Starting out in golf can be quite overwhelming.
Chances are, every golfer you know will be giving you tips on how to play or how to swing that are slightly different to the last tip you received.
If that’s you, don’t burn out, just remember that every golfer has been in your position. Everyone starts somewhere!
So we’ve compiled a list of the most important and useful swing tips for beginners that should hopefully boost your game right away.
These aren’t quick fixes and they’re not magic cures. Golf takes time. There’s a reason that golfers work out ways to practice everywhere they possibly can.
It’s a game of repetition, the best tip on any list of swing tips for beginners will be to practice, over and over again, and then over and over again until you develop a new problem with your swing that you need to work on.
But if you want to skip some of the graft at the beginning of your golf career, keep reading and we’ll give you the tools for success with our list of swing tips for beginners!
Let’s get started!
8 Swing Tips for Beginners
1. Know your Grip
This isn’t just about knowing how to use every grip or the names of every grip or what grip Tiger Woods uses, this is about knowing the grip that you use and the one that works for you.
You should try out different grips at the driving range and see which one fits your hands well and what helps you play the best.
I know that all it took for me to stop hitting triple the amount of putts I wanted to was finding the right grip. Now I only make double!
Check out our article on the different grips you can try before you settle on any!
2. Control your Backswing
If you’re just starting out in golf, your backswing is something you should be working on.
A controlled backswing means a controlled downswing; your backswing sets you up for the rest of your swing, if you swing back poorly, you’ll swing down poorly.
You can work on the more minute details of your swing later, but this is a list of swing tips for beginners, and you need to set a good foundation for a good swing.
Get this right now, and you’ll be thanking yourself later, no one wants to work on their backswing when they could be working on something more fun like shot shaping.
Our big tip is to keep it low and slow when you start out.
This should help you keep your swing on plane and help you get your wrist set right before you begin your downswing.
3. Analyze Your swing
If you ever hope to improve at golf, you’re going to need to understand your swing.
That doesn’t just mean what you’re not doing well, but also what you’re doing right.
Be happy for yourself! If you hit a good shot and your form looks great, use that! Don’t let it be a fluke, you can feel when a swing is going well, it’s intuitive.
That being said, there are a number of things you can do to optimise your analysis.
Take a video of yourself at the driving range and what your swing looks like from behind.
Better yet, video yourself taking a shot with every club you own. Which looks the best and which looks the worst, you’ve just come up with your own practice routine!
Make sure to take a video from a few different angles, you can only properly analyse your swing if you’re able to properly see it.
4. Don’t spend all your time in the Driving Range
This tip might not only sit in our list of swing tips for beginners, it’s something that a lot of golfers need to remind themselves, but it’s especially true if you’re just starting out in golf.
Don’t spend all your time in the driving range! While you can practice almost every kind of swing from the range, you need more if you’re hoping to making it to the pro leagues, or at least break 100.
You should feel confident, or at least hopeful, with every shot you make. That means approaching the pin from different angles and different lies.
If you’re just starting out, we would recommend heading to your local pitch and putt.
The pitch and putt is great for a number of reasons, but if you’re just starting, it’s a brilliant introduction to strategy.
You can plan your shots, work on your recoveries, and you’ll be forced to play a real game of golf, just with lower stakes.
Plus, it doesn’t take as long to complete a round of pitch and putt!
You can head to your local course once you finish work and still be home in time for dinner!
The pitch and putt is also great for working on your short game, something you’ll need to get a hold of if you’re hoping to succeed at golf.
5. Work on your Foot position
How you position your feet in your golf stance says a lot about your swing.
The main thing to remember when setting up your stance at setup is that your feet should generally be facing parallel to your target and around shoulder width apart.
That being said, your foot position can and should change depending on what kind of shot you’re taking.
For your driver stance, your feet should be positioned slightly further apart from each other.
When putting, you should have your feet in a more narrow position. This will help you keep more control over your putting stroke.
And when playing out of a sand bunker, it can help to flare your feet out slightly into a V-shape This will also give you some more control over your swing, but most importantly it will help you balance in the sand. You can also dig your feet slightly into the sand if you struggle with this.
6. Hit Down to Hit Up
While it might sound counterintuitive it’s true – you have to hit down to hit up.
This means that you need to get under the ball, something you can only do by hitting down.
A steep golf swing can be difficult to master, but it’s essential if you want to start hitting flop shots or getting some good spin on the ball.
A good way to practice this is with your wedges. Wedges have what is called a bounce at the bottom of the club that will help it glide along the ground rather than dig in.
Wedges also have the highest lofts in the average golf bag, which is always useful for chip shots.
However, you don’t always want to hit down to hit up. This wouldn’t be a complete list of swing tips for beginners if we didn’t cover everything.
Don’t hit down with your driver. That’s how you end up with an awful thinned shot.
Position the ball on a tee around 1-1.5 inches off of the ground. This will help you hit under the ball and make sure the ball gets into the air.
Once again, you need to get under the ball if you want any height on your shot.
7. Pick your Target and Stick with It
There’s a golden ratio with looking at your target. You want to find the spot you’re aiming for and keep it in your head.
You should know your target before you set up at the ball. Stand behind the ball, take a look at the angle, and use your club to set up.
Just position your clubface behind the ball as your step up to it and use that to get yourself into the correct stance.
Once in this position, take a look at your target, think about the distance, think about the power in your swing.
You can take another look after the first but don’t keep flipping your head between the ball and your target!
not only is this going to waste time, but you’re just going to psyche yourself out.
Let’s face it, if you’re a beginner the chances are you’re not going to get the ball to land exactly where you want it.
You should be thinking more about hitting a great swing than hitting one with pinpoint accuracy.
The best golfers aren’t necessarily 100% accurate, but they all have beautiful swings.
8. Don’t get in your head
Perhaps the most important tip of your entire golf career: don’t overthink it!
Don’t overreach with your shot and don’t worry too much about it. At the end of the day, golf is just a game, and while hitting a bum shot can be incredibly frustrating, it’s not the end of the world!
Just step up to the tee and swing if you need to. You know how to hit a good shot, so just do it! The more you worry about your shot, the worse it will be.
There’s a great golfer inside everyone, you’ve just got to let them out!
So, that’s our guide to the 8 most useful swing tips for beginners!
We feel that these tips will always help you out on the course, from your first game and into the future.
Of course, the best advice you’ll ever receive for golf is to always keep learning and keep practicing, otherwise you’ll be doomed to never improving!
