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The Beginner’s Guide to Golf | Everything You Need to Know About Golf
 


 

Stop, you’ve found it! This is your go-to list for everything golf: your Beginner’s Guide to Golf terms, tips, and a directory of the top Florida golf schools. A one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about this ancient, yet still popular sport. So, bookmark this page and get comfy – Deer Creek Golf Club is going to teach you all about the game of golf. 

 

Abridged History of Golf 
We don’t want you yawning, so we’ll keep it short. Golf can be traced back millennia to China, but the modern, 18-hole version started in Scotland in the 1400’s. The first recorded mention of golf was when it was banned by Parliament in 1457 because it was distracting people from military training. The Scots preferred a round of golf over sword fighting, it seems.  

It is important that every Beginner’s Guide to Golf dispel the legendary myth right away: golf does not stand for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden”. Golf was the ancient word for “club,” so the game was essentially just called “club.” The term “golf club” literally means “club club.”  

For local golf enthusiasts, we have also covered the history of golf in South Florida that goes a little more in depth about how Florida became the golf retreat we know today.

 

Golf Terms 
Of course, no Beginner’s Guide to Golf would be complete without the important golf terms to memorize:  

Golf Tee – the wooden peg you place your golf ball on at the start of the hole. The area in which you first play the ball at the start of the hole (A.K.A. the tee box) is also known as the golf tee 
Fairway – the part of the golf course that leads to the green
The green – the soft, plush ground surrounding the hole
The rough – the wild area on either side of the fairway Often filled with trees and long grass. 
Bunker – a sand filled ditch. Usually surrounds the green. 
Hazard – streams, ponds, bunkers, trees. Anything that comes between you and successfully getting the golf ball in the hole. 
Stroke – the swing made with intent to hit the ball. You keep track of score by counting strokes; a miss can still count as a stroke.  
Scoring: 
Ace – a hole in one 
Eagle – 2 strokes under par 
Birdie – 1 stroke under par (sometimes called a double eagle) 
Par – the standard number of strokes it should take to get the golf ball from the tee to the hole 
Bogey – 1 stroke above par 
Double Bogey – 2 strokes above par 
Triple Bogey – 3 strokes above par 
 

Golf Clubs and Golf Gear 
Sure, good golf clubs and top of the line golf gear is going to improve your game, but it shouldn’t be a crutch you rely on, especially when you are new to golf. Your first set of golf clubs are likely to get scuffed, banged up, and possibly even broken, so don’t spend a fortune on a nice set until you are an intermediate or expert golfer. 

Beginner’s golf tip: New golfers should find decent, mid-price range clubs. Golf clubs for intermediate players differ from those that new golfers should buy, and even intermediate golf clubs are vastly different from the ones the pros buy. Keep in mind that there is always the possibility that you will end up not liking the sport or not doing very well in it, so splurging on a set of golf clubs in the beginning is not ideal.  

The professional golfers at Deer Creek Golf Club in Deerfield Beach recommend the following tips for beginner golfers: 

Ask a friend if you can borrow their golf clubs. 
Rent golf clubs from the golf course clubhouse. 
Buy used golf clubs from sellers on eBay and Craigslist. 
Don’t buy an entire set. Get a wood, two or three irons, a sand wedge, and a putter. 
Don’t forget: there are an array of golf club numbers to choose from, so do your research!
 

Florida Golf Schools  
Golf lessons are important if you want to actually be a successful golfer and play a great game. For the most part, golf for beginners is not intuitive. You must train yourself and your body to do things that do not come naturally, and without someone there to correct mistakes and give guidance, you will develop bad habits.  

There are more than a few golf schools in Florida to choose from that teach you how to golf properly. The following South Florida golf schools are all conveniently located at or near Deer Creek Golf Club: 

Roland Stafford Golf School 
Denise Lavigne Golf School
Matt Robbins Golf School
Jess Frank Golf School
Professional golf lessons are better than any Beginner’s Guide to Golf, so get out there with a pro and learn golf by actually playing. 

