Golf is a refined sport and becoming a golfer takes practice and a general knowledge of its required skills. If you have never picked up a set of clubs before, then this page will help you understand the basics as well as going over the mechanics of different types of swings, as well as the etiquette and rules of the sport. You may not get invited to the PGA Tour overnight, but you'll learn everything you need to make it big at your local country club!

1. Beginners do not need a full set of golf clubs.
2. Your grip is the only link between you and the club
3. Your stance needs to be balanced and slightly over the toes
4. The drive is the first swing you make on a hole.
5. Putting can make or break your game.
6. One of the most important rules in golf is to play the ball where it lies.

Becoming a golfer takes practice and a general knowledge of the basic skills required for this refined sport. If you have never picked up a set of clubs before, then this page will help you understand the basics as well as going over the mechanics of different types of swings, as well as the etiquette and rules of the sport. You may not get invited to the PGA Tour overnight, but you'll learn everything you need to make it big at your local country club!

1. Beginners do not need a full set of golf clubs.
2. Your grip is the only link between you and the club
3. Your stance needs to be balanced and slightly over the toes
4. The drive is the first swing you make on a hole.
5. Putting can make or break your game.
6. One of the most important rules in golf is to play the ball where it lies.

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• by Darcy Logan

• Bobby Jones once said, "Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies."Golf Life Lessons: Home Page If you have been thinking of taking up the sport of golf, but don't know a tee from a t-shirt, don't be afraid. At its most basic, it is a simple game where you aim to hit a small, white ball with a club towards a hole.Quamut: Golf: Golf Basics But of course, the sport requires great skill to move the ball across the course using as few of strokes of the club as possible.

• To get started, you will need to learn some of the terminology associated with this particular sport. The course is the area in which the game is played. Typically, it consists of nine to 18 numbered playing areas, or holes.LearnAboutGolf.com: Commonly Used Golf Terms The first 9 holes are often referred to as the front nine while the second nine holes are called the back nine. If you play all 18 holes, you have played a round of golf.

• Each hole consists of the:
  1. Teeing ground where you play the first stroke your ball. The first stroke is played off of a tee, or a wooden peg on which you set the ball.Golf Europe: Dictionary of Golf Terms - T At each tee location there are three markers.
  2. Green, or putting green is the closely-mown area that surrounds the hole.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Dictionary - Golf Terms and Definitions The hole or cup is where you aim to place your ball. The hole is 4-1/2 inch round cup that is 4 inches deep in the center of the green.LearnAboutGolf.com: Commonly Used Golf Terms
  3. Fairway which consists of a mown area that runs between the tee ground and the green.About.com: Fairway
  4. Hazards are areas on the course that add difficulty to a course. They generally come in one of two forms:
     1. Depressions filled with sand known as sand traps or bunkers
     2. Water-filled ponds and streams known as water hazards.About.com: Bunker ABC-of-Golf: Golf Dictionary - Golf Terms and Definitions
  5. Roughs are areas of longer thicker grass that border the fairway.About.com: Rough

• When choosing your equipment, most of your focus will be on your clubs. However, they are not the only equipment you will need to play. Besides your clubs, you will also need several balls, tees and a golf bag. Optional equipment includes specialized shoes, a glove, ball mark repair tools and club covers.Quamut: Golf: Golf Equipment

• There are five types of golf clubs: woods, irons, wedges, hybrids and putters. Official rules state that a player may have 14 clubs during a single round.Dick's Sporting Goods: Golf Equipment Buyers Guide The standard 12-piece set of clubs includes three woods (1, 3, and 5), seven irons (3 to 9), a pitching wedge and a putter. However, a beginner will not need all these clubs, nor will this set be right for every golfer.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs

• Clubs are numbered based their loft, or the angle of the club face. This angle controls the trajectory and will affect how far the ball goes.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs The lower the club number, the lower the loft. Less loft means a farther distance but requires more skill for an accurate shot.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Woods PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs

