Beginner Golfer FAQ’S

By Allen Kelly, Golf Professional, Parklands Driving Range, East Coast,

• What do the numbers on a golf ball mean?

Every golf ball has numbers on it. How many numbers and which numbers vary from brand to brand, but they all have at least one number.
That one number is most likely to be a 1, 2, 3 or 4 (although it can also be anything from a zero to a 9).
What do these numbers mean?

Nothing.... Really! These single-digit numbers are simply there for identification purposes.
If the members of a foursome are all playing a Titleist NXT ball, for example, one might play a ball with the number "1," another a "2," the third a "3," and the fourth a "4."

This will allow the members to keep track of which ball belongs to each player. These numbers usually appear just below the branding of the ball's name. All the balls from the same sleeve will have the same ID number.

• What should I look for when buying used clubs?

Used golf clubs are a good option for any golfers on a budget and golfers who don't get to play much.
But they are especially good for new golfers. Why spend a ton of money on clubs when you're not certain yet how well you'll play or whether you'll stick with it?
Here are some tips on things to look for when shopping for used golf clubs.

Check the Clubheads

Face wear is what you're looking for. Clubs that have been used for a long time might have a shiny worn spot right in the centre.
You don't want these because the clubface won't hold the ball as well. Make sure the grooves still have well defined edges.
Stay away from clubs that show indentations in the clubface. These can affect the ball flight.

Check the Shafts
Make sure graphite shafts don't have worn areas or indentations that could cause weakness.
Test the torque by twisting the grip and head in opposite directions.
If there isn't great resistance, it's a sign of weakness. For steel shafts, look down the shaft to make sure it hasn't been bent back into shape.
Make sure all shafts in a set are the same so the clubs feel similar from shot to shot.

Check the Grips
Look for cracks, splits and worn areas in the grip.
Make sure you won't have to immediately re-grip the clubs.
If you buy used clubs that need re-gripping, you're adding anywhere from $6 to $15 per club to your costs.

Check Set Consistency
Line up the clubs and compare the clubs throughout the set. Make sure they all appear to have been in the original set.
You don't want a set that has different shaft types or models from club to club, or where there is not a normal progression of lengths from club to club.
Mixing and matching can also throw off the progression of lofts throughout the set.

Check Current Prices for New Clubs of the Same Model
Sometimes you can find a brand new set of clubs for less than what that set is selling for used.
How does this happen? Say someone buys a set and decides to sell it a year or two later.
The set may be in great shape and can justifiably be priced high.
But in the meantime, the manufacturer may have steeply discounted new sets due to high inventory, discontinued production or numerous other reasons.

• I want to buy name-brand golf clubs - how do I know which brand to buy?

Buying name-brand clubs certainly isn't a necessity, especially for a beginner. But most golfers, at some point, will plop down some money on a nice, shiny set of clubs from the likes of Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping or many of the other top-tier clubmakers.
Here are some suggestions to help you choose the brand you'll wind up buying:

• Ask around. Your friends who golf probably have some strong opinions on who makes the best clubs.
• Watch your fellow golfers on the course. When a cart passes by, take a quick glance in the bags. Get an idea of what others on the course are playing.
• Comparison shop. You might want Brand A, but discover that Brand B is much less expensive. Both have good reputations. Which do you buy? If you're like most people, Brand B.
• Read golf club reviews
• Read golf magazines, which often review clubs or feature articles on manufacturers.
• Find a demo day that's coming up in your area and make plans to attend.

• How do I take care of golf clubs?

1. Store your clubs indoors, not in the trunk of your car or a garage where changes in temperature and humidity can damage them.
2. And don't forget a headcover for your putter. A ding on the putter surface can really affect your ability to putt the ball in a straight line.
3. Keep a golf towel attached to your bag and wipe off the face of the club after each shot.
4. Give your clubs a good cleaning at least every few rounds. You don't want dirt hardening onto the clubface.
5. Use warm, soapy water and soft-bristled toothbrush or other soft brush to clean clubfaces.
6. Towel-dry the clubface and shaft immediately after cleaning.
7. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the grips.
8. Inspect the grips for shiny areas, worn areas or cracks. Good grips are essential to good golf.
9. Inspect the shafts for dents, nicks or splits. If you see any of these, it might be time to replace the shaft.

