beginner

[tuanutz]

Hey guys...I'm new to golf and was wondering if there are any websites that gives good tips on things like proper swinging form and grip and putting form. After trying golf I have gain a lot of respect for golfers because it is a lot harder than it looks. When I first went to the range I was able to hit the driver pretty decent...sure I sliced a lot but I was able to hit the ball up pretty high and around 200-220 yards. However, recently I haven't been able to hit the ball up and far at all. I tried longer tees but it isn't gettin up as high as to when I first tried it..I'm not sure why. Plus I struggle so bad with my irons its not even funny. I see people at the range hit the ball up so high and with good accuracy it gets embarassing. Also, do you guys have any tips on practicing the golf swing? It feels so weird trying to keep my forearm straight..and when I try...I seem to not be able to go all the way back to do a full swing....please help me out with anything guys, I would really appreciate it....man I'm hooked onto this game now that all I do is play Tiger Woods 07 on my xbox360 now haha.....thanks guys!

[Stu]

Re: beginner

The best advice I can give is to take a few lessons. I played golf for a year or two (not very well) and even though I was getting better I was still doing a lot of simple things wrong. I took two half hour lessons and fixed a ton of things in my swing and grip that I never even knew I was doing wrong.

After that it's just a matter of practice. Golf is really a game you need to play a lot to improve. I try to at least get to the driving range once a week.

Re: hitting the ball up... Most beginners think they need to use the club to scoop the ball into the air. A lot of the time this results in a poor swing and you hit the ball with the toe of the club resulting in a low, oftentimes topped ball. It seems counter intuitive but the key to hitting the ball up is to hit down on it. This allows the loft of the clubface to do it's thing. You can probably find a video on youtube or something that demonstrates what I'm talking about.

[mgoblue]

Re: beginner

camulos, I have taken about a year off from golf (due to the winter in Michigan and then I was getting ready to move so didn't have time). Am I better off just finding somewhere to take lessons now, or just get back to the range and start hitting? I'm not sure if it's better to start lessons to correct now, or get back into a minor groove before lessons.

[orthostud23]

Re: beginner

I recommend a few lessons. The reason being is that the first thing they are going to look at is the basic 3 things, grip,ball position, body alignment. That lesson alone along with some days on the range will get your fundamentals down. Are you going to be striping it straight every shot? Probably not but after you have those then another lesson could address the swing flaws and then you are on your way. Hell you might not even need another lesson after that. Just make sure IF you do take a lesson that the pro doesnt put more than 3 THOUGHTS in your head. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and enjoy this great game!!

[mgoblue]

Re: beginner

I recommend a few lessons. The reason being is that the first thing they are going to look at is the basic 3 things, grip,ball position, body alignment. That lesson alone along with some days on the range will get your fundamentals down. Are you going to be striping it straight every shot? Probably not but after you have those then another lesson could address the swing flaws and then you are on your way. Hell you might not even need another lesson after that. Just make sure IF you do take a lesson that the pro doesnt put more than 3 THOUGHTS in your head. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and enjoy this great game!!

That's what i'm thinking...I know I've got swing flaws, so best to get them out of there before I have muscle memory to fight.

[illiniDB]

Re: beginner

I wouldn't go with lessons yet, if youve just started and your struggling. This may sound weird, but a great thing to do is to watch great players swings, search "swing vision" on youtube that should do. Also watch instruction shows on the golf channel. And most of all keeeep playing, the more you play, you can't really get worse. And give that about 2 or 3 months, and if your still not satisfied then I'd say go for the lessons. BTW I did these things and went from a 11 to a 6.5 handicap.

[ComfortablyLomb]

Re: beginner

Get someone to show you a proper grip. The whole swing pretty much breaks down to the grip. A bad grip and you'll slice everything.

Also, don't try to lift the ball up. Hit down on it and let the loft of the club do the work for you.