If you'd like to learn to play golf, you'll want to start with goals, then work on solutions. This means you'll need to learn and understand the various phases of a round of golf, including hitting off a tee, hitting off short and long grass, using irons and woods, and hitting full swings and abbreviated swings, such as pitches, chips and putts. Breaking the game down into its various components, practicing each on the driving range and finishing with a simulated round on the range will help you learn how play golf, rather than simply hit shots.
Step 1
Talk to a golf instructor, perform an online search or meet with a friend to find out what skills you'll need to play golf. You will most likely find you need to hit a tee shot, a long second shot, a pitch, a sand shot, a chip and a putt.
Step 2
Practice putting first. The putt is the shortest, most controlled swing in golf. Starting with putting will let you get a feel for the weight of the club and how it interacts with the ball when they meet.
Step 3
Practice chipping. Chipping requires a putt-like swing from just off the green. In chipping, you add a bit more backswing and follow through as you get used to the ball-club interaction.
Step 4
Practice pitching. Pitching starts with a three-quarter swing using mostly your arms to move the club. This introduces the shoulder turn and longer follow-through to your swing. Practice hitting balls from the sand, using a sand wedge, trying to strike the sand about 2 inches before you make contact with the ball. Keep your wrists firm when pitching. Professional golf instructor and "Golf Digest" contributor Rick Smith suggests keeping your wrists firm until after you hit the ball.
Step 5
Practice hitting full swings with irons. Full swings require a full backswing and follow-through. You will place the ball closer to your front foot, shifting your weight from your back leg to your front leg as you swing forward. Practice aiming your shots at targets to gauge your success and let you spot problems you need to fix. You will add a wrist snap, or turning your hands and forearms forward just before contact during full swings.
Place the ball in different spots on the ground to see how it affects your swing. In addition to placing the ball closer to your front or back foot, place the ball nearer to and farther away from your body. Place the ball farther forward when attempting long shots and closer to your back foot when hitting shorter shots.
Place your hands on the grip differently to see how your grip affects your shots.
Hit balls from the ground and place them on tees.
Step 6
Practice hitting woods. Practice hitting these clubs with your balls on the grass or practice mat and from tees.
Step 7
Play several simulated holes to see how your swings work when you have to use them in the order you'll have to play them on the course. For example, start by hitting a driver or 3-wood from the tee, trying to hit a target 200 yards out, if you are an adult male, or closer if you are a youth or female. Hit the next ball with a 5-wood or 5-iron from the grass at a target about 50 yards closer to you. Hit the next shot with a pitching wedge at a target about 100 yards away. Finish with a chip and then putt if a practice green is near the range.
Step 8
Practice individual shots that gave you problems during your simulated holes. You should now know what your playing problems are, such as slicing or hooking, and you can make corrections in that context.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't tire your muscles and central nervous system by hitting hundreds of balls with no rest. Take a break from practice every 30 minutes, suggests Chuck Evans, executive director of instruction for the Medicus Golf Institute.
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