Tips:
1. Always clean your clubs following a rainy round. Wet clubs that are simply put away are sure to develop rust spots.
2. Never use an abrasive cleaning agent or a stiff or wiry brush on your clubs.
3. Most pro shops sell club cleaning kits that include soft brushes and cleaning materials that are safe to use on golf clubs.

• Do I need to wear a golf glove?

Wearing a golf glove is not a requirement, but it is recommended.
There are some pro players - Fred Couples, for example - who do not wear gloves.
They are very rare, however, and golf pros will always recommended the use of a glove.
The reason, as Johnny Miller has written, is that the human hand simply isn't as tacky as the material used in golf gloves. Especially when sweating or when grips are wet. A golf glove will provide a more secure grip.
Usually a golfer will wear one glove, on the lead hand (the lead hand is the top hand of your grip - for right-handed players, the left hand; for left-handed players, the right hand). Some golfers do wear gloves on both hands, but one glove is the norm.
If wearing a glove makes you uncomfortable, just be sure to use a towel before each shot to dry your palms, and always make sure your club grips are dry.

• How long does it take to play a round of golf?

Four hours is the estimate most people give for 18 holes.
The actual time depends on how busy the course is, how many people you are playing with and how many strokes everyone takes (a round of 72 will obviously be faster than a round of 112).
A golfer playing alone on a course that is not crowded should be able to finish in 2 and a half hours or less.
A foursome playing a very crowded course might wind up spending 5 or even 6 hours on the golf course.
To keep things moving, all friendly matches (rounds of golf that are not played in tournaments or for money) should be played by the principles of "ready golf."

• Should I take lessons?

Absolutely, positively, yes. Yes, yes, yes!
Do you have to take lessons? Of course not. Can you pick up golf and improve on your own? Of course, and many do.
But beginners should always look into lessons. First, you'll simply pick up the game much more quickly. Golf is not easy to master, and if you want to get good at it, you'll show improvement much more quickly if you are taught the correct way to play from the get-go.
Second, there's really no reason not to take lessons. If you're willing to spend money on golf, then spending a little bit more on lessons is no big deal.
Individual lessons usually range from 30 minutes to an hour, with prices varying widely based on the teacher's qualifications and the golf facility he or she works for. A typical price range might be from $60 per session to more than $100 per session.
Discounts are frequently available for people who sign up for a package of lessons (say, a series of six).
There's another option that's even cheaper. Check with your local college. Many community colleges and universities offer continuing education courses, and golf is a popular course. Many school districts also offer continuing education, and taking golf lessons through this method can reduce your costs considerably. The instruction isn't one-on-one and won't be as rewarding, but it's a good option for those on a tight budget.
Taking lessons simply makes learning the game much easier, and improvement much quicker. Which will increase your enjoyment. Not to mention the safety of those around you on the golf course!

Before You Buy Golf Lessons
Taking golf lessons can be an expensive, time-consuming effort. And like any good or service that will cost money and require time, you should be careful before you buy. It's OK to shop around for a golf instructor - in fact, it's recommended in order to find the best fit.
Here are some things to consider before you commit to golf lessons.

Know Your Price Limit
Yes, golf lessons are expensive. But some are more expensive than others.
Generally, the more expensive instructors are the ones who are attached to a more upscale golf facility.
But there are lots of teaching pros out there who are less expensive but still very good.
Decide how much you are willing to spend before you start shopping, and stick to it.
Make Sure Your Goals and Commitment Match.
A golf instructor can do wonders with your game, but he can't do it alone. To make golf lessons worthwhile, you must be able to follow up on them by continuing to work on the instructor's suggestions on your own time. The higher your goals, the more work will be required.
Be realistic in your goals and make sure you can offer the commitment necessary to meet those goals.
Private Lessons vs. Golf Schools.
Private lessons and golf schools are the two typical ways to receive golf instruction. Both have strengths.
Private lessons allow for follow-up visits over a period of time - a building block approach to learning golf.
Schools offer an intensive amount of learning in a short time, but can also offer too much information and without follow-up. But private lessons can take months to complete.

