Stay off Reddit for swing advice and get lessons

Focus on the fundamentals first

Grip,  Posture,  Alignment.

Advice #1: Take lessons.

Advice #2: Do not try to learn from the internet (not reddit, not youtube, just nothing).

Try mountain biking it's less stressful and better exercise!

I think it's been said once, but definitely first and foremost, find a love for the game. That'll make getting better a lot easier. If you don't care about the game, nothing will help.

If you wouldn't mind, could I steal this question for my golf pod and run it by my partner? He's a former pro and I think we could have some good discussions with it.

You’re in the exact right place — so many of us have been where you are. I still feel weird sometimes about solo tee times, and I’ll tell you what: the vast majority of the time, I’ve been paired with great people I genuinely enjoyed playing with.

Par-3 courses are a perfect way to ease in, and you’re absolutely not alone in worrying about holding people up. But here’s the truth — if your group’s moving along at 10–15 minutes per hole, you’re not slow. And if someone gives you a hard time, that says more about them than it does about you. We don’t take swing advice — or life advice — from jerks.

If you get paired up with others, just say you’re new and appreciate any tips. Most golfers are kind — we’ve all been beginners. And if pace becomes a concern, just pick up your ball and reset on the next tee. Totally normal.

A playing lesson with your coach can also take the pressure off that first full round. It’s a great way to learn the rhythm, etiquette, and in-between moments that don’t come up on the range.

Biggest tip? Give yourself some grace — and better lies — and just enjoy the process. Like housework or anything we procrastinate, the first five minutes is the hardest.

Just book the tee time and do it. You’ve got this.

I paid my instructor to play 9 holes with me 3 different times to have him explain etiquette, pace of play, all the things I was super worried about. That helped soooo much and was worth every penny. It relieved my anxiety a ton. Things I thought I'd never learn are just so natural now and I'm comfortable playing pretty much anywhere.

Book the last tee time of the day. You’ll have the course to yourself and won’t feel rushed.

I found a local 9 hole par 3 course that is very short. Membership is cheap (with cart included) which allows me to play daily. It helps just doing it over and over and realizing I’m not holding up pace of play. The people taking 2-3 off the tee and searching for the ball forever are.

There are four swings in golf: putter, wedge, iron, driver. Position at impact is different than at address. Weight transfer to front foot is huge. Golf is a journey, not a sprint Nibble during your round.

These are GREAT tips! What’s interesting, is my Driver is my only club I can hit consistently. I think too much about every other shot.

Just get out there, take one practice swing, then give it your best. Have fun!

As for etiquette: you paid the same amount of money to be on the course so don’t allow others to intimidate you. I agree to let them know you’re new to the game. Don’t talk when someone is teeing off. The ball furthest from the green plays first, don’t walk or move your cart ahead of the person hitting. People shouldn’t pass you either - it’s for safety and respect. If you hit the ball out of bounds (and you’re with a group), add a stroke and drop the ball in play. If I’m playing alone or with a good friend or family member and no one is waiting on us, we play the ball where it lands, even if it’s in the trees or out of bounds.

Keep your cart at least fifteen feet away from the green. When close to the green try and get to the cart path and walk your wedge/putter to the green. Don’t lay any clubs on the green - lay your wedge (if you used one) on the fringe - just don’t forget to pick it up after you’re done w the hole. Some serious golfers will expect you to mark your ball if you’re in their way on the green, others will be fine with you just hitting first.

I know this sounds like a lot - but it will become routine.

A lot of casual/leisurely golfers play READY GOLF, meaning whoever is ready hits, not worrying about the technicality of who is furthest out. I do this, but I always make sure I’m still not in front of anyone’s path, so I don’t get hit. Don’t start putting until everyone is on the green.

Oh - probably the most important for a beginner - try and keep track of where your ball is. I’ve been playing for years and I irritate people daily when I can’t “see” my ball.

Have fun and play a bunch of cheap/affordable 9 hole courses until you get this down, then go splurge on a beautiful course and be that kind person that is being patient with a newbie, just like you wanted.

