The Basics of Learning How to Golf

If you want to commune with the great outdoors and don't know how to do it, try taking up golf. You can walk up to five miles for the average 18-hole course (not a direct distance) and breathe in the fresh air. You get an upper body workout as well by swinging the club. All in all, a very pleasant experience as you spend a few hours focusing on the task at hand and nothing more.


How to Get Started
Getting started can be a process. Not everybody is cut out to be a pro, however, you want to play well enough to not hold up those playing behind you on a public or private course. The process can evolve through:

• Driving Range. At a driving range you get a bucket of balls and some clubs for your height, typically a driver, 9-iron and a wedge. After a little stretch you can tee off from Astro Turf carpets that hold a molded rubber tee, upon which you place your golf ball and swing away.
• Golf Lesson Time. Once you discover if golf is your game or not it is advisable to take a few lessons that give you the basics of the clubs, the swing and what to focus on. Golf is not a sport learned over night. It takes a lot of practice to play a good round.
• Executive Course. These golf courses are generally par-3 and have either nine or 18-hole courses to play. They are less intimidating because they are only par-3s (no par-4 or 5 holes) and usually do not have water hazards. Beginners are not frowned upon here!
• 18-Hole Golf Course. Eventually you graduate to a full-blown course with dog legs, water hazards and sand traps. You need to know your game and your etiquette to play a course of this caliber or risk frustrating your fellow golfers.

How to Learn More
You might want to read some instruction books written by golfing greats such as: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Harvey Penick. There are also books that address the physical aspect of golf. One in particular is written by Neil Wolkodoff. It relates to the golfer as an athlete playing a sport, not just a game. In addition you can subscribe to a golf magazine and watch PGA golf on television. You might find that as you get more and more into it you become an avid golfer! If you have a golf tip for beginners, please tweet us on Twitter @nationwiderelo. Nationwide Relocation Services reviews are informational. They give great comments on movers in general, as well as our moving company.

Blog written by Deborah Desser-Herchan, Nationwide Relocation Services correspondent.