 

Golf Tournaments 
If you really start getting into the sport, you are most likely finding yourself watching tournaments on TV and even in person at local golf courses. The following are the more well-known golf tournaments with a bit of information: 

 

The Four Majors (Grand Slam: Win all four in a calendar year. Tiger Slam: hold all four at one time) 
The Masters – First week of April and always held at the same place every year: The Augusta National Golf Club.  
The US Open – Mid-June and held at various golf courses around the United States.  
The Open – Mid-July and held at various golf courses around the United Kingdom. Also referred to as the British Open. 
PGA Championship – Mid-August and held on the eastern side of the United States.  
The Ryder Cup – End of September. The Ryder Cup is the most important team golf tournament. The tournament is between the United States and Europe.  
The Barclays – Mid-June and held at various golf courses, especially around the New York area.  
The Travelers – Late June, at the TPC River Highlands course. 
 

Rules of Golf 
Golf has a lot of official rules and unofficial rules as well. It is always good to have a firm grasp on the basic rules and then discuss group rules when playing with friends.  

Check out the official rules of golf at the USGA website.  

 

Golf Etiquette  
Deer Creek Golf Club put together this Golf Etiquette 101 article that details the seven things you shouldn’t do on the golf course. Golf etiquette will change depending on where you are and who you are playing with, but for the most part there are a few undeniable standards shared between all who play golf. Below is the Beginner’s Guide to Golf quick tips for golf etiquette:  

 

Don’t talk during someone’s backswing 
Don’t walk through someone else’s line (the line from their ball to the hole) 
Don’t hit the ball into the group ahead of you 
Don’t get angry after every shot that isn’t perfect 
Show up on time 
Have fun 
These are the unwritten rules that you may not learn at your Florida golf schools, but they are as important as any other rules you may come across at your South Florida golf course.  

 
Golf Handicaps Explained  
Deer Creek Golf Club has a great article that details everything you need to know about golf handicaps, since they can get really involved and a bit complicated.  

But there is a formula: (Your Score – Course Rating) X 113/Slope Rating.  

The Deer Creek Golf Course tour scorecard, course ratings, and slopes are available online.  

 
Tips for Beginner Golfers 
Finally, here are a few tips from our Beginner’s Guide to Golf to keep in mind:  

Golf is a difficult sport at first; be persistent if you really want to learn it.   
Do not play difficult courses or from difficult tees until you are ready.  
Enroll in golf lessons in Boca Raton Florida at a professional golf school. 
Aim, don’t just swing. 
Track your stats and your progress. 

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Adding distance is perpetually a hot topic in the golf world. Instead of talking about the pros, I want to talk about you - and why it's a good idea to pursue distance and how you do it responsibly.

Recently, Adam Young, Cordie Walker, and I recorded our third podcast episode on this topic. You can listen to it below. In this article, I'm also going to summarize some of the main recommendations I have for golfers, and link to other articles I've written to provide more detail.

Golf is a Game of Proximity

The closer you are to the hole, the better opportunity you have to post a lower score. All things being equal, distance is a scoring advantage. Mark Broadie demonstrated this in his ground-breaking book, Every Shot Counts

.

While the pro game usually dominates the discussion about distance, and whether there is too much of it, the fact remains that recreational golfers need help in that department. The typical male golfer swings their driver at about 90 mph and doesn't drive the ball more than 230 yards on average. On top of that, almost every data point suggests that the farther you can hit it off the tee, your scores will drop.

Take a look at this chart from Shot Scope, which tracks the performance of golfers on the course. You can see a correlation between average driver distance and handicap level:

The good news is that you don't need to bulk up and drink 6-8 protein shakes a day to increase your ability to hit the ball farther. There are reasonable steps golfers of any level can take. But make no mistake, pursuing distance is a vital game-improvement category that shouldn't be overlooked.

Distance Through Efficiency

Most golfers assume that to hit the ball farther, they need to add swing speed. While speed certainly helps, it's not the only way to get the job done. In fact, for most players, going the "efficiency" route can be just as fruitful as trying to add swing speed.

Here are some of my key ideas on how to become more efficient:

Strike: three factors primarily determine golf ball distance - ball speed, spin rate, and launch angle. There are ways to address each separately, but the number one skill any golfer can improve at is learning to strike the golf ball closer to the sweet spot more regularly. When you do this, the golf club can do what it's designed for, and optimize those three parameters, which will result in more distance. I'd recommend reading this article for more on that topic. Also, Adam Young's Strike Plan is perhaps the best training platform.

Setup Tricks: If you want more length, particularly with your driver, there are a few things you can do that might result in quick distance wins. If you read my guide on how to hit your driver farther, you'll see some experiments you can perform with ball position and tee height, as well as some other ideas.