Also, find a fun casual women’s scramble league. Great way to learn and have fun!

First and foremost, learn course etiquette. Secondly, have fun and don’t take it too seriously. Not keeping score for a while is perfectly fine.

I know it seems early, but if you want to starting enjoying the game faster get a few lessons to ingrain the fundamentals of your swing. it's an investment that will pay off more than buying a set of clubs right away, hand me downs are perfectly fine for the first year or even 2

try to avoid youtube lessons which are terrible for a beginner (while they can be useful if you are working on a specific thing only, found many useful drills)

don't worry about the score or rules, just course etiquette and try to be aware while on the course

that said, if you catch the bug say goodbye to all your money and hobbies, you become married to the game (which often does not love you back)

hit'em straight!

Here's a tip.. go get real lessons.

Don't watch YouTube or ask strangers on the Internet for advice.

And I'm not trying to be funny. I'm 100% serious

hit the “ball” (round white thing) into the “hole” (hole) with a “club” (the golf racquet)

Buy a brand new set of p770 or t100 irons.

Remember, it's ok to suck as long as you don't suck slowly.

Don't get married

SHORT GAME practice lol

GRIP IT AND RIP IT

For me it’s swinging too hard, or trying to lift the ball.... I need to learn to let the club do the work! I struggle with it most on long approach shots , or second shots on par 5’s

1. Get 5 lessons
2. Your grip is way more important than you think.
3. Keep an accurate score so you feel better when you actually get better.
4. Get off the tee in bounds, the game is a lot easier when you’re not hitting #3 off the tee.

Good luck, it’s such a great and addicting game.

Start from the putting green and work your way up to hitting full shots.

Putting > Chipping > Everything Else

Slow down, not pace of play but swing speed

Just enjoy the game.

Buy lots of cheap balls.

Don't get angry, even at the really bad shots, even when you hit a ball 50 yards forward and 150 yards to the right, even when you hit the club head 16" behind the ball into the ground, even when your buddies laugh because you miss the 3 foot putt. Find enjoyment, humor and learn from it all, no reason to be a mad golfer.

Don't be afraid to go golf alone. You'll either get time to play a few extra balls and oractice if you end up completely alone or you can get paired up with some really great people who can either make your round rely enjoyable or even teach you something, maybe even both.

The market for used golf equient is huge. Year after year the increase tech in the clubs isn't as much as they'd make you think, clubs from 5 years ago will work for you just as well as the newest set off the shelf. However before shopping for clubs get fitted, that way you can have a good focused search for your used clubs and get something that fits your specs.

You’re gonna hear this a lot from this Golf thread, but you should invest in some lessons if you wanna get better. Having a professional who’s unbiased and you don’t have a personal relationship with is the best resource for you to get better.

Take a few lessons. You need to understand how to hold the club,stance, swing plane and golf etiquette. Congratulations on learning the sport.

Buy Ben Hogan book. 5 lessons is the name. Used for $5 on Amazing. Great golfer and educator of the game.

You will be able to visualize the swing and the game.

Practice practice practice. Find a partner and push each other to get better.

Once you are hooked look out world.

1. Grip is key, without that you have nothing.

2. Never get mad, no reason to ruin a range session or round by losing focus on the larger objective.

3. You cant buy a good score, start small and as you improve and find your stride upgrade gear

Not so much form, stance, grip, but ...

1. Find a place where you can practice putting and chipping. Beginners waste a TON of strokes around the green. You should be able to get to where if you are within 20 yards of the green you can always chip on and 2-putt.

2. Hitting the ball straight and just ok, is better than hitting it really far but crooked. Learn to hit the ball straight so that you're always getting closer to the green and staying out of trouble, even if your shots aren't that great.

3. If you take lessons, space them out by at least a couple weeks apart so that you have time to practice a couple times in between each lesson.

