It takes a lot of courage for a beginner to decide that they are ready to transfer the basics they’ve learned on the driving range to playing the actual golf course, yet we all have to go through this process. As seasoned players, it may seem helpful to be offering advice to a new golfer, nursing them around those first few holes, but in reality there are certain things you might say that could actually make a beginner play worse and put them off the game of golf entirely. Here’s the 5 most common bloopers to avoid.
Hurry Up!
It’s natural for beginners to feel anxious that they may hold other players up and take too long to play the course, worrying about miss-hitting shots, and there’s nothing worse than feeling pressured to play faster by their playing partners. Looking back at the proximity of the group behind you, trying not to feel the frustration of four pairs of eyes all watching your every shot, only makes it worse. Beginners are always worried about being too slow, so telling them to hurry up will cause them to rush and just make matters worse as they’ll start misfiring shots. Instead, try some gentle words of encouragement or simply offer to help rake a bunker or push their trolley around the edge of the green towards the next tee while they play a chip shot. This approach is far kinder and will speed up play. If they are genuinely struggling on a hole and holding your whole group up, then suggest that they pick up when they’ve run out of strokes (in a Stableford) or take a penalty drop if they can’t get out of a tricky lie in the rough or sand, to speed time spent on challenging scenarios up.
That’s Not How You…
That famous phrase, ‘You don’t do it like that’, might sound helpful, but it’s actually patronising. By pointing out everything that the beginner is doing wrong, they will focus on all their faults. So instead of highlighting negatives, try doing the opposite and praise them for all the great shots that they do hit, even if they don’t hit them frequently. If they are genuinely doing something completely wrong, or against the Rules of Golf, like taking a drop from a hazard incorrectly, then calmly explain their error and show them the correct way to take the drop. The Rules of Golf can be overwhelming when you’re learning, so some gentle hand-holding advice is a kinder approach to help new players get the rules right next time they play, rather than bombarding them with the ‘you must do this’ mantra every five minutes.
Keep Your Head Still
“Keep your head still” is a famous golfing cliche that we’ve all probably been guilty of saying to someone who has just taken up the sport, but it actually doesn’t make any technical sense. In fact, telling someone to keep their head still in their golf swing can restrict the athleticism of their swing motion and lead to a catalogue of movement problems. It’s actually a detrimental piece of advice. As seasoned golfers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we are experts, but remember, you are not a golf coach, you are on the course with a beginner to accompany and encourage, not advise them how to swing the club correctly. Leave that job to a qualified PGA Professional.
Don’t Look Up
This is another kiss of death catch-phrase that’s commonly used on the putting green. Although it’s technically true that taking a peek at the hole immediately after rolling a putt can cause your shoulders to open and the putter to deviate off the track you intended, it can also damage a perfectly good technique to remain rigid with your head. Rather than advising a beginner not to look up, try rephrasing it to something like: “Count to two after hitting your putt before checking to see if it has gone in”. This is a much better piece of advice.
Swing Faster
In the modern game of golf power is king. Beginners often lack distance because they haven’t quite mastered the timing and technique required to swing the club with speed and control. Advising a new golfer to swing faster or harder can do them more harm than good as an out of control swing can be wild and results erratic. Beginners just need to focus on form and tempo, not raw power, which leads to inconsistency.
