Total amateur in need of advice

[JustJackTheLad]

Good morning all,

Over the 6/7 weeks i've been trying to get into golf and i'm loving it so far. I've been playing a 9 hole short par 3 course near to me once a week with a couple of friends. I've stopped going there & have said i'm going to go the driving range to practice before i get into actual golf so that i'm not getting too high of a score whilst there.

 

Does anybody know of any recommended youtube videos that will help with my grip,swing etc..

A few people have told me to get some lessons before starting also, which i think i will. Do you recommend this also?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thankyou.

[Jameson]

Hi, here are my thoughts:

1. Lessons specially at the begining are a must.
2. Read some good book, to understand the basics of the golf swing.
3. Don´t try to play on the course until you have a minimun leve
4. Then, go play with friends who are good players and learn, learn, learn....

 

Good luck!

 

[70sSanO]

Get lessons first so you will learn the basics.  Once you have that, the short par 3 course is great to get consistent before you start to over swing and mess everything up.

John

[Kalnoky]

Welcome!

Here is my advice:

1. Don't spend 80% of your practice time hitting drivers. Do spend that time on irons.
2. Learn to chip. Chipping practice is free and it will drop your scores immediately. 
3. Don't spend a lot of money on fancy gear & technology. At this stage, it will not improve your game. 
4. Don't wait too long before taking your first lesson! Many things about golf are NOT intuitive.

Keep playing those Par 3 courses

 

[Odogesq]

Hi! YouTube videos can be a great learning tool, but as a beginner it's going to be difficult to just rely on YouTube because you will not be getting the feedback you get from lessons. YouTube video lessons typically focus on one "tip" or on every small part of the golf swing. Signing up for lessons will help you get a big picture understanding of your swing and your very specific swing fault. From there you will be able to better use the YouTube videos to work on specific faults.

I agree with everyone else that lessons are a must at the beginning. It took me about two years of struggling on my own before I cracked and got lessons. Since then I have consistently improved each year. I regret not taking lessons first thing when I picked up a club. Lessons basically shrink the learning curve drastically.

Lastly, I think you should keep playing while taking lessons and hitting the range. There is no substitute for experience and there are a lot of lies and places you will end up on the golf course that you just can't reproduce on the range. Best way to play is to just pick up your ball if you start holding the group back. Make it a fun, no pressure environment and you will enjoy yourself even though you will not beat the same level.

[newtogolf]

Take lessons from a recommended golf pro and build a good foundation for your golf swing.  I have spent hundreds of dollars and hours trying to unlearn bad habits I developed and reinforced into muscle memory when I first learned how to play.  It's a small investment but once you have built a good grip, stance and swing foundation you can then go on to improve rather quickly.  

[Valleygolfer]

Welcome to the affliction. Try to pick something you can trust to learn from and try not to get too many different sources of input. Knowing you have the right info is confidence inspiring. These two threads are a great start.