Equipment: One of the biggest mistakes golfers make is purchasing clubs that aren't right for their swing. Marketing campaigns sway a lot of players, and many times end up buying clubs off the rack. I've learned a lot about golf equipment over the past five years, and how it can alter your performance on the course. My number one recommendation is to work with a qualified club-fitting professional. I've done numerous tests where I can lose (or gain) 20-30 yards with a driver by merely choosing the driver head, shaft, and making sure the settings are dialed in.

Learning to Move Your Body Faster

All things being equal, the faster you swing the golf club, the more distance you can expect. Many golfers certainly want to swing it faster, but they don't know ways to get it done correctly. In my research, I've encountered two methods - you can do them separately, but you'll likely get the best results if you do them together.

Physical Training: A lot of golfers lack swing speed because their bodies aren't capable of moving faster. Sitting at a desk 40-50 hours a week without a fitness plan removes your body's ability to move the way it needs to. In this article, Mike Carrol from Fit 4 Golf explores three keys that can add swing speed - flexibility, strength, and power. I'm a big advocate of fitness in general because it can improve your health and quality of life. I'd suggest all golfers consider this route for their golf games, and beyond!

Overspeed Training: The concept of Overspeed training has been around in multiple sports for decades. Mainly, you are teaching your body to move faster by training the body at speeds that are faster than what you are capable of usually. SuperSpeed Golf has taken this concept and applied it to the golf swing with its set of weighted clubs. Over the past five years, it's become one of the most popular training aids in the entire industry and is used by golfers of all levels with pretty positive results. You can learn more about this process in this article.

Benchmarking Yourself

Personal launch monitors have become all the rage over the last year, especially in the below $500 category. I've spent a lot of time testing all of these gadgets and writing reviews. One of their primary benefits is that they can measure your golf ball speed, swing speed, and estimate distances. If you're working on adding length to your game, these gadgets are a great and relatively inexpensive way to benchmark your progress.

Here are links to reviews on several that I recommend:
Swing Caddie SC200 Swing Caddie SC300
Wrapping It Up
Rapsodo MLM
Long story short, hitting the ball farther allows you to shoot lower scores. However, you should have a plan on how to add distance to your game! If you pursue some of the ideas in this article, or from our podcast episode, I think you'll see some nice results.

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Adding distance is perpetually a hot topic in the golf world. Instead of talking about the pros, I want to talk about you - and why it's a good idea to pursue distance and how you do it responsibly. Recently, Adam Young, Cordie Walker, and I recorded our third podcast episode on this topic.

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Sheep Ranch, the newest course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, has already received plenty of publicity since it officially opened this summer. Now, due to one viral video, the course (and one proud golfer) is getting even more attention.

Allison Koehnke, a 36-year-old from Salem, Ore., aced the breathtaking and cliffside 102-yard par-3 16th at the Sheep Ranch on Friday - and it was all caught on video, even the jubilant celebration. Oh, and better yet, she did it with her putter.

Koehnke took a big swing from the tee and rolled her ball onto the green, and then she got a lucky break - her ball ricocheted off one of her playing partners' ball and tracked toward the cup, dropping in for the first hole-in-one of her life.

Tracked down this woman who made an ace with her PUTTER at Bandon Dunes' Sheep Ranch, as first shared by ⁦@NoLayingUp⁩. She's got quite the story to tell! That her husband got it on video is priceless. pic.twitter.com/3TSsbb8MAS
- Tod Leonard (@Todleonardsd) August 15, 2020

According to Golf Digest, Allison's husband, Drew, recorded the video, and Friday was Allison's first full round of the year. The mother of two usually plays a few holes a week with friends.

"This is beyond unreal," Koehnke told Golf Digest. "I never thought this would happen to me."

Golf.com Editor

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WATCH: Woman makes incredible hole-in-one with putter at Sheep Ranch

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Sheep Ranch, the newest course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, has already received plenty of publicity since it officially opened this summer. Now, due to one viral video, the course (and one proud golfer) is getting even more attention.

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professional tour

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PGATOUR.COM - Official Home of Golf and the FedExCup

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The official web site of the PGA TOUR. Providing the only Real-Time Live Scoring for the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Korn Ferry Tour. Home of official PGA TOUR news, stats, video, player profiles and tournament information.