Ask Around Every golf instructor's best advertising is past students. To get an idea of the best teachers in your area, ask as many golfers as you know.
It's likely that a handful of names will come up frequently, and that list can be your starting point.
You may find someone who has taken lessons and can give a glowing recommendation on a particular instructor - or a warning.

Interview the Candidates
Yes, you really can interview golf instructors before you commit to lessons. Remember - it's your business they want and need.
Ask your candidates about their teaching background and experience. Do they use video? Do lessons include on-course teaching? What is their teaching philosophy? This process should give you a good idea of how your personality will match up with theirs, too.
Making the Choice
After these steps, you should be ready to make your choice. It's important that you choose an instructor whose personality meshes with yours. Going to a teacher you don't like will keep you from learning. It's important that an instructor's goals match yours, and that your commitment matches your goals.
Once you've made your choice, throw yourself into it - and watch your scores improve.

• How far am I supposed to hit each club?

This is one of the most-asked questions from beginners.
How far am I supposed to hit each club?
What is the golf club distance?
Unfortunately, the only completely honest answer is: It depends !
It depends on a lot of factors: the clubs you are using, the balls you are using, the conditions under which you play (hard fairway or soft fairway? windy or calm? humid or dry? etc.), your gender and age, your physical fitness, coordination and athleticism, your swing speed, how solidly you are connecting with the ball. You get the idea.
It depends.
It depends, and it varies widely from golfer to golfer. One person's 5-iron distance is another person's 3-iron distance is another person's 7-iron distance. There is no wrong golf club distance, there is only your golf club distance.
And knowing your distance is much more important than knowing how far each club is "supposed" to go.
Here's an interesting fact: While PGA pros hit their drives anywhere from 280 yards to 320 yards on average, and LPGA pros hit their drives from 230 to 270 yards on average, most amateurs - according to Golf Digest - average somewhere around 195-205 yards with their drivers.
The moral of that story?
Don't compare yourself with the world's best players. Although some recreational players do outhit the pros, they are rare. You'll quickly get an idea of whether you are a "long" hitter or "short" hitter by simply playing golf and comparing yourself to those you play with.
There's no shame in being a short hitter, and being a long hitter doesn't guarantee anything, and certainly not a lower score.
And of course, hitting the ball far doesn't matter at all if you can't also hit it straight.
The yardages listed in the chart below show a range for average amateurs, both male and female.
As you'll see, the ranges are quite large, and represent short hitters, mid hitters and long hitters. (There are, of course, people who hit it longer, just as there are people who hit it shorter.)

There is a greater gap, percentage-wise, between the longer and shorter women than there is between the longer and shorter men because better women players tend to be significantly longer than weaker women players.
Especially compared to men. A male player who shoots 110 might be just as long as a guy who shoots 80.
That is extremely unlikely in female players, however.
You can find charts such as this one on other sites around the Web. And if you do, one thing you'll notice is that the numbers rarely, if ever, match up.
Because golf club distance depends more on the player than on the clubs.

• How do I know which club to hit?

It's called knowing your yardages, and it's learned by trial-and-error.
You can begin gauging your distances - how far you hit each club - on a driving range. But driving range distances The quality of driving range balls varies wildly.
You'll simply have to make educated guesses as you start playing golf courses, pay attention to the results and make adjustments.
Over time, if you learn as you go, you'll become very good at deciding which club to hit for which distance.
The sequential clubs in a set (3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron and so on) are designed so that there should be a regular yardage interval between clubs. For most players, that interval will be 10-15 yards (a 3-iron will go 10 yards farther than a 4-iron, which will go 10 yards farther than a 5-iron). Again, this will vary from player to player.

