How to Play Golf

how to play golf

People try to make golf something far too serious most of the time. In every field of endeavor there will always be those individuals that are naturally gifted, not to mention competitive, that will push the limits of what is possible. So let's begin by recognizing that it's not very likely that you will end up on the pro tour no matter how hard you try. With that in mind, there are a few things you can do when it comes time to learn how to play golf that will make the whole process a lot more fun.

First, understand that everyone goes through a few stages while they are learning to play. Let's call the first one the duffer stage. You're spraying balls all over the place and probably hitting the grass more than anything else. Just roll with it and remember that during the duffer stage you're just trying to learn how to bring the club face into solid contact with the ball, we'll worry about direction later.

Once you are striking the ball a little better you can begin to work on making it go in the right direction. This is where working on your swing will come in. There are some very good instructional programs out there like AJ Golf that can take the work and the worry out of learning to strike the ball and the fear out of practicing your swing. There's a lot of physics involved in golf, and it's going to take a while to master them.

The third stage is where you make a number of good shots every round, but are hindered by a few bad ones as well. You may feel at this point like you are really close to playing par golf but just can't get over the hump. The only remedy for this stage is practice, and a lot of it. You know roughly what to do most of the time, you just need the muscle memory and confidence to do it on the course.

The last stage is where you are playing very nearly par golf. There is that last stage past this one, the playing on the tour stage, but most people are perfectly content to stick around par and just spend time on the course. Golf is certainly a lot more fun when you get to this stage.

So don't fret about trying to leap all the way to par golf in a single month. It's probably not going to happen anyway. Learning how to play golf is going to take some time and a lot of practice, but the good news is that you can get a whole lot of practice in practical situations right on the course itself. It's always good to chip, putt and drive for a little while as well, but just remember that it's a game, and a very fun game as well, and give yourself time to master some of the little things that will go a long way toward making you a better golfer in the long run.