• Woods are used to hit the ball long distances. They have large heads that are made out of titanium or steel, not wood as their name would imply.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Types They also have longer shafts than irons.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Woods
  1. The driver, or 1 wood, is important because it is used roughly 12 to 20 percent of the time, second only to the putter.LearnAboutGolf.com: How to Choose the Best Golf Clubs for Your Game
     1. Has between 7 to 12 degrees of loft.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs
     2. Beginners should choose a driver with a loft degree over 10 degrees.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs
     3. Beginners should also choose a driver with a larger head--over 430cc.LearnAboutGolf.com: How to Choose the Best Golf Clubs for Beginner Golfers
  2. Fairway woods include the 3 and 5 wood and are the most commonly used woods.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Woods
     1. A 3 wood has a loft between 15 and 18 degrees and is designed to carry the ball about 200 yards.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Woods
     2. A 5 wood has a loft of between 20 and 22 degrees and is designed to carry the ball about 180 yards.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Woods

• Irons are used to make mid- to short-ranged shots, or when your ball is less than 200 yards from the green.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs They enable you to make a shorter, more accurate shot than a wood club will.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Types
  1. Lower numbered irons are harder to hit than higher numbered irons.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs
  2. Many golfers replace their 3 and 4 irons with 7 and 9 woods because they are easier to hit and result in the same distance.PinemeadowGolf.com: Lesson #1: The Basics of Golf Clubs
  3. Because irons have more loft than woods, they will hit the ball with greater backspin which means two things:Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
     1. Increased control over the ball
     2. Reduced distance that the ball will roll after landingOverstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide

• Wedges are specialty irons designed for difficult shots such as getting out of the rough or a bunker.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
  1. Pitching wedges are very common and have a loft between 46 to 51 degrees. It is good for short shots under 125 yards.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
  2. Sand wedges are the shortest club in the set and have a loft of about 56 degrees.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Clubs - Irons It is named because it is good for getting out of sand traps.
  3. Lob wedges are designed to have a 60 to 64 degree loft, which makes them good for getting over difficult obstacles.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
  4. Gap wedges have a loft between 51 to 53 degrees and are designed to fill in the gap between the sand wedge and the pitching wedge.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide

• Hybrids are a relatively new type of clubs that are designed to be a cross between woods and irons. They are also known as utility clubs.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide

• Putters are the most important club because it is used most often.LearnAboutGolf.com: How to Choose the Best Golf Clubs for Your Game There are many different types of putters.
  1. Mallet putters have a rounded back and a flat front, like a baseball bat cut in half.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Club - Putters Its balanced weight gives it a more consistent stroke.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
  2. Blade putters are rectangular shaped and popular among low handicap golfers.Overstock.com: Golf Club Buying Guide
• YouTube: Golf: Choosing Equipment (Time: 2:02)

• While it might seem like a small thing, how you grip your clubs will greatly affect where the ball goes.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip Your grip is the only link between you and the club.PGA.com: Get A Grip! A good grip should:
  1. Feel comfortable.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques
  2. Allow you to take full control of the club.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip
  3. Give power to your swing.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques
  4. Be as neutral as possible.PGA.com: Get A Grip!

• There are three basic ways you can grip a golf club. The choice of club grip is up to each individual golfer. All grips should be done using light grip pressure because if you grip too tightly you will slice.About.com: Holding the Handle - The Three Primary Grips Place your hands so your left hand (if you are right handed) is about a centimeter from the end of the grip.WomeninGolf.com.au: Lisa's Place - Getting a Grip on your Game

• The ten-finger grip or baseball grip is done by grasping the club with your left hand (if you are right-handed). Then, slide your right hand onto the shaft of the club so all the knuckles are lined up underneath.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip Place the little finger of your right hand close to the index finger of your left hand.About.com: Holding the Handle - The Three Primary Grips, p. 4 The main characteristics to consider with this kind of club grip are that it is:
  1. Good for people with joint pain, arthritis or weak hands as well as beginners.WomeninGolf.com.au: Lisa's Place - Getting a Grip on your Game
  2. The most comfortable.WomeninGolf.com.au: Lisa's Place - Getting a Grip on your Game
  3. The strongest.WomeninGolf.com.au: Lisa's Place - Getting a Grip on your Game
  4. More difficult to control the clubhead.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip

• The interlock grip is formed when the little finger of the right hand (for right-handed people) intertwines with the index finger of the left hand.About.com: Holding the Handle - The Three Primary Grips, p. 3 Remember that the interlock club grip is known for:
  1. Requiring less strength than the overlapping club grip.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip
  2. Ease of use for women golfers and golfers with smaller hands or short fingers.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip

• The overlock grip, overlapping grip, or Vardon grip is done by taking the little finger of the left hand (if you're right handed) and placing it both on and between the index and middle finger of the right hand.About.com: Holding the Handle - The Three Primary Grips, p. 2 Your ring finger will touch the index of your left hand.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip Keep these two important facts in mind before choosing this style of club grip:
  1. It is used by most professional golfers in the PGA and other leagues.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip
  2. Requires strong hands.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Grip

• YouTube: Golf for Beginners : Importance of Golf Grips (Time: 1:28)

• Whether you're teeing off at the country club or just hitting a few balls to relax, you need to use the proper stance every time you break out the clubs. The proper golfer's stance needs to be balanced in the center, slightly over the toes.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques

1. Place your feet so they are about shoulder-width apart.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques
2. Push your hips back so your weight is on your heels and you can wiggle your toes.Quamut: Golf: How to Swing a Golf Club
3. Bend your hips and flex your knees to lower your club to the ball.Moe Norman Golf Academy: Golf Fundamentals: Setup Clarity
4. The distance between you and the ball will depend on the length of the club.Quamut: Golf: How to Swing a Golf Club
5. You can tell if you have a balanced stance by getting into position and dropping your hands to your side. If your hands are hanging the same way, you are balanced. If one is rotated more than the other, you are out of balance.Golf.com: How to Find the Right Stance Width Try adjusting your feet closer or further apart until you are in balance.
6. The face of your club should be square to the target.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques
7. Your arms should be stretched out and form a V.ABC-of-Golf: Basic Golf Techniques

• YouTube: See How Stance Affects Golf Shots (Time: 2:02)

• The component steps for swinging your club perfectly are covered in-depth on Mahalo's guide on How to Swing a Golf Club. Therefore, this section will cover on how to make some of the most basic shots that you'll encounter in this sport.

• The first shot you take at a hole is the drive shot, or tee-shot. Your goal is to hit the ball as far as close to the hole as you can while avoiding any hazards.

1. When starting out, you should be striving for accuracy and not distance.ABC-of-Golf: http://www.abc-of-golf.com/playing-golf/tee-shot.asp Golf Drive or Golf Tee-Shot]
2. Don't try to hit the ball with a hard, violent motion.PGA.com: Good Driving Depends on Good Positions
3. The PGA advises that almost all swing flaws are the result of errors in the set-up position. This means either your body, the ball's placement or where the ball was aimed was flawed somehow.PGA.com: Alignment: Right on target
4. Make sure the ball is placed even with your left heel or instep.PGA.com: Good Driving Depends on Good Positions
5. In this official tip from the PGA Tour, draw an imaginary line from the hole to your ball. Then, look for a closer object that is within your target line and aim for it.PGA.com: Alignment: Right on target
6. Make sure your right shoulder and right hip line up.Golf.com: The Setup Secret for Monster Drives
7. Tee your ball high to get a rounder and shallower swing path.Golf.com: Tee it High or Low? p. 4

• YouTube: Golf Tips: The Driver - How to Hit it Long (Time: 3:26)

• Pitch shots and chip shots are very similar in that they are played with a 6-, 7-, 8-, or 9-iron (or higher loft club) or a wedge club and are used with the ball is very close to the green.Quamut: Golf: How to Hit a Chip Shot However, there are a few distinct characteristics that make a pitch shot different than a chip shot. Pitch shots are:
  1. Played from farther off the green than chip shots, usually about 40 to 50 yards.About.com Chip (Chip Shot)
  2. Higher trajectory and are in the air for most of the shot.About.com Chip (Chip Shot)
  3. Less prone to making the ball roll after landing than chip shots are.About.com Chip (Chip Shot)
  4. Swung by moving the club above your hands both on the back swing and on the follow through.YouTube: Golf: Pitch Shot (Time: 3:08)