Distance isn't always the deciding factor, of course. If you are playing into a wind, you will need more club (a 3-iron as opposed to a 4-iron, for example) than if the wind was calm.
Likewise, if you are hitting with the wind, you'll need less club (a 5-iron as opposed to a 4-iron).
Manufacturers control distance mainly through shaft length and the loft of the clubface.
A 5-iron will be shorter than a 3-iron - resulting in less clubhead speed - and the 5-iron will have more loft on the face, which will cause the ball to fly higher.
These are things that every golfer learns over time, by playing and practicing. Before you know it, you'll have your yardages down pat.

• How do I keep score?

Scoring in golf is sometimes a mystery to those unfamiliar with the sport because in golf - unlike most other sports and games - it's the person with the lowest score who wins.
But golf scoring is as simple as can be. Every time you take a whack at that little white ball, that's a stroke.
Every time you make a stroke, count it.
At the end of each hole, add up your strokes for that hole and write it down.
At the end of the round, add up the strokes for each hole and, there you have it, your golf score.
There are some other circumstances - for instance, every beginner (and also every golfer of every level) will have to take penalty strokes here and there. At least, if you're playing strictly by the rules.
But most simply put, a golf score is the number of times you whacked that little ball around the course.
Score in relation to par is also very easy to understand and compute.
Each hole is given a number representing "par" - the number of strokes it should take a golfer to finish that hole.
If the par is 4 and you make a 5, then your score in relation to par is 1-over.
If the par is 4 and you make a 3, then your score in relation to par is 1-under.
If par for the course is 72 and you finished with a 92, then your score is 20-over.

• I'm too embarrassed to go to a golf course, but how can I get better unless I go to a golf course?

By going to a driving range or practice area. You may think you're the worst player they've ever seen, but believe me, you're not.
Every level of player, from the person picking up a club for the very first time to the scratch golfer, can be found at a driving range. And even the scratch golfer was once in your shoes.
So get that bucket of balls and start swinging.
And take advantage of the putting and chipping areas at the driving range, too. The short game is vital, and just because it looks easier doesn't mean that it is easier. You can work on putting and chipping with far less chance of doing anything "embarrasing," all the while developing feel and rhythm and will wind up helping you in other areas, too.
But the best thing to do is this: Take lessons

• How long does it take to become good?

That depends on many factors: Your aptitude for golf, your goals, your willingness to work on your game, your ability to learn and adjust.
A good idea is to set goals in stages. If you're a beginner, don't go into it thinking, "I want to be shooting par in six months." You're almost certain to be very disappointed when that six-month mark arrives, because only a miniscule percentage of players ever become par-shooters - much less that quickly.
Set an easier target. Break 100 first, then concentrate on breaking 90 and so on. Or just set a goal to reach a level of competence at which you can enjoy a round of golf with your friends. You'll know it when you reach it.
For those who really want to become great golfers the most important factor is a willingness to work hard on becoming better.
Golf is learned through repetition (and the repetition of the right things). That means practice, practice and more practice.
Taking lessons will greatly speed up the process. Someone who has never touched a golf club can sign up for a one-on-one lesson and, in some cases, be playing on a golf course in a couple weeks.

• Where can I drive the golf cart on the course?

Every course has its own rules for golf carts. So a good general rule of thumb is this: Unless you know otherwise, only drive the golf cart on the designated cart paths.
Never - no matter what the local rules are - take a cart within 30 yards of the putting green, or within 15 yards of fairway bunkers or water hazards.
A course usually has its cart rules on its scorecard, or posted in the clubhouse or near the first tee.
If you learn that the "90-degree rule" is in effect, this means that you can take the cart onto the fairway, but only at 90-degree angles. Stay on the cart path until you are even with your ball in the fairway, then drive straight across to the ball. Hit the shot, then drive straight back to the cart path and proceed forward.
If you are walking and using a pull cart, do not take the pull cart onto the putting surface or into hazards.

• What is golf etiquette?

