I get quite a few new golfers who are just taking up the game. There are lots of ways to start and there are lots of questions to be answered. I will give a few tips about what you might want to do and you can feel free to ask other questions that I have not addressed. My first suggestion is to get lessons from a professional instructor. I usually recommend a PGA or LPGA professional. You will generally find this person associated with a facility as there are professional ethics involved with where we can teach. Find a facility that offers lessons. You can usually choose from group lessons or private lessons. Groups can be good since it lowers the cost but the draw back is the individual attention you will receive. Most facilities or schools will have a schedule of classes and a rate structure for private lessons. Find one that suits you the best. The number of lessons will vary by individual and with the amount of practice time you can devote to the game. I will usually tell a student who does not have equipment to not buy something until they decide they like golf, or know if they have the time to participate. I will provide equipment in the beginning stages but encourage a student to purchase clubs so they can practice with a set they will eventually play with. I can guide a student in purchasing clubs that will best fit them. Shoes and other items can be added as needed. You will most likely not play on the golf course right away most of the learning will be at a practice facility. You will be learning to contact the ball and learning about the scoring shots. (the shorter shots around the green). Once you are advancing the ball and know short game technique then we go to the course. I offer playing lessons in order to reduce the intimidation factor of being on the course. Feel free to contact me with any of your questions as I know it can be intimidating to be faced with new situations.

The basics of grip and set up create the best start to learning to swing the club. Grip is the only attachment to the club and set up is impact, both need to be correct before any movement in the swing occurs.

I often get asked what is the best age to start my junior golfer. If you are asking about lessons, best age where the junior will have some retention on what they are learning is 6 or 7. This also depends on the attention span. Exposing a youngster being around golf and having a club in hand can happen earlier, but mostly just to learn about the golf course facility and safety. As a parent you can show them the basics of how to hold the club, stand, and let them swing. This is a great way to let them learn about golf. Let them have FUN.

Putting is almost 50% of your game. You can improve your score by quite a lot if you just eliminate your 3 putts.