How to Play Golf for Beginners

 
Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world and is enjoyed by a wide variety of people of all ages.  For senior adults, golf is a great way to enjoy the outdoors while at the same time getting some exercise.  Those new to the game need good basic advice and we hope to offer that here with our How to Play Golf for Beginners tips. 
 
Golf is a fun sport, but it does take years of practice to develop into a great golfer.  For someone just starting out in the sport, the first thing to think about is buying a set of golf clubs.  While you can go out and spend thousands on a new set of clubs, for the beginner, a half set of clubs will be sufficient to start with.  Alternatively, used golf clubs are a great way to buy good quality clubs at affordable prices.  If you shop around, particularly online, you should find a bargain.
 
After the clubs, consider buying a golf bag, some golf balls and maybe a glove and you will be ready to hit the course.  You may need new clothes as well, depending on the rules of the golf course you plan to play at.  Generally, the only rules at public courses are no blue jeans and that you must wear a collared shirt.  While these rules have eased in recent years, you will still want to check the dress code at your local course.
 
With all your golf equipment purchased, you're now ready to hit the course.  The objective of the game is to get your golf ball into the hole with the fewest number of strokes possible.  If a hole says that it's a “Par 4”, that means that ideally, you want to get the ball into the hole in just four shots.  Your first shot is called “teeing off”.  This is where you stand on a piece of short grass and place a tee in the ground.  You place your golf ball on the tee and use a driver to hit the ball.  A driver is the club with the large head and is used for long distances.
 
After your first shot, hopefully your golf ball stayed on the shorter grass, which is called the fairway.  From the fairway you will use another type of club called an “iron”.  These clubs will have numbers from 2-9 on them and have different angles.  Generally the lower numbered irons are for longer distances while the higher irons, will go short distances, but will fly high in the air.
 
As you get closer to the hole, you will want to watch out for sand traps.  If you land in one, you will use a sand wedge to get the ball out.  Now you're at the green, which is the area with very short grass and a flag marking the hole.  You will first want to remove the flag from the hole so that the ball will go in the hole and you use a putter to hit the ball.  You will want to pay close attention to the small hills on the green which will affect where your golf ball goes. 
 
When you first start playing golf it's unlikely that you will get par on a course, but with practice your game will improve.  In order to improve your game, the best way is to get out on the golf course and keep on trying. You may also want to consider taking a few lessons from a professional golfer.  It is important for you as a golf beginner to get the technique right if you are to learn how to play golf to the best of your ability.