• Specific instructions for the perfect pitch shot will depend on your particular circumstances. But there are a few general tips to keep in mind that will help you get out of any rough- or bunker-related jam:

1. Clubs with higher numbers will give you more loft and cause the ball to roll less.Quamut: Golf: How to Hit a Chip Shot
2. When pitching into the wind, use a less lofted club.Quamut: Golf: How to Use the Pitching Wedge
3. The farther from the hole, the longer your swing should be.Quamut: Golf: How to Use the Pitching Wedge
4. Shift your weight off your back foot to your front foot during your swing.YouTube: Golf: Pitch Shot (Time: 3:08)
5. Point the butt end of the club toward an extended version of your target line.YouTube: Golf: Pitch Shot (Time: 3:08)
6. Place the ball forward in your stance if you want it to go higher, back if you want it to go lower.YouTube: Understanding Golf - Pitch Shot Fundamentals (Time: 2:10)

• YouTube: Pitch Shot (Time: 2:37)

• As we discussed above, chip shots are very similar in usage to pitch shots. However, there are a few characteristics specific to chip shots that differentiate them from pitch shots:
  1. They are played from closer to the green than pitch shots, usually about 30 yards.About.com Pitch - Pitch Shot
  2. Balls will travel in the air for a shorter period of time.
  3. Balls will also roll further than with pitch shots.About.com Pitch - Pitch Shot
  4. They are performed with a swing that keeps your club head below your hands.YouTube: Golf: Pitch Shot (Time: 3:08)

• Just like with pitch shots, you'll need to exercise a little bit of good judgment to make sure you're tweaking your chipping technique for the specific shot in front of you. Here are a few general guidelines to follow to make sure your chip shot lands properly:

1. Use a lofted wedge such as the sand wedge, pitching wedge or lob wedge.Golf Driving Tips: The Golf Shot -- Chipping vs. Pitching
2. Clubs with higher numbers will give you more loft and cause the ball to roll less.Quamut: Golf: How to Hit a Chip Shot
3. Hold the club closer to the shaft that you would when driving.Quamut: Golf: How to Hit a Chip Shot
4. Lean your entire body, not just your hips, toward the target so your eyes are ahead of the ball.Golf.com: Hit Solid Chips
5. Keep about 60 percent of your weight on your front foot at address.LearnAboutGolf.com: Free Golf Tips to Improve Your Chipping
6. You should be hitting slightly down and through the ball.LearnAboutGolf.com: Free Golf Tips to Improve Your Chipping
7. Keep your stance open.ABC-of-Golf: Chipping - Making a Chip Shot
8. Play the ball back.ABC-of-Golf: Chipping - Making a Chip Shot

• MonkeySee: Golf - Chip Shot Fundamentals (Time: 1:43)

• Putting is the final swing you will make in the game-- and it can make or break your success in the sport.

1. Keep your eye directly over the ball.LearnAboutGolf.com: Free Golf Putting Tips to Improve Your Putting at Learnaboutgolf.com Otherwise, your aim will be off.PGA.com: The Eyes Have It
2. Stroke the ball so it rotates end-over-end by hitting it squarely with your putter.LearnAboutGolf.com: Free Golf Putting Tips to Improve Your Putting at Learnaboutgolf.com
3. Don't use the same club grip as you use when driving. Angle your wrists downward slightly while moving the putter grip out of your fingers into your palm.Golf.com: Dave Pelz's Putting Tips Your thumbs should be on top of the grip.Quamut: Golf: How to Putt a Golf Ball
4. Your swing should be like a pendulum that uses only your arms and your shoulders.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Putting Techniques Don't bend your wrists or move your head.Quamut: Golf: How to Putt a Golf Ball
5. Make sure you read the green by noting if the putt will be uphill or downhill, the amount of break (turn) needed and how much speed necessary for a successful putt.PGA.com: Basics of Putting
6. Your follow through should equal the distance of your backswing.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Putting Techniques
7. Hit the ball so that it will go about 1 foot past the hole (if the hole wasn't in the way).Quamut: Golf: How to Putt a Golf Ball

