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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Level up your own golf game, or enjoy the sport as a spectator
Golf is a great sport for all types of people. It's a low impact form of exercise, a social activity, and it gets you outdoors. Golf For Dummies teaches you the rules of the game and gives you tips on improving your play. If you're more of a spectator, you'll love this book's coverage of the latest golf trends and the best players on the pro courses. Helpful illustrations make it easy to understand how golf really works, so you can step onto the green with confidence. In this new edition, you can learn all about new golf formats and recent changes to the rulebook. Ready to play a round?
- Understand golf basics, perfect your swing, and master the mental game
- Follow simple instructions and diagrams to improve your grips and stances
- Learn how the sport of golf is changing, at the amateur and professional levels
- Improve your golf game with advice from a championship-winning golfer
This is a great Dummies guide for anyone looking for a general introduction to the sport, as well as current players who want to take their game to the next level. Have fun when you hit the links!
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Golf For Dummies®
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Welcome to Golf
Chapter 1: Loving a Crazy Old Game
Understanding Golf’s Origins
Knowing Why Golf Is So Special
Breaking Down a Typical Course
Playing Step-by-Step Golf
Becoming a “Real” Golfer
Making Golf Part of Your Life
Chapter 2: Choosing Your Implements of Destruction
Figuring Out the Cost
Choosing the Right Golf Balls for Your Game
Picking Clubs to Put in Your Bag
Choosing the Right Fourteen Clubs
Deciding When to Use Each Club
Debating Tradition versus Technology: High-Tech Tweaks
Dressing Like a Pro
Accessorizing: Don’t Go Crazy!
Chapter 3: Learning the Right Way
Preparing for Lessons
Deciding Where to Go for Lessons
Getting the Most from Your Lessons
Finding Other Ways to Improve
Chapter 4: Getting in Golf Shape
Recognizing the Keys to Golf Fitness
Understanding Golf Fitness
Improving Your Golf Fitness
Navigating Core Exercises
Chapter 5: Knowing Where to Play and How to Fit In
Exploring Golf Venues
Saving on Memberships or Green Fees
“Fitting In” on the Course
Surviving When You’re the Worst in Your Group
Playing When You’re
Not
the Worst
Enjoying Off-course Formats
Part 2: Getting Into the Swing
Chapter 6: Swinging from the Ground Up
Understanding Swing Basics
Learning About Different Strokes
Getting the Ball in the Air
Building a Reliable Swing
Unleashing Your Swing
Chapter 7: Improving Your Move
Knowing What Type of Player You Are
Establishing Your Swing Plane
Mirroring Great Moves
Chapter 8: Teeing Off: It’s Showtime!
Getting Ready to Hit Your First Drive
Teeing Up
Dealing With the First-tee Jitters
Taking a Mulligan?
Swinging Like a Champ
Chapter 9: Getting to the Green: Short-Game Secrets
Hitting Iron Shots
Exploring the Short Game
Making Your Pitch
Setting Up a Solid Chip
Chapter 10: Putting: The Game Within the Game
Throwing Mechanics out the Window
Choosing a Putter
Building Your Putting Stroke
Practicing Long Putts
Making Short Putts
Aiming for the Heart
Chapter 11: Saving Strokes From the Sand
Avoiding Trouble in Bunkers
Getting Comfortable with Your Sand Wedge
Hitting Bunker Shots
Escaping a Plugged Lie
Part 3: Nasty Flaws and Easy Fixes
Chapter 12: Solving Common Problems
Using Your Head To Save Strokes
Curing Common Swing Faults
Hitting Better Drives
Straightening Wayward Shots
Making Better Contact: Do Yourself a Solid
Avoiding Shanks and Point-Blank Misses
Chapter 13: Building a Game You Can Rely On
Getting Out of Rough Spots
Escaping Tree Trouble
Devising Special Shots
Handling High Winds
Swingin’ in the Rain
Playing in All Seasons and Conditions
Chapter 14: Mastering the Mind Game
Handling Golf’s Mental Challenges
Making Fear Your Friend
Staying Positive: You Can Do It!
Part 4: You’re a Golfer Now!
