Tips For Beginning Lady Golfers.

Tips For Beginning Lady Golfers.

 Here is some basic information you should know before embarking out on the course:
 ON THE TEE:

Tee up between the tee markers. You can place your tee anywhere between the markers and as far as 2 club lengths behind the markers. You cannot tee up in front of the markers and you cannot move the markers.
    Hint:  Don't just place your ball in the middle of the markers...use the whole tee box to your advantage.  If there's trouble on the left, tee the ball on the left, since it's easier to aim the other way.  And find a flat spot to tee your ball, so you'll be more level.  You can stand outside the tee markers when teeing off as long as your ball is within the markers. 
    Keep an eye on the people ahead of you.  Don't tee off until you know they are out of your hitting distance. 
    Keep clear of whoever is ready to tee off and stay out of their line of sight and out of their peripheral vision.
    Be still and quiet until the person tees off. 
    Before teeing off, look at the layout of the hole...where do you see trees, bunkers, water, out-of-bounds areas, etc.  Align yourself and the ball to stay away from trouble as much as possible.
    If the fairway slopes, aim your shot toward the higher side since the ball will tend to roll to the lower side.
    Once everyone tees off, head toward your ball but stay behind the ball of the person who is the first to hit the next shot.
     NOTE:  You may tee off at any of the marked tees, but most beginners use the forward tees.  Some courses have "family tees", usually placed halfway down the fairway.  These can be used by anyone who has a difficult time getting to the green in regulation and they help to keep up the pace of play.

ON THE FAIRWAY: 
    The person furthest from the hole hits first.  Proceed this way until everyone is on the green.  Again, be sure to remain behind the person hitting as you move down the fairway. 
    Keep an eye on the people ahead of you...don't hit until they are out of your hitting distance range.

ON THE GREEN: 
    Notice where everyone's ball is lying and make sure you do not walk or stand on their putting line.
    Mark where your ball is with a ball marker or small coin and pick your ball up.  Be sure to put your marker behind the ball. 
    Do not stand in the putter's line of sight or peripheral vision while he/she putts.  Don't let your shadow get in the way either. 
    The person furthest from the hole putts first.  Proceed this way until everyone holes out.

Reading the Green:
    From where your ball sits on the green, look at whether the path to the hole is flat, uphill, downhill, slanting left, slanting right, or a combination of all those features.  It's a good idea to get as close to ball level with your eyes so you can see the true path the ball will take.  Then imagine pouring a bucket of water on the green from where your ball lies...which way would the water move and in what direction?  What direction would the water move at the hole?  Picturing that image can help you determine where to aim your putt to get the ball close to or in the hole.  The speed at which you putt your ball is very important as well as how fast or slow the green is.  The harder you putt your ball, the faster it goes and will usually roll through any breaks on the green.  The softer you putt, the more your ball will catch the break.  How the green is cut will also determine whether the green is fast or slow for you.  A close cut green tends to be fast so the ball will tend to roll much farther than you think.  It's a good idea to practice putting before you play your round to get a feel for how the greens are that day.  Putting is where you can eliminate a lot of strokes off your game and is much easier to practice than working on your full swing.  Remember that a putt, which is only a few inches from the hole, counts as a stroke just as much as the 200 yard drive you made at the tee box.

Tending the Flag:    The person closest to the hole can tend the flag for everyone else.  Ask the person putting if he/she needs the flag.  If he/she does, keep the flag in the hole and pull it out after the person putts the ball.  If not, carefully lay the flag down on the green, making sure it won't interfere with anyone else's putt.  While tending the flag, make sure to stand where you cause the least interference for the person putting and to stand very still.  Make note of your shadow too...don't let it fall over the hole.  When replacing the flag be sure it's fully in the hole and stands straight.  A person whose ball is on the fringe of the green has the option of having the flag remain in the hole or having it removed.  Ask what his/her preference is.

COURSE MANAGEMENT 

Keeping Up    As you play, you need to keep up with the group in front of you.  As soon as they are out of your driving distance, start teeing off.  As soon as they are out of your fairway hitting distance, proceed to your ball and hit.  As soon as they have cleared the green, hit your ball toward the hole. 

Playing Through    If your group gets a hole behind the group in front and the group behind you is hitting close, you can let the group behind you play through.  This is usually done at a par 3:  your group waits for the group behind you to tee off first.  Once that group is on the green, usually they will mark their balls and wave you to tee off.  After your group has teed off, they proceed to hole out and contiinue on to the next hole.  Your group proceeds to finish the par 3.

Ready Golf    It's a good idea to play ready golf...that means to be ready to hit your ball when it's your turn.  Be aware of your golf mates as you play hole to hole.  See where their balls are and notice where yours is.  Are you the first to hit?  If so, start looking where you're going to aim your ball, line yourself up, and follow your hitting procedures.  After hitting, look to see where the next person to hit is and then start heading for your ball for your next shot.  Continue in this way for all the holes you play.  You'll get used to hitting your ball, seeing where it lands, looking out for your partners, seeing where their ball goes, and get in a rhythm that keeps the game moving along with everyone having fun.

MORE TIPS

• Lessons or no lessons?  To get the basic fundamentals of the game, it's a good idea to start out right and get lessons from a pro.  They will teach you the grip, stance, posture, backswing, and forwardswing properly so that you can work on correcting any problems.  You can check on whether a nearby golf course offers group lessons as well.  You won't have as much indivdual attention as in a private lesson, but you'll be among others beginning in golf and will be able to work on the same fundamentals together.  It's also an opportunity to build relationships and  friendships among people with whom you can golf.
• Do you feel you don't want to go to the course alone but you have no one to go with?  Try golfing early morning when most people are still asleep.  You will be able to play alone, work out any golfing problems, and you won't have anyone looking over your shoulder making you nervous.  And the best thing is that you can take as many swings as you want without holding anyone else back.
• What are those 2 numbers?  Courses list 2 numbers somewhere on the scorecard such as 66.0/113.  The first number is the course rating and the second is the slope rating.  These 2 numbers are calculated in a formula which gives a player a handicap number.  When you are ready to post your scores, you'll need to know these numbers.
• What's that number?  Some courses have yardage markers on the fairway for each hole.  The markers indicate the distance from that point to the middle of the green.  The markers may be actual ones laid out across the fairway or they can be part of the sprinklerheads.  The markers are located in various spots down the fairway and can help you determine which club to use to get to the green.
• Rough, fairway, fringe, green...what's the difference?  The rough is the grass that is not maintained.  It's free to grow quite tall and can be very tough to get your ball out.  You want to avoid going into the rough at all times.  The fairway is the area of the course that is mowed down so that you can hit your ball without too much grass getting caught between the ball and your club.  You want to stay within the bounds of the fairway as you advance your ball.  The fringe is the grass surrounding the green.  It's maintained but is not quite as manicured as the green.  If your ball lands on the fringe, you have the option to chip or putt onto the green.  You also have the option to have the flag pulled from or left in the hole.  The green is the welcome mat for any golfer, but it can be the toughest area to get through.  It's closely cut so that the ball can get a smooth roll to the hole.  However, it can be undulating in various directions, which makes putting the hardest part of golf.
• Keeping track of your game:  As you play each hole, jot down for each hole you play, whether you hit or miss the fairway, the number of strokes it took you to get to the green and the number of putts you took to get the ball into the hole. By looking at the results, it will help you focus on what you need to improve on to lower your scores.