Getting on the Green

The most important part of golf is the fundamentals of the golf swing. If a player can build a solid fundamental foundation for their swing, all of the other aspects will be easier. Here are a few steps that will help in building the foundation.

• Step 1- Hand Placement on the Club. How a player places their hands on a golf club is important basis for the whole swing. The players left hand (Right hand if the player is a left handed golfer) must be placed first. Make sure the handle is placed just under the heel pad of the left hand and the runs to the index fingers (Flick). Once the left hand is in place the right hand is placed below the left.
• Step 2- Once the grip is good, the next step is to get into position. Push back your hips bend your back toward the ball and then bend your knees (Anderson).
  
• Step 3- Now to begin the swing. Your right arm should stay close to your right side. As your hands pass your right leg, weight should start shifting to the right Then when the club reaches parallel to the ground, it should also be parallel to the target line which shows that the club is swinging on the correct arc (Anderson).
  
• Step 4- At half way back your weight continues to move to the right while the momentum of the swing and the folding of your right elbow help hinge the club to a 90-degree angle with your left arm (Anderson).
• Step 5- At the top of your swing your left arm should remain straight, but not rigid, and your right elbow should point to the ground. The hands should swing back to 11 o'clock, with the hands and arms under the club, supporting its weight (Anderson).
• Step 6- As you swing back down the arc your weight should shift from the left to the right with the club following the arc you previously made with the backstroke. At impact your hands should be slightly in front of the ball (Anderson).
• Step 7- Finally the last step is follow through. Both arms are fully extended, and the right shoulder is down, not turning level with the left shoulder. Your arms should be swinging back to the inside. be sure to keep the spine angled down in the same angle you began in (Anderson).

In a video featuring golf instructor Conan Elliot, the basics of the golf swing are clearly laid out to use as another resource for learning.

Anderson, T. (2009, May). Fix Your Fundamentals. Golf Digest. Retrieved from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2009-05/toddanderson_swingbasics

Flick, J. (2008, March). Six steps to a perfect grip. Golf Digest. Retrieved from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/mental-game/flick_gd0803

Golf Swing Tips : Basics of a Golf Swing. Dir. Lisa Fenderson. Perf. Conan Elliot.YouTube. N.p., 28 Mar. 2010. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pw9_IeOVh8>.

Knowing What to Use

When beginning to play golf, the first step is to find the right equipment. This includes golf clubs, bag, and golf balls. As a beginner the most expensive equipment is unnecessary. Cheap, used equipment is best for when just beginner to learn how to play. Golfers are allowed to carry up to fourteen clubs with them on the golf course (Stachura). Beginners don't need to carry this many clubs and they can be very successful with a basic set of clubs. A basic set of clubs includes:

• A driver
• A fairway wood
• Two irons (usually a 6 iron and a 8 iron)
• A pitching wedge
• A putter

The driver, fairway wood and the 2 irons are long distance clubs used to get the ball close or on the green. The driver will hit the ball the farthest followed by the wood, 6 iron, and then the 8 iron. The pitching wedge and putter are the short distance clubs used on and around the green. Pitching wedges are used to pitch the ball onto the green from a short distance then the putter is used to roll the ball into the hole.

Not only is having the right clubs important but so is having the correct attire. Most golf courses enforce a dress code on players (Stachura). A typical golf outfit includes:

• A collared shirt
• Khakis (shorts or pants)
• A hat
• Golf shoes 

This outfit will fit most golf courses' dress code with the exception of shorts for the more strict courses. Once all of these items have been obtained the player is ready to begin working on the fundamentals of the golf swing. 


Stachura, M. (n.d.). How To Play Golf: A Beginner's Guide From Golf Digest: Golf Digest.Golf Digest. Retrieved from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/golf-beginners-tips

Why this Blog Exists

Golf is a major sport worldwide that has been around for many years. Many people play golf around the world and the golf course is used in the business world as a place to conduct business. Golf is a game that has to be consistently played in order to become better. There are many rules and an etiquette that a player has to follow. With all this to learn having a place that explains everything, like a blog is helpful.

Information like tutorials and books exists on the internet about golf because it has been around so long. Websites like Golf.com have great videos and resources that provide tips and tricks to help make a better golfer (Manzella 2012).These websites like golf.com and golfdigest.com carry the best information from the top players in order to help someone learn how to play golf. The problem with websites like these is they are crowded with news and player stats. The internet lacks a place that explains the basics of how to play golf along with the more in depth parts like rules, etiquette and jargon involved in golf. 

What most websites forget to mention is the little details of golf that can make a time on a golf course more productive. There is a post on the Golf Digest website that does a great job with a simple introduction into golf, but it lacks the in depth information like specific rules (Weinman). This can create problems for a beginner on the golf course. For instance, if a beginner golfer, who read about just the simple basics, goes out with their boss to play golf they have a high chance of breaking fundamental rules which can cause embarrassment for the player and the boss.

The solution to this problem is simple. I created this blog that will incorporate the very basics of golf with the more advanced rules and etiquette that are required to become a consistent golfer. The blog will integrate the basic and advanced parts of golf to give a reader one place that will tell them everything they need to know in order to survive on the golf course.

To accomplish this solution I will start by explaining the very basics using tips from professionals on the PGA website (Dunton). I will provide a list of essential rules along with explanation of the rules that come straight from the United States Golf Association website. I will then explain little details that go unnoticed when talking about how to play golf. My years of playing golf, watching golf and information from professionals will allow me to formulate the content in a format that will make sense to someone who knows nothing about golf but still be beneficial for someone has been playing for a while.

The game of golf has been around for many years and yet there are still people that don't understand how the game works. There are many websites that have instructional information about golf and how to play it, but none that explain in depth rules and also the basics. This creates a problem for many beginners when they play golf for the first time. The solution is to create a blog that includes the simplest information and weaves together the most complex rules and etiquette. This blog will provide a place for beginners to learn information about golf all in one place.                                                                                                 

Dunton, K. (n.d.). Commit To Your Shot! PGA.com. Retrieved from http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/instruction-feature/off-tee/commit-your-shot

  

Weinman, S. (n.d.). How To Play Golf: A Beginner's Guide From Golf Digest: Golf Digest.Golf Digest. Retrieved from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/golf-beginners-tips

Manzella, B. (2012, December 13). A Better Way To Swing. Golf.com. Retrieved from http://www.golf.com/video/golf-tips-better-way-swing