Chapter 15: Getting Into the Game
Stretching for Success
Warming Up Your Swing
Mastering First-Tee Tactics
Deciding Which Format to Play
Forgetting Your Score
Gaining From a Practice Routine
Chapter 16: Understanding Rules, Etiquette, and Scorekeeping
Understanding the Rules Today
Knowing How to Play the Right Way
Figuring Out the Handicap System
Different Ways of Keeping Score
Dealing with Penalty Shots
Whiffing: Strike None or Strike One?
Chapter 17: Gambling on Golf: What a Concept!
Betting on Golf
Showing Off Your Match-Play Smarts
Chapter 18: Stepping Up Your Game
Getting to Greatness (or Goodness)
Gaining from Strategic Stroke-Savers
Channeling Champions
Chapter 19: Networking in the Most Social Game
Making Golf Better than LinkedIn
Enjoying a Pro-am
Part 5: Being a Smart Golf Consumer
Chapter 20: Following Golf in Person
Seeking Out Live Golf
Avoiding Fan Flubs
Chapter 21: Enjoying Golf Media
Remembering My Start in Golf Media
Grasping Why Golf Makes Great TV
Televising the Game
Knowing What to Watch for on TV or Online
Taking Your Punishment
Chapter 22: Hitting the Road Like a Pro
Planning Ahead
Packing for a Great Golf Trip
Shipping Your Clubs
Flying Smart
Settling in at Your Destination
Dressing for Success
Playing the Course
Chapter 23: Just for Fun: Playing Golf-y Games
Maxing Out a Round of Minigolf
Simulating the Real Thing
Enjoying Topgolf and Other New Formats
Winning at Fantasy Golf
Understanding How New Formats Enhance the Game
Part 6: The Part of Tens
Chapter 24: Golf’s Ten Commandments
Take a Lesson
Hit Enough Club to Get to the Hole
Putt the Ball If You Can
Keep Your Head (Fairly) Still
Be Kind to the Course
Bet Only What You Can Afford
Keep the Ball Low into the Wind
Don’t Give Lessons to Your Significant Other
Tee It Up in the Tee Box
Never Give Up
Chapter 25: Gary’s Ten (or So) Best Courses
Pine Valley (Clementon, New Jersey)
Royal County Down (Newcastle, Northern Ireland)
Royal Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia)
The Old Course (St. Andrews, Scotland)
Cypress Point (Monterey, California)
Shinnecock Hills (Southampton, New York)
Pebble Beach (Monterey, California)
Whistling Straits — Straits Course (Kohler, Wisconsin)
Sand Hills (Mullen, Nebraska)
Trump Turnberry (Turnberry, Scotland)
Cabot Cliffs (Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada)
Kingston Heath (Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia)
Tara Iti (Te Arai, New Zealand)
Friar’s Head (Riverhead, New York)
Riviera Country Club (Pacific Palisades, California)
Chapter 26: Gary’s Top Ten Male Golfers
Tiger Woods
Jack Nicklaus
Bobby Jones
Sam Snead
Ben Hogan
Arnold Palmer
Gary Player
Tom Watson
Gene Sarazen
Walter Hagen
Chapter 27: Gary’s Top Ten Female Golfers
Kathy Whitworth
Mickey Wright
Annika Sorenstam
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Patty Berg
Nancy Lopez
Betsy Rawls
JoAnne Carner
Lorena Ochoa
Nelly Korda
Chapter 28: Gary’s Ten Moments of Golf Insanity
Ky Laffoon: Golf’s Top Gun
Tiger Woods: On His Last Legs
Jean van de Velde: What Was He Thinking?
Ben Hogan: Crash-test Survivor
Jack Harden Jr.: Wave Goodbye
Mickey Mantle: The Bare Facts
Tommy “Thunder” Bolt: True Temper
John Daly: Sixteen Tons
Gary McCord: Waterworld
Titanic Thompson: King of Golf Grift
Chapter 29: Gary’s Ten Wishes for Your Golf Future
Part 7: Appendixes
Appendix A: Golf Talk
Appendix B: Golf Resources
Golf Online
Golf Organizations
Golf Schools
Index
About the Author
Supplemental Images
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 1
TABLE 1-1 Shooting for Par
Chapter 2
TABLE 2-1 Which Club Should You Use?
