Although it’s easy to find golf tips on the Internet, many articles skip over some areas that are important for beginner golfers. Here are a few of the lesser-known, and most important, golf tips for beginners.

Tip 1: Tune Up the Machine

The first of our golf tips for beginners is to prepare yourself physically for the range of motions your body will go through as you play. The mechanics of a good golf swing require that you be able to smoothly swing your arms and shoulders in a wide arc from side to side. Your chest, back and waist must be limber enough to twist easily from side to side. Your hips must be able to turn fully with the swing. And your legs must be strong enough to give you good balance and support your body as it turns through the follow through.

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A simple but consistent program of stretching, flexibility, strength and cardio will help you to perfect your golf swing, balance and endurance on the course. This applies to players of all ages. So spend some time every week doing some flexibility and strength exercises. To that, add some time just walking.

And be sure to do a few minutes of warm-up before you tee off. When you play, you want to hear the sound of your club whipping through the air and the solid thwack as you club impacts the ball. What you don’t want to hear is the sound of your tendons tearing or you moaning in pain because you’ve pulled a cold muscle you didn’t warm up properly. You’ll enjoy your game much more when the machine is tuned up and you don’t even have to think about your physical readiness to play.

For tips on how to fuel your machine while you play, see our article: “6 Super Foods for a Super Round of Golf.”

Tip 2: Tune Up the Mind

The second of our golf tips for beginners is to tune up your mental game. You can’t play well if fear, anxiety and “golf nerves” undermine your confidence and concentration. All of the top golf pros use relaxation and visualization techniques to control their nerves and perfect their performance in their minds. Tiger Woods has been using these techniques since he was a teenager, and you should, too. (Find out how you, too, can develop an amazing golf mind.)

Tip 3: Play with the Right Equipment

Also high on our list of golf tips for beginners is that it’s essential that you play with the proper clubs. Petite ladies, children and juniors need clubs that are sized properly for their height. Many young players try to learn how to golf with their parents’ clubs. But trying to compensate for a club that’s too big isn’t the best way for younger players to master the skills they need, and may even lead to bad swing habits. Likewise, very tall players need clubs with longer shafts that match their height. It’s also essential that left handed players play with left handed clubs.

Another critical aspect of the right equipment for beginners is that you start playing with inexpensive equipment. The skill is in the player (that’s you), not the club, so expensive, specialized clubs won’t improve your game. In fact, they’ll waste your money and possibly give you bad swing habits because the specialized clubs are unforgiving for anyone who hasn’t yet developed the skills that are necessary to get the best performance out of them. To find out more, see our recommendations for the best golf clubs for beginners.

In the same way, don’t spend a lot of money on golf balls. The uncomfortable truth is that you’re going to lose a lot of them at first, so it doesn’t make sense to “shoot” your money away. And like specialized clubs, specialized balls are not forgiving and won’t contribute to your enjoyment, or the improvement, of your game. For more about this, see our recommendations for the best golf balls for beginners.

Tip 4: Study Your Games

One of the overlooked golf tips for beginners is to keep records of your scores and play. As you keep track of your score for each round, also make notes about your shots. You can do this on your scorecard or on a notepad. (You know, like the ones the police detectives make their notes on in all the crime shows. But if you follow this tip, your scores won’t be a crime!) The key is to jot down the pertinent points of each hole as you play it. Include notes on which club you used on the fairway or how many putts you made on the hole.

Once you’ve collected several games worth of data on scorecards or notes, sit down and lay out all of the information out in front of you, in order of date of play. Your notes can tell you if you’re having consistent problems with one particular club or with a particular kind of shot. Short of having a video of yourself on every hole of every round (even YouTube wouldn’t put up with that!), this is the best way to analyze your game and make the adjustments necessary to lower your scores quickly.

Tip 5: Play Nicely

Another often-overlooked of the golf tips for beginners is to learn and observe the basic rules of play and etiquette on the course. For example, many beginner players don’t know how to enter and leave a sand trap or know why the rake is there. Sure, it’s important to know the technical rules, such as that grounding the club is a violation. But did you know that breaking the rules of etiquette is among the most common rules violations for beginner players? Do you really want to be that schmo in your foursome?

Caring for the course and showing the highest courtesy to other players are fundamental to the game. It’s a good idea to carry a copy of the United States Golf Association (USGA) rule book in your bag. You can get one through the USGA website* or at your pro shop. A little golf etiquette can make everyone’s day on the course more pleasant.

Tip 6: Take a Lesson

One of the best golf tips for beginners is to take a lesson or two from someone who knows the mechanics of a good swing. The course pro can help you get set up properly, explain the fundamentals of the swing, and critique your swing on the spot. Trying to teach yourself all the parts of the swing and how to put them together smoothly can be a long, frustrating process. You’ll enjoy your game much more if you get off to the right start.

Once your swing has been critiqued, consider buying a few of the excellent golfing guides and lessons that are available at pro shops, in bookstores and online, including ebooks and videos. Some of those excellent resources are featured here at Golf Training for Beginners, so do take advantage of the wealth of good golfing information available to you.

Tip 7: Practice

Above all, the most important of all golf tips for beginners is to practice. (What… you were expecting “Learn magic”?) Golf is a game that requires hands-on training with all the clubs. The only way to master your long game and your short game is to invest the time and effort to learn each club and understand how to use it most effectively. Learn the right techniques and practice them diligently, and before you know it, you’ll be breaking 80!

*To purchase a copy of the Rules of Golf from the USGA website, visit:  https://usgapubs.usga.org/store2/.