Golf Rules for Beginners--Tired of Feeling Like a Newbie?

When your first starting out, the game of golf can be a little intimidating. Not only are there a lot of rules to get under your belt, but there are also a few basic rules of etiquette to follow that will expected of you on most golf courses.

A common rule on most golf courses is to have no more than 14 clubs per person. If you are playing with close friends and have agreed to share or take more clubs this should be fine. If your playing with people you don't know, try to stick to this rule as some are more competitive than others and keep to the rules of the course.

Be sure to bring a ball mar repair kit. You can find these for a couple of bucks at most pro shops, and are really pretty necessary for the course. Your probably going to be losing a ton of balls your first couple games, and you will no doubt be slamming your club into the ground instead of the ball on a few occasions making unsightly divots in the ground. If you mess up the green, it will be expected of you to repair the marks you made.

Most upscale courses have dress codes. Some have non at all, but you will want to check and see if the course your going to be playing on has a dress code and what it is. You can get away with a a pair of khakis and a golf polo on most golf courses, but still be sure to look for the dress code rules before you come to the course.

A tee time is when you or your group has an appointment to play on the golf course. You should usually try to book your tee time at least a day in advance, or maybe more if your going to be playing on a busy day or a popular course. Plan on arriving 20-30 minute before your tee time, so you have time to gather your group together, and maybe do a few warm ups. If you miss your tee time, you could end up waiting for several hours if it's a busy day.

If your playing on a private course, you will almost always be expected to tip. Just like with any other service industry, it's not required, but you might be frowned upon if you don't. You shouldn't have to worry about tipping at municipal courses. The cart jockeys and the people who come around the course with food and beverages will expect tips.

So you think you have most of the rules of the game in your head, and you have been learning about the rules of etiquette of the golf course and what certain courses require. Now you have 14 different clubs to learn about and what each club is used for.

This can all be a little daunting at first, but the more you play and just have fun with it the easier all this will come to you. Lets go through all the different types of clubs and their uses to get you started.

Woods

Woods club heads are usually made from titanium alloy steal, but are called woods because that is what they were made of in the past. There are several different kinds of woods, but the kind you will find in most golfers bags is the number, 1, 3, and 5-woods.

The 1-wood is called the driver, the club you use to tee off and drive the ball down the fairway. This is by far the most difficult club to get the hang of when starting out. It's usually the longest club, and because of it's weight and clumsiness, it can be difficult to control.

Woods are made for distance. So you might end up using different woods the farther down the fairway you go. When your first starting, you will probably be losing a lot of balls using these clubs. It can be difficult to hit the ball straight with a driver but don't let this discourage you, even experienced golfers have trouble with these clubs.

Irons

Irons are probably the second type of club you will use as you make your way towards the green.

They are called Irons because they are made of metal, mostly steel. These clubs have a flat face and are shorter than the woods.

There are several different types of irons, where each number has a little less loft than the next. A 3-iron will hit farther and lower than the 4-iron and so on. If you want your ball to have a lot of loft so it arcs into the air and lands with out rolling you will want to use a higher numbered iron.

Wedges

Wedges are similar to irons, but they are used for much shorter distances and the main use is to pitch the ball up in the air. There are three main types of wedges, the lop wedge, the sand wedge, and the gap wedge. These are use to get out of sand traps, rough spots, or to pitch a short shot onto the green.

Putters

Putters are used once you get to the green. These might be the easiest to get a grasp of at first, especially if you've ever had a hand at mini golf before. There are several types of putters, but they all hold the same function which is to put the ball into the hole once you've made it to the green. You don't want to see any lift from the ball when putting. Usually these are delicate and slow shots that can be difficult to master.