Chapter 3
TABLE 3-1 Gary’s Favorite Instructional Gadgets
Chapter 16
TABLE 16-1 Options for Penalty Area
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: A reasonable plan for playing a golf hole.
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: From left to right: my putter, lob wedge, sand wedge, pitching wedg...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Recording your golf stats.
FIGURE 3-2: The Tour Striker keeps your hands ahead of the ball.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: A straight thoracic spine gives you flexibility; a bent one hinders...
FIGURE 4-2: Keep as much of your spine and back of your head in contact with th...
FIGURE 4-3: Look for the spot on the ground where the ball would be at address.
FIGURE 4-4: The right address position.
FIGURE 4-5: Feel a comfortable stretch in your chest and spine.
FIGURE 4-6: Place a small, rolled-up towel under the middle of your spine to in...
FIGURE 4-7: Try to balance for 10 to 15 seconds.
FIGURE 4-8: Hold a club to your chest and shoulders and turn as far right as yo...
FIGURE 4-9: Lie on your back with your arms and legs as shown.
FIGURE 4-10: Twist your legs to the left until you feel a comfortable stretch.
FIGURE 4-11: Rest your left ankle on your right knee. Gently push your left kne...
FIGURE 4-12: Cross your foot over your knee, then apply pressure on your knee u...
FIGURE 4-13: Kneel against an exercise ball, then shift forward.
FIGURE 4-14: Rotate as far as you comfortably can.
FIGURE 4-15: Rotate while keeping the medicine ball in front of your chest.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: The golf swing’s pivot point.
FIGURE 6-2: Hit down to make the ball go up.
FIGURE 6-3: On the backswing, turn your left shoulder over your right foot.
FIGURE 6-4: Long thumb, short thumb.
FIGURE 6-5: Grip more in the fingers than in the palm.
FIGURE 6-6: In the Vardon grip, the right pinkie overlaps the left index finger...
FIGURE 6-7: An alternative is to interlock the right pinkie and left index fing...
FIGURE 6-8: Some players put all ten fingers on the club in a baseball-style gr...
FIGURE 6-9: Your feet should be parallel to the target line (left), not aimed a...
FIGURE 6-10: A clockwork stance.
FIGURE 6-11: Your knees should be as far apart as your shoulders.
FIGURE 6-12: Flex your knees and bend forward until your arms hang almost strai...
FIGURE 6-13: Ball position.
FIGURE 6-14: The ball “moves”?!
FIGURE 6-15: Stay focused!
FIGURE 6-16: Your hands and the club.
FIGURE 6-17: Start with mini-swings.
FIGURE 6-18: Turn your body.
FIGURE 6-19: Turn, don’t slide.
FIGURE 6-20: Get going with a waggle.
FIGURE 6-21: The right and wrong paths for correcting a fade.
FIGURE 6-22: Not a bad-looking swing!
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: The swing plane.
FIGURE 7-2: Aim for this angle at the top of your backswing.
FIGURE 7-3: Bowed- and cupped-wrist swings.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: Tee up so the ball’s equator is even with the top of your driver.
FIGURE 8-2: Lydia Ko’s full swing is a model of balance and timing.
FIGURE 8-3: Tiger Woods, equally balanced, hits one right where he is aiming.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: A scorecard can tell you more than just your score.
FIGURE 9-2: Set up to pitch.
FIGURE 9-3: Keep a smooth rhythm.
FIGURE 9-4: Pick a spot on the green.
FIGURE 9-5: Get the ball rolling.
FIGURE 9-6: Keep your wrist flat and firm while chipping.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Which type of putter should you choose?
FIGURE 10-2: Wands of wonder: a few 21st-century putters.
FIGURE 10-3: A gripping start.
FIGURE 10-4: Keep that left wrist firm.
FIGURE 10-5: The claw grip — another option.
FIGURE 10-6: Putting stances vary.
FIGURE 10-7: Playing the break.
FIGURE 10-8: Feet parallel to your putting line.
