Beginner golfers - learn to play golf!!

Beginner golfers must get onto the golf course asap!! Once the basic essentials have been learnt (grip, stance posture etc) then the sooner the beginner golfer heads to the golf course the better. Once this happens then you are learning to play golf. It doesn't matter if you do not keep score, which i would recommend at first, and you shoot 250. The fact is you are only going to improve from there. You can monitor your progress and witness hard evidence of your improvement on the scorecard from that day forwards.
Time after time i walk up the driving range and you see somebody bashing golf balls away, 150 yard straight 7 irons, and you assume the person plays to a good handicap. Further investigation uncovers the fact that the person has never broken 100. Hitting balls on the range is not 'playing golf'. It is a false environment that should be used to work on a skill or a movement or as a place to warm up before a round. Not to judge how good a golfer you are.

This is also very much the case for junior development.Kids who roll up with their parents for 1 hour clinics get bored. I don't enjoy hitting balls with a 7 iron for an hour, so why would a kid. An adults attention span is only about 20 minutes so a kid id going to get bored pretty quickly. However introduction to the golf course opens up the opportunity to introduce new games and light competition. This will maintain interest and also get kids playing the game young, aiding there junior development. Golf Professionals will notice that kids remain in there junior clinics a lot longer as a result.

Don't be afraid to head out onto the golf course. The game is fun out there, just get over the ball and swing the golf club. If you relax and enjoy yourself then you will hit good shots, and you will become a golfer.

Daniel Gale
PGA Professional

Dan is a PGA Professional & TPI Certified Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com