Golf is one of the greatest sports and hobbies in the world because it allows you to exercise, be social as well as relieve stress. However, learning the world of golf can be intimidating to prospects since golf has many rules, multiple types of clubs, and a vast array of lingo to learn. To help golf prospects take the plunge, here’s my list of helpful beginner tips for anyone who wants to go from a golf novice to a golf pro. LOTS OF CLUBS One of the most daunting aspects of golf are the clubs. While you are allowed to carry as many as 14 clubs in your bag, you will not need nearly that many when you’re first learning the sport. If you want to begin with a full set, you certainly can but if you want to save some money early on, give yourself some time to learn the game before purchasing a full set of clubs. I recommend starting with a putter, driver, and sand wedge and supplementing those with a 6-iron, an 8-iron, a fairway wood, and a pitching wedge. Often, you can find used clubs online or in your local sports store for a discounted price. TAKE LESSONS While taking lessons is not for everyone, I highly encourage golf beginners to take classes at a local course. A useful aspect of being new to the golf world is that you have not ingrained any bad habits and have lots of questions to ask. Golf is not easy to master, and if you want to get better at it, you will show improvement faster if you are taught the correct way to play from the get-go. BASIC STROKES Did you know that roughly half of your strokes come within 50 yards of the green? What that means is should spend half of your practice time with your wedges and putter. Additionally, when you have a short shot to the green, you’re going to hit either a chip or a pitch. A chip shot stays low and runs along the ground whereas a pitch flies higher and doesn’t roll as much. If you find yourself getting burned out from too much swing thinking, be sure to revisit the basics. Check your ball position and posture, then make a relaxed swing all the way to a full finish. Lastly, beginners often get too tied up thinking about the instructions for making the swing that they lose their athletic instincts. Golf might be more mental than other sports, but the swing is still a dynamic, athletic movement. http://larrystone.org/so-you-want-to-play-g