FIGURE 10-9: Heels and shoulders the same width.
FIGURE 10-10: Eyes directly over the ball.
FIGURE 10-11: Just past: Here’s how hard to hit putts.
FIGURE 10-12: Think pace, not direction.
FIGURE 10-13: Wood that every swing cure could be this easy.
FIGURE 10-14: Aim the logo of the ball or a drawn line toward the target.
FIGURE 10-15: Stick a tee to the face of your putter to help align with your ta...
FIGURE 10-16: View long putts from the side to help you judge distance and spee...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: Sand wedges are different from other clubs — they have bounce.
FIGURE 11-2: Open your stance and wedge face — here’s how your set-up should lo...
FIGURE 11-3: Don’t dig deep.
Slide
the club through the sand.
FIGURE 11-4: Follow-through!
FIGURE 11-5: A buried lie in a bunker: Can you dig it?
FIGURE 11-6: Hit down hard!
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: Extra hand action cures a slice.
FIGURE 12-2: Extra body action straightens your hook.
FIGURE 12-3: Don’t hit from the top!
FIGURE 12-4: The dreaded reverse pivot.
FIGURE 12-5: The sway ain’t the way.
FIGURE 12-6: Do the right (angle) thing in your backswing.
FIGURE 12-7: The cure for chipping nightmares.
FIGURE 12-8: Just say, “No shanks!”
FIGURE 12-9: The Putting Professor keeps your putter’s face square to the targe...
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13-1: The downs and ups of golf.
FIGURE 13-2: Keep your shoulders and the slope parallel.
FIGURE 13-3: Escaping a divot.
FIGURE 13-4: Windy means wider.
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: What nut designed this hole? I better play safe.
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: Stretch before you swing.
FIGURE 15-2: Double up for a smooth practice swing.
FIGURE 15-3: Watch your back!
FIGURE 15-4: A smooth, smart warm-up.
FIGURE 15-5: Don’t aim for the flag (dotted line). On this hole, the safer path...
FIGURE 15-6: Safety first: Aim for the wide part of the fairway.
FIGURE 15-7: Three easy shots can tame a difficult hole.
FIGURE 15-8: Keep track of more than your score.
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1: Marking your scorecard.
FIGURE 16-2: The tee box is bigger than you think.
FIGURE 16-3: Be kind to the course by using a divot tool.
FIGURE 16-4: Be rakish — leave a bunker the way you found it.
FIGURE 16-5: Your handicap card.
FIGURE 16-6: Keeping score.
Chapter 18
FIGURE 18-1: In some cases, you want to go for the risky shot.
FIGURE 18-2: If it’s a do-or-die putt, it abso-positively
has to
reach the hole...
Chapter 19
FIGURE 19-1: Without golf, would I have ever had a fun day with Peyton Manning?...
Chapter 21
FIGURE 21-1: The CBS booth gave me a bird’s-eye view of the game.
Chapter 22
FIGURE 22-1: That’s me at Pebble Beach, my favorite course on Earth. Fore left!...
Chapter 28
FIGURE 28-1: Tommy Bolt expressing his desire for a new driver.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Golf For Dummies®, 5th Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2025931366
ISBN 978-1-394-28105-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-28107-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-28106-0 (ebk)
Introduction
Icouldn’t be more thrilled to present the 5th edition of Golf For Dummies. If you’re already a golfer, welcome! That makes us family. If you’ve never hit a golf ball in your life, welcome! You’re in for a treat. I’ve spent more than 20 years in the game at its highest levels (okay, more than 20 + 20), and still feel like a lucky punk every time I get to play the most maddening, frustrating, wonderful game in the world.
To prepare this edition, I’ve gone back through the first four, rewriting some material and adding a lot more to make sure this book is up-to-date. And funnier than ever! Because golf’s a lot like yours truly: venerable, quirky, sometimes difficult, but adorable once you spend time together.