• YouTube: Putt For Perfection - Golf Tips (Time: 1:18)

• Rather than go over the USGA's entire set of rules, here are a few basics to get you started.United States Golf Association: Rules

1. Mark your ball so you can identify it, or it could be considered lost.LearnAboutGolf.com: Basic Golf Rules
2. Play the ball where it lies. Don't move or touch your, or any other golfer's ball it unless permitted by the rules.LearnAboutGolf.com: Basic Golf Rules
3. If you can't play the ball where it lies, you can take a penalty stroke and then:
   1. Drop the ball anywhere within two club lengths of where the unplayable ball rests without moving the ball closer to the hole.
   2. Drop the ball anywhere in a direct line behind the unplayable ball.Quamut: Golf: The Rules of Golf
   3. Treat the ball as lost.
4. Lost balls are played from the spot they were originally hit and a penalty stroke is added to the score of the golfer who hit it.Quamut: Golf: The Rules of Golf
5. For water hazards, player takes a penalty stroke and drops the ball at a point behind the spot the ball crossed into the water hazard on the same line of play. For lateral water hazards, the ball is dropped less than two club lengths from the spot where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard or either side of the hazard.About.com: Ten Basics of Rules and Etiquette For Your First Round of Golf, p. 3

• YouTube: Official Golf Rules: Official Golf Club Rules & Restrictions (Time: 1:57)

• There are two ways to play a game of golf, both of which are played competitively in the PGA Tour:
  1. Stroke play is when you keep track of your strokes for each hole. The total strokes are added up and the golfer with the fewest strokes win.
  2. Match play is when two players are pitted against each other hole by hole. The person with the lowest number of strokes wins the hole. The golfer who has won the most holes, wins the game.

• One of the most common terms you hear in the sport is the word "par." Par is the number of strokes it takes an expert to complete the hole. This is usually determined by the length of the hole. For example, a Par 3 hole will be less than 250 meters long while a Par 5 hole is usually greater than 471 yards (for men).Quamut: Golf: Golf Scoring Par is used to determine a person's handicap, which is the number of strokes over an even par of 72 a person is expected to have.ABC-of-Golf: Golf Dictionary - Golf Terms and Definitions Par is also used to describe different scores:
  • Birdie: One stroke under par on a hole.
  • Bogey: One stroke over par on a hole.
  • Eagle: Two strokes under par on a hole.
  • Double Bogey: Two strokes over par on a hole.
  • Double Eagle or Albatross: Three strokes under par on a hole.LearnAboutGolf.com: Commonly Used Golf Terms

• Learning the sport's proper etiquette isn't just something for country clubs. No matter where you play, you need to adhere to certain rules if you want to be a considerate player and be asked to play again. Here are a few basic guidelines:

1. Most golf courses have a dress code. Though not all courses will maintain exactly the same standards, the general rules are that:Quamut: Golf: Golf Etiquette
   1. Men should wear a collared shirt and pants or shorts cut 3-inches from the knee.
   2. Women should wear a collared shirt or dressy t-shirt and pants (no jeans), skirts, or shorts within 3-inches of the knee.
   3. If you don't have special shoes, wear rubber soled shoes.
   4. Jeans are not appropriate.Quamut: Golf: Golf Etiquette
2. Be ready to hit when it is your turn.About.com: Golf Etiquette
3. Don't make any loud noise on the course; and don't make any noise when another player is taking his or her shot.LearnAboutGolf.com: Learn Basic Golf Etiquette
4. Never walk through another person's putting line.About.com: Golf Etiquette
5. Repair all ball marks and divots on the course.About.com: Golf Etiquette

• YouTube: Campbell University PGM Golf Etiquette Video (Time: 6:18)

• Introduction
• Understanding the Terms
• Basic Equipment
• Step 1: Choosing Clubs
• Step 2: Learning the Stance
• Step 3: Perfecting Your Swing
  • Drive Shots
  • Pitch Shots
  • Chip Shots
  • Putting
• Step 4: Understanding Rules
  • Scores
• Step 5: Using Proper Etiquette
• Conclusion
• References