Golf etiquette is a set of rules - both written and unwritten - that governs behaviour on a golf course.
Simply put, golf etiquette is good manners.
The rules of golf etiquette are designed to keep golf enjoyable for everyone on the course by making sure that golfers keep moving (preventing the rounds from becoming interminably long) and that everyone remains safe.
And that players are, simply, nice to each other - no gamesmanship, no deliberate or inadvertent interference with another player's game.
Etiquette is a word that's often heard in relation to golf, more so than with any other sport. But it's not just about manners.
The rules of golf etiquette are what they are for several very important reasons: Many of them relate to the safety of golfers, many relate to pace of play (which helps keep the game enjoyable), and other rules of golf etiquette relate to maintaining the quality of the golf course.
In other words, golf etiquette is an essential part of the game. And it's something that newcomers to the game often learn as they go - on the course, when playing with more experienced golfers.
If you are new to the game, or just need to brush up on your golf etiquette, here are some basic rules of the road that will help keep the game enjoyable for you and those around you.
Keep It Safe
• Do not swing your club until you know that others in your group are at a safe distance.
Likewise, keep your distance when others are swinging. Be aware to steer clear of trouble.
• When practicing your swing, never swing in the direction of another player. There may be pebbles or twigs or other matter in the grass that could fly up and injure a playing partner.
• Do not hit the ball until you are certain that the group ahead of you is out of range.
• If your ball appears headed toward another player or another group, give them a warning by yelling out, "Fore!"
• Observe the safety suggestions posted in golf carts and drive carefully. Golf etiquette requires keeping your cart off the grass as much as possible.
• Never throw clubs in anger. In addition to being rude and childish, it could also be dangerous.
Maintain a Good Pace
• Keep the round moving by being prepared to hit your shot when it is your turn. You probably don't like waiting on other groups - don't make other groups wait on you.
• The player who is away hits first in a group. However, in friendly matches (as opposed to tournament play), this rule can be ignored in favour of "ready play" - players hit as they are ready. All players should agree to "ready play" before it is put into effect.
• Do not spend too much time looking for a lost ball, particularly if there is a group behind you ready to play. If you insist on taking the full five minutes allotted to look for lost balls, golf etiquette says wave up the group behind to allow them to play through.
• Always try to keep pace with the group ahead of you. If space opens in front of you, allow a faster group to play through.
• When two players in a cart hit to opposite sides of a hole, drive to first ball and drop off that player with his club, then drive to the second ball. After both players hit, meet up farther down the hole.
• When walking from your cart to your ball, take a couple clubs with you. Taking only one club, then having to return to the cart to retrieve a different club, is a huge time-waster.
• Always leave the putting green as soon as your group has finished putting.
Be Kind to the Course
• Observe cart rules. Some courses will post "cart path only" signs; others will ask you to observe the "90-degree rule." Do as you are told.
• Keep carts away from greens and hazards.
• Repair all divots
• Repair all ball marks on the green.
• Always rake bunkers after hitting to erase your footprints and damage to the area where your ball was.
• Never take a divot on a practice swing.
And a Few More Golf Etiquette Hints
• Quiet, please! Never talk during another player's swing.
• Do not yell out following a shot. Even if boisterous behaviour doesn't bother your playing partners, there are other people on the course who may be within earshot.
• Be aware of your shadow on the putting green. Don't stand in a place that causes your shadow to be cast across another player or that player's putting line.
• Never walk through a playing partner's putting line. Your footprints might alter the path of a partner's putt.
Step over the putting line, or walk around (behind) the partner's ball.

• Do golf courses have dress codes?

Many golf courses do have dress codes.
Dress codes vary in strictness depending on the price range of the course to which you are going. The higher the price, the more likely there is a dress code.
In general, a collared shirt and Tailored-style shorts will get you onto 95-percent of golf courses. It's always a good idea to call ahead and inquire about a dress code before heading to a course you haven't played before.
A collar on a shirt doesn't sound like much, but if the course requires collars and you show up in a t-shirt, you'll either be buying a collared shirt in the pro shop or heading home.
The other rule most courses have these days is no metal spikes on golf shoes. It's difficult to buy shoes with metal spikes anymore, so if you have recently purchased golf shoes you should be OK. If you are using ancient shoes that still have metal spikes, it's time to trade them in.