Although Golf For Dummies was written with beginners in mind, I like to think it has something to offer golfers at every level, even the pros. Some of my buddies on the tour and PGA Tour Champions circuit may think I have nothing to teach them, just because they won more tournaments than I did. (In some cases, a lot more.) To them I say, “How many Dummies bestsellers do you have?” Like most golfers, they’ve seen shelves full of instructional tomes — real shelves at bookstores and virtual ones like Amazon. But this one’s different. In this latest edition most of all, I’ve tried to introduce readers to the whole wonderful world of golf as well as provide swing tips. Sure, I want you to hit the ball better than most players, but I also want you to enjoy the game more.
Because I’m like you. When I joined the PGA Tour in 1974, I stunk — for a pro golfer, at least. Why? Because I lacked a basic knowledge of how to swing the club. My primary swing thought was, “Don’t screw up with everybody watching!” This is not a prescription for success. But over the years I gained an understanding of something as beautiful and elusive as Rapunzel: the golf swing. After more than a decade on the pro tour, I paid $80 for a California license plate that encapsulated my career: NOWINS. Then, after 28 years without a trophy, I shocked the world by winning the 1999 Toshiba Classic and year-ending Ingersoll-Rand Tour Championship. By then I was working on golf telecasts for CBS, describing the feats of Tiger Woods and other world-class players — and getting to know many of them. Now I’m here to share my swing tips, secrets, and love for the game with you.
I hope this book serves as your introduction to the best game you’ll ever play for the rest of your life. You’re next on the tee!
About This Book
Golf For Dummies, 5th Edition, will guide you through the sometimes frustrating, often fascinating, ultimately fabulous process of becoming a golfer. Some beginners get lost along the way and give up. I’ve done my best to keep you from being one of them by organizing this book on a step-by-step basis. As you make your way through the chapters, you can flip back to earlier parts, which are highlighted below for quick, easy reference.
You may have a few golf questions before you even pick up a club. How did such a crazy game get started? What sort of clubs do beginners need, and how much will they cost? Will you need different equipment as you get better at the game? Do you need to take lessons? In Part 1, “Welcome to Golf,” I’ll answer these basic questions and more, helping you avoid common mistakes and get started the right way.
In Part 2, “Getting Into the Swing,” you’ll get a close-up look at the workings of the golf swing: how to hit an effective drive, strike an iron shot to the green, and sink a putt. Your journey from the tee to the bottom of the cup won’t always go so smoothly, so I’ll also show you how to hit trouble shots, including the bunker shots so many beginners dread. And guess what? If you follow a few simple fundamentals, all those shots — including sand shots — are a lot easier than they seem at first.
Why do so many golfers make the same mistakes over and over? Because they haven’t read Part 3, “Nasty Flaws and Easy Fixes”! Yes, you’ll develop problems as you play rounds of golf and work on improving your game. We all do. In Part 3, I’ll share tour-tested secrets to getting past those problems and hitting the ball better than ever.
You’re ready for the next step: taking your game public. I’ll be your guide to golf etiquette, scorekeeping, and even betting on the course. Part 4, “You’re a Golfer Now!” provides the basics every real golfer understands, even though they’re not spelled out in a book. Or at least they weren’t until now.
The more attention you pay to your own game, the more you may benefit from watching the world’s best players. In Part 5, “Being a Smart Golf Consumer,” I explain how to watch golf in person, on TV or online the way the pros do. You’ll also find out how to make the most of a golf vacation, and what fun it can be to play minigolf, golf video games, and new formats like Topgolf and new par-3 courses that are popping up everywhere.
Part 6, “The Part of Tens” contains lists and info pertaining to some of the most important, most historic, most memorable, and most freaking fun aspects of the nuttiest game you’ll ever love.
Golfers have a language all their own, and Appendix A lists terms you’ll want to understand. Appendix B lists various organizations and other resources that can help you explore the world of golf.
If you’re worried that the game is complicated, stop worrying. It is complicated, but I’m here to simplify it and keep you focused on the enjoyment the game brings millions of golfers every year.
And if you ever get discouraged, just turn back to this page, where you can find the first thing I hope you’ll remember: GOLF IS FUN!
Foolish Assumptions
You must be interested in golf, or you wouldn’t have picked up this book. I’m also going to assume that you’re not an expert golfer — not yet, anyway — or you’d be out playing on TV as a member of the PGA or LPGA Tour. Beyond that, I’m going to guess that you’re a little like I was when I became a golfer: hopeful, but a little puzzled by the complexities of the game.
