Things you wish you would have known when you started

[TMO]

I know that this is a pretty open post topic but talking to another golfer on the forum about trying make it on tour got me thinking about all the things I wish I would have known when I started playing golf. For those beginners out there I just thought this would be a nice thread to read and hopefully shorten the learning curve. Here's a few (of thousands) that I can think of off the top of my head.

1. Perfect practice makes perfect: I used to beat balls for hours a day and ultimately, became pretty good. Then I found a teacher who taught me how to use a video camera and what to look for. Hitting 60-100 balls a day, I became really good. I can't even imagine what would have happened had I done that from the start.

2. Practice your putting: Driving the ball is so much fun that I would always leave the range satisfied if I felt like my swing was moving the direction I wanted it to. Unfortunately, that would often mean that I would leave the course without hitting even a single putt. Putting counts as much as any other stroke. For every driver you hit you should be hitting a putt as well.

Those are just a few but I'm sure y'all can add a bit. Have fun.

[uttexas]

1. get lessons early on. I was self taught for 20 years reading everything and trying different things at the range. The result was a good golf game, but I plateud due to some ingrained faulty swing mechanics.

2. spend most of your time on the short game

3. good swing positions are important, but don't lose sight of tempo, balance, rhythm, weight transfer, fluidity.

[wrx_junki]

Ingrained the basics which to this day I have not.

[Knockglock]

I wish I would have known about the Sand Trap! best resource ever :D

[becksfan2185]

I can't say that I'm a pro or anything, but I've been paying for a while now...

When you're out playing, it's all about course management. Know when to take the calculated risks, when to play it safe, etc. Overall, just manage your misses and play within yourself to keep big numbers off the scorecard.

I wish somebody had told me this while I was taking up the game. I got more swing tips than I care to remember, but few talk about the importance of course management.

[atrapasuenos]

Good posture and don't open the club face in your backswing! For sure that would shaved some strokes from the begining.

Cheers!

[$2 Nassau]

That the advice of "swing slow" or "swing easy" is about the worst golf advice that exists. Think "swing smooth" instead, but dammit when it comes time to hit the damn ball accelerate into the ball and hit it!

[opie]

Wish I had started with a coach to get my body rotation and posture correct. Arms and hands seem to be the easy part for me but getting my body right has been a fight

[n8ron]

1. Swing smooth not slow - just as many bad things happen while swinging slow as swinging fast

2. Bend at the waist - I was told to bend most at the knees, the club gets stuck on the down swing and you get a slice

3. Turn back, drive through - I learned that watching Ben Hogan videos

4. Don't hit a 3 wood out of the rough - DUH!

5. Nice clubs really do help

6. Golf is like crack

I've gotten rid of a lot of bad habits this year. I'm squeaking back down towards the 80's. I shot three birds one day, and usually get at least one per round. Playing smart has been the biggest help so far.

[ks8829]

1) practice from the hole backwards
2) play with a better player to get better
3) practice the wedge to improve your overall ball striking
4) hitting irons on an open grassy field
5) practice putting and chipping before a round
6) putting is hitting a straight putt and distance control
7) get your kids interested in golf as early as possible
8) have your kids play competitive golf as early as possible

[imtomtomim]

I wish someone told me not to waste my money on GI irons and just get a few lessons and go to the clubs you want to play for a while. May not be the case for everyone, but I sure feel like that's cash wasted on stuff that I don't need or use anymore.

[pusher]

I wish someone had explained early on how to rotate my hips properly.

[RC]

One thing was very valuable... hit it as hard as you can. Then came: hit it as hard as you can and stay in balance (where you can pose a finish). Those were great things to know early on. That got me to scratch and to a few amatuer tournament wins. "Hit it far and putt well" was a good plan -- but one thing was missing.

What I did not value enough was the chipping and pitching game. It must be nice to know almost every time you miss the green that you are going to have a par putt under, say, 4 or 5 feet. It is fun and exciting to see 300 yard drives, but it is simply amazing to watch a real short game wizard -- some one who is deadly good and can hit all the shots from all the lies with equal precision. That to me is the most difficult skill of golf. BTW, I think of myself as an excellent putter, but only an average chipper/pitcher. I can hit all the short shots really well some of time, but there are guys who seem to hit these little shots super well all the time, as close to automatic as a three foot putt.

[iWALK18]

brace against a solid right leg. Its been the single most effective thought for me.

[wedge player]

One thing was very valuable... hit it as hard as you can. Then came: hit it as hard as you can and stay in balance (where you can pose a finish). Those were great things to know early on. That got me to scratch and to a few amatuer tournament wins. "Hit it far and putt well" was a good plan -- but one thing was missing.

i agree with rc here excpt i am a little differant i have a really good short game but cant putt that great.

[skwon11]

To take lessons... and as often as you can afford. And not to learn about the game (you can do that on your own)... but just for somebody to get rid of bad habits as you are forming them. Otherwise, like me, you start working around those habits vs. work at getting rid of them.

[senorchipotle]

take a divot. hit down on the ball and it will go up. you'll never be able to get your club face lower than the ground, that's what loft is for.

[squaddie]

I wish someone had explained early on how to rotate my hips properly.

Same here. To add to that, I wish I had first spent the time to study and understand swing overall mechanics better on my own, not just the fundamentals.

Over the last six months I've had a few lessons where pros were teaching me something that lead to a swing-fault since I misinterpreted the technique, and they failed to recognize my mistake by the next lesson. For example, I was told to keep my hips quiet and to turn my shoulders more (X-factor stuff), and as a result I developed a false shoulder turn (restricting the torso while extending or lifting the arms). Since I'm not a natural swinger understanding the bio-mechanics would have probably helped me to avoid many swing faults I'm facing now.