Golf is a game that has been played for decades now, going as far back as 1497. While some professional golf players like Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy and Rickie Fowler have managed to create a legacy out of the game, others have picked it up as a hobby. While you may never expect yourself to become the new face of professional golf, if you are a beginner, you want to be able to impress and hold your own on the green.

Some basic tips can help guide you to become a sufficient golfer, though. Therefore, if you’re new to golf but want to excel, here’s a handy guide detailing the basics you should first master.

Learn How to Drive the Ball

One of the primary goals in any golf game is to drive the ball into the hole. To do this, however, you need to make sure that when you tap the ball, half of the golf ball is on top of the club to start with. In addition to this, position the ball in line with your left heel and then tilt your body away from the target. In the backswing, try and make sure that you transfer 75% to 80% of your weight to the right-hand side.

YouTube is a great platform to refer to when practicing driving the ball. Watch videos on how to drive the ball and practice in your own backyard before heading to the course.

Always Warm Up

Before starting any game of golf, it’s advisable that you start by warming up. This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate and can consist of walking briskly for ten minutes or doing jumping jacks. Stretching and swinging your golf club a few times should also help get your body ready to play. Warming up is essential to help reduce the risk of straining anything.

Have a Solid Stance

When playing golf, the way you stand can have a significant effect on how you play. In light of this, you should make sure that you have a solid stance. Ideally, it should be wide, stable, and balanced. You can do this by building your golf swing from the ground up. To avoid golf injuries, proper posture is encouraged which means holding your spine as straight as possible and avoiding hunching over the ball.

Leave the Driver Until Later

It is important that when in the incipient stages of learning how to play golf, you take things one step at a time. As with any sport, you’re learning how to play. Therefore, it is not advisable to rush into professional techniques until you have mastered the basics for a beginner.

Learning how to use a driver is difficult, so first of all, stick with the easier clubs. Once you are ready, however, you will want a driver that offers accuracy, forgiveness and incredible distance. This is because a driver is to provide enough weight and power to hit the ball a good distance down the fairway. It is a must-have club to invest in, so when you are ready, consider driving irons or fairway woods that are tailored to your needs.

Work on Long Distance Putts

Most golfers tend to focus on mastering their short game. However, a golf tip to consider taking on board is focusing on long distance putts instead. This is because when you’re on the course, most of the time your first putt is far from the hole. You should be aiming to get good at playing a few feet from the hole so that your long-distance putts improve.