.

 

Today’s square backed drivers have a hitting surface as big as a tennis racket and are designed to help beginners keep more balls in play. 3 woods have much smaller faces which give many beginning golfers more frustration off the tee. Buy an off name square backed driver with a racy looking shaft.

 

3 woods and 5 woods are designed to hit the ball of the fairway grass. Like any other club they may be used off the tee on short dog legs or long par 3’s. Some beginners take a long time to become comfortable with these clubs.

 

5 woods are also used as rescue clubs to get out of long grass. Since a 5 wood and a 3 iron travel about the same distance in the air, you may only want to carry one or the other. Most people could never hit a 3 iron out long grass.

 

Start with a driver and 3 wood. Add a 5 wood later if you find the 3 iron difficult to hit or if you want the longer rescue club.

 

Putter:

 

Now let’s add a putter. On tour you see several different grips and three different putter styles. Players tend to add the belly or even long putter to their bag after they lose confidence in the more standard putter. In general these long putters are also long on price.

 

Go to a sporting good outlet that has a practice putting green. Try several different putters. Look for a standard putter that allows you to bend over the ball so your eyes are above the ball. This allows you to see the line and will increase putting accuracy.

 

Now find a putter that seems to swing effortlessly. Ideally this putter will have a long back end that helps you align the putter and ball with the hole. For now use a standard grip. In time you can try a reverse grip, the claw, or some other grip if you like.

 

Don’t blow the bank roll on this club either. An off name putter for a reasonable price will be fine.

 

Wedges:

 

There are two other classes of clubs that you will eventually consider adding to your bag: hybrids and wedges. Right now lets only consider a sand wedge.

 

Dave Pells has pointed out that the standard set of irons has nothing to help a golfer score inside of 100 yards. Listen to the pro tour and several times a day you will hear the announcer say the golfer is laying up to a full club distance. Pros don’t like getting inside the full swing distance of their shortest club.

 

You will miss a lot of greens short, wide and long. You will have a lot of shots well inside 100 yards including sand bunkers. A sand wedge was made to help get out of bunkers and is a much better short game club than a pitching wedge. Buy a club in the low to mid 50 degree range that feels comfortable in your hands.

 

In time you will find that there is a big gap between your pitching wedge and your sand wedge. When you are ready buy a gap wedge, around 50 degrees will work well.

 

Finally, when you short game has improved buy a lob wedge, around 60 degrees. This club will be for very short shots that must land and stop very quickly. Don’t buy this club too soon, it is difficult for the raw beginning golfer to master.

 

Hybrids:

 

Some people hate fairway woods and prefer long irons and some people hate long irons and prefer woods. I am definitely in the second group.

 

3, 4, and 5 irons may be replaced with todays hybrids. These clubs look, feel, and swing more like a wood than an iron. Gary Player has said he would have won more tournaments if only he had had these clubs in his prime.

 

If you hate long irons then find an off brand 3 hybrid. Take it to the range and compare it to your 3 iron. If you are pleased then try a 4 and finally a 5. You should find that hybrids are easier to hit out of long grass.

 

Eventually I found that I prefer my 5 wood to my 3 hybrid. This is a choice you will have to make on your own.

 

These clubs should wait until you have been playing for several weeks or even months.

 

Shafts:

 

Fiber glass is forgiving and steel gives better feel. The pros love steel, you will use only fiberglass down to at least your pitching wedge.

 

Conclusion:

 

Play with these reasonably priced beginners clubs until you have decided you really are committed to this fine game and until you have solved the majority of your beginner’s swing flaws. Only when you are ready should you approach your pro or golf shop about fitting top end expensive equipment. By that time you will also know what optional clubs you like and which you should avoid.

 

For more beginning golfer advice, tips, training aides, videos, and e-books please see my web site. Please take the time to write a comment about this article in the space provided below. Please include any ideas for additional beginning golfer articles you might like to see.