Beginner Mistakes

[Newbie Collection Agency]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the board and to golfing. I'm 20 years old and have played a few courses over the past few years. Now I have the bug, and I'm looking to better myself (I'm competitive, probably too much so). Any beginner tips would be great but I have two things I want to try and address right away.

1) The furthest I consistantly hit the ball is about 165 (+-10) yards. I do this with my driver through my 6 iron. While I do have a slice with my woods and driver, I was wondering on how I can help add distance to the clubs that should be hitting further than the 6.

2) This has been answered a million times on this board I'm sure, and I am willing to search. My slice. All of my woods and drivers slice, getting worse as I make my way towards the driver. I've tried swinging soft and hard, varying my grip with little improvement. No doubt I am swinging outside in. Any quick pointers?

Thanks guys!

[Maverick]

Hello everyone!

1. I think it's more mechanics right now than anything. The loft for each club is what determines the length the hit. All my iron shots are hit with the same tempo as my 7 iron if this helps any.

2. Close your stance (move your right foot back towards you) and remember to hit from the inside, between 4 and 5 o'clock on the ball. Doing these together may result in a crazy hook so experiment..but at least your won't be slicing it.

[muskegman]

Welcome to the forum! Golf is a great game... treat it like a marathon not a sprint. Expect to get better but give yourself time and most of all enjoy it when you play or practice.

The very best thing you could do for yourself as a beginner is take a few lessons. Find a competant teacher and soak up everything he has to say.

You might spend a couple of hundred bucks on it but keep in mind that its the best investment you can make. That way you can begin ingraining good swing mechanics from the very beginning. Ultimately you'll suffer trying to figure it out on your own.

Take it from someone who tried to build a swing on tips alone .

[Guest]

Thanks Muskegman! I'll definitely look into it. :)

[Rafcin]

Jeff is right - and you should do it sooner than later. Bad habits are tought to drop...

[sungho_kr]

make a bigger stance, make sure you have a strong grip and keep left elbow straight on down swing for early release.

[sole wolf]

I had a horrible slice and corrected it by primarily my hand position. I rotate my hands counter clockwise towards the target and my slice was gone. It will feel stiff and weird but it does not take long to get used to. One advantage is I know how to slice at will now.

However I agree with the above, if this is something you think you are in the long haul for then get lessons sooner or later. You should be able to get 3 for about $100 and just listen to everything he says and get to the range a lot btwn lessons so that each one you can work on something new.

I wish I had done this as now I am in between 2 swings and it plays murder to your mind while playing a round. Old habits are near impossible to break.

[mrngorickets]

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

[Ctp722]

Get yourself a Pro! the biggest mistake I made was waiting for a true instructor.

You're going to be all over the place with your swing until you do.

oh yea and welcome to golf!

[Recoil]

My biggest mistake when I first started was trying to get more distance out of my clubs. When I stopped that and focused on getting on the fairway (no matter how short on the fairway) my scores began to lower. That in turn seems to have helped me focus more on a smooth well timed well controlled swing which has created to my surprise much more distance with my irons than I ever had trying to beat the ball into submission.

I am only just now realizing the benefit of good instruction but with little time and less money I have decided to try to just play with better players from where I work and be open to their advice.

Make sure your clubs fit you, that alone will keep you from developing poor swing habits trying to make your swing conform to poorly fitted clubs.. I had a guy I was playing with say one time. "man you are so hunched over when you hit. I then looked back and could see myself with a bad posture because my clubs are too short for me and when I would get a good connection the ball would go straight right because I could not keep the sole level with the ground, or I would top it because I was trying to correct my posture. Needless to say I will not break a 10 handicap until my clubs are lengthened.

Hope that helps