How to Play Golf: Striking Advice for Beginners
When you are just getting started playing golf, it seems like enough of a challenge to just hit a solid shot – let alone getting it to go the right distance and the right direction. And true enough, it is difficult to hit the ball cleanly when it is sitting down on the fairway or in the rough. It will take some practice and some improvement of your technique to be able to strike the ball solidly hole after hole and improve your game the way you are hoping.
If you would like to get a good head start on improving your ball striking, try using the three tips below during your next visit to the driving range or the course.
- Stay balanced. Good ball striking starts with good balance. Most importantly, you need to have good balance at the moment of impact, when the club is coming into the back of the ball. If you are leaning too far forward or too far back when you make impact, it will be more difficult to square it up on the sweet spot. Don’t fall to temptation and swing harder than you are capable of doing comfortably – stay inside yourself and make sure balance is a top priority.
- Hit down. Many new golfers want to hit up on the ball and try to ‘help’ it into the air. That is the opposite of what you should be trying to do. Instead, look to hit down into the back of the ball and let the loft of the club push the ball up into the air. This might be a little counterintuitive at first, but it is the way the game is played. Commit yourself to hitting down aggressively through the ball and you will be a big step closer to solid ball striking.
- Watch the ball. Sometimes, the most important advice is the most obvious. If you want to strike the ball cleanly more often than not, make sure you are actually looking at the ball when you hit it. Too many golfers look up early from the shot and end up topping the ball or hitting behind it because their eyes were already looking down the fairway. Don’t make that mistake. Instead of getting anxious and pulling your head up before impact, be patient and trust your swing to send the ball perfectly toward the target.