Golf is a very complicated sport, so naturally, there is a lot of room for mistakes. I often see golf beginners make this mistakes, but i think they can be easily prevented. I do think that mistakes, in general, are key to growing as a golfer as well as a person in general, but whenever you can prevent them, i think you should always try to do so. The most common mistake of all i see novices make is using certain golf club at a wrong time. It takes long hours of practice to master the art of choosing apt golf club in every situation. I could go on giving tips about certain situations and which golf clubs they call for, but it would take too long and achieve little. Instead, i’m going to give tips that can actually affect your performance on the course and are easy to fix.
Another common mistake i see golf newbies make is not knowing which clubs to carry to the course. Most of the time, they take golf clubs with them that they don’t need, while they leave out other clubs of crucial importance. I think the best way to determine what to carry is to find out what clubs you need most frequently, and whether you are comfortable playing with them. You shouldn’t, for example, carry a driver, if you don’t like hitting it. Try and find some alternative golf club to use instead. I believe there are alternatives to drivers and also clubs that can technically be classified as drivers, but in actuality, are radically different. One example of such kind of club that comes to mind has to be mini driver. I’ve had experience of playing with it, and it couldn’t be any more different in terms of how it feels to play with. If it’s making a slice that you’re struggling with, i’ve heard Draw drivers are great for fixing that. I don’t exactly recall which ones are most effective, but this guide should be helpful. Anyway, if there is a club that you’re uncomfortable with, but have to use it, try to find alternatives. A lot of people are struggling with hitting long irons, and find hybrids to be great relief. The latter are much easier to hit than the irons, not to mention the versatility they offer. Hybrids can be used anywhere on the golf course, so i recommend always having one in your bag.
Now, this isn’t technically a mistake, but i am going to classify it as one because it’s extremely annoying to everyone around you. The thing is, i and everyone i know, can’t stand when people are complaining about their bad luck on the course constantly. Occasionally we all do it, but when you’re going on and on about how wind or some other factor is the only reason for your misfortunes, it really gets tiring. In case you are such person and didn’t already realize this, i’m going to break it to you – no one cares. Everyone has their struggles to worry about and they don’t have energy to hear your golf problems.
Another mistake that i recollect making myself and have also observed in others, is striking the ball too hard. Sometimes, there is some pent-up energy inside me that seems to come out when i’m swinging the golf club. I direct all of this energy into swinging the club, but all the energy is gone after first few seconds and when my club is about to make actual contact with the ball, the impact leaves much to be desired. This is why i think that preparing for golf mentally is just as important as prepping for it physically.
One last thing is about the clothes. If you want to look good on the course, first of all, find your fit, and even then, have golf clothes customized to fit you. Don’t just buy anything you see pros wearing, because even though it looks good on them, it might not be the same for you. They have spent a lot of time exercising to get their body looking just right, so unfortunately, simple mortals like myself can’t reach the same fitness level and that’s okay.