I’m also assuming that you may have dabbled with golf and now want to get better. Maybe you’ve played minigolf, which can be a nice introduction to the idea of maneuvering a golf ball into a hole that can seem too small. In my experience, most people give golf a try before they seek professional help. Maybe it’s an ego thing. Maybe you’re like those drivers (the automotive kind, not the golf kind) who never ask for directions because they feel it means they failed. If that sounds like you, you can think of this book as your personal GPS: your Golfer Positioning System.
Icons Used in This Book
While you move through your friend Gary’s guide to the game, you’ll encounter several handy symbols or icons that serve as road signs on your highway to golf happiness:
This icon marks hazards to watch out for. File and remember!
This icon signifies quick, easy ways to improve your game.
When you see this icon, you’re in for a treat: golf wisdom I’ve gained through my decades of swings and misses, playing the pro game and covering it on TV.
Information marked with this icon may make your head spin. Feel free to skip it until the dizziness passes.
This icon flags a point that’s important enough to repeat. You don’t have to read and re-read, but please perk up your ears (eyes?) when you run across one of these.
Beyond the Book
In addition to the fun and useful material you’ll find in these pages, I created a quick-and-easy bonus to complement the book: a Cheat Sheet that can help you get going in the game. You can find it by going to www.dummies.com and entering “Golf For Dummies” in the search bar.
Where to Go from Here
Please pore over this book from the first page to the last, taking notes as you go. I’m kidding! Like the game itself, Golf For Dummies, 5th Edition, should be fun. Feel free to flip through it. There won’t be a quiz when you get to the end. What there will be, I hope, is all the practical information you need to get started in the game, or to enjoy it more once you’re out on the course. Maybe you used to play but put your clubs away for years. If so, you might skip the basics and jump to Part 3.
As Frank Chirkinian, my boss at CBS, used to say, “Golf is not a game, it’s a way of life. If it was a game, someone would have figured it out by now.”
Welcome to my way of life. You’re going to like it.
Part 1
Welcome to Golf
IN THIS PART …
Learn about golf history, what makes the game special, and how to take your first swings as a “real” golfer.
Put together a set of clubs that suits your game — taking advantage of the latest in golf technology.
Find ways to improve your game — whether you’re just starting out or trying to take the next step in your golf career.
Get into the sort of physical shape that allows you to play your best. And don’t worry — we’re not talking triathlon shape here!
Take my advice on places to play and how to fit in anywhere as if you were born to play the game — because you were!
Chapter 1
Loving a Crazy Old Game
IN THIS CHAPTER
Beginning with a little golf history
Understanding what makes the game special
Looking into golf course basics
Playing the smart way
Adding golf to your lifestyle
Golf is simple. Golf is great. Golf will drive you nuts and keep you coming back for more.
It’s deceptively simple: You’ve got clubs and a ball. Your job is to knock the ball into a series of holes laid out in a large, grassy field. You encounter hazards on the way; and by the time you finish the 18th hole, you may want to go to the clubhouse bar, order a beverage, and tell innocent strangers how every bounce went against you that day. That’s probably not what happened, but golfers always need a shoulder to cry on. And if you’re a golfer at heart, you’ll empathize with everyone else who plays the most frustrating, maddening, wonderful game in the world. You’ll play for relaxation, challenge, companionship, and a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. You’ll also get so frustrated you wonder why anybody would spend time and money on such a ridiculous pursuit. Then one day you’ll shoot your best score ever, and you’ll know why.
In this chapter, I introduce you to the game and provide the basics you’ll need to get started. Here’s hoping you get some smiles along the way.
Understanding Golf’s Origins
Golf dates back to medieval Scotland, where Macbeth ruled in the 11th century. Not the Shakespeare character but the real Scottish king old Shakey based his play on! Some historians say the sport began when Scottish shepherds used long, wooden crooks to knock rocks at rabbit holes.
The first printed reference to golf came in 1457, when Scotland’s King James II banned “gowf” so that his subjects could concentrate