Short Game. Then work on your short game. After that, you should probably mess around with learning how to chip before moving on to more work on your short game. Then work on your putting. After that, go back to your short game.

You'll thank me. I'm not kidding in the slightest.

No matter what, just make sure you don’t play slow.

Aside from that, there’s a decent amount of “unspoken rules” that would be helpful to learn. Do some research on golf etiquette and learn from others as you play and you’ll be fine

Be careful of kids, friends, or random internet people making the golf team, otherwise you will have to get a new putter.

Burn half of your money. Learn to hate yourself.

Something, something, new clubs, rotation-something, burn the rest of your money. ������

Enjoy the walk. Or ride. Whatever. Just enjoy

I meant before they were on tour.. but drunken rounds happen

Just remember, WE WERE ALL TERRIBLE GOLFERS at one point or another. Don't get discouraged by playing badly, you're learning. Every player on the tour has shot a 150 in his/her life, JUST KEEP PRACTICING.

I hope you come to love the game like most of us do. I'm rooting for your success!

If you're a brand newy, recommend getting a lesson and just tell the pro you've never swung a club before.

They can help you get set up with everything you listed above.

Honestly, the key to golf is hitting less bad shots, not hitting more good ones. The better you get, the tighter your definition of a bad shot becomes.

Ball position, body movement and bad habits are all personal. I hit a naturally high fade, where as a friend hits a lower draw, and yet we have the same ball position? So go to the pro, have a laugh at how hard golf us and get set up with one or two things to practice for a while

I swear I post this weekly… get the book 5 rules for golf by Ben Hogan. You will find no better guide to the fundamentals of a good repeatable swing. I think it’s less than $20 bucks, less than 100 pages, and has illustrations.

there’s lots of mechanical changes you’ll make along the way as you improve your game, but you need a solid foundation to build on. That book will give it to you.

The same issues you will find on YouTube you will find here. I’d watch a few videos on proper setup and grip and start and go from there. Even better get a lesson after you hit the driving range and decide you like it or not

Update

Update

Just returned from the driving range, where I primarily practiced with an 8 iron focusing on how to hold a golf club. I watched this YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/hhnhHgvOaB0?si=EUbHQR4B3XXzvd4e

Although I will pursue my courses, I was eager to hit the driving range and was pleased with my performance.

8 Iron: My shots ranged between 100 and 130 yards.

I was quite impressive.

At the driving range, I only bought one basket of balls, taking approximately two minutes per shot to adjust my hand position. I focused on taking long, slow breaths and prioritizing contact over speed or force.

I’m very satisfied with my day at the driving range.

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback.

Buckle up

I got clubs from my uncle when he passed. I used to hit balls in a lot by my house and then started at the driving range. Find a short course by where u live. Hit a small bucket, chip and putt, then play a few holes. When I was first starting I played a lot. Played in a few scrambles and then was asked to sub in a league. Lessons are good if u can find the right teacher and u have to continue to follow up. One of the course by my house has a beginner league where u take a short lesson and then play nine holes with other beginners. The pro moves around and helps with club selection and rules/procedures

I really recommend spending the money on lessons with a local golf pro. Cheaper in a group, but if you don't want any potential embarrassment, many do individual lessons. Like anything, some are better than others. Just as a reference, in my area, at one particular course, you get (3) 45 minute individual lessons for $250. They will hopefully allow you to set the foundation. Then you can start getting into videos, hitting the range yourself, etc.

Find an intro to golf course at a local community college. Cheapest way to get some good fundamentals started.

Golf kinetics japan, kosuke. He has short videos for drills on the proper motion. I learned by watching all his videos. Id recommend learning the proper motions of the swing before learning how to hit the ball

Get lessons and start your amazing journey into golf on the right track.

The problem with golf is your natural instincts to hit the ball is usually wrong. If you want to make the ball go higher your natural instinct will be to scoop at the ball to lift it. The opposite will happen.

It's hard to undo terrible habits down the line. Once you can consistently hit the ball the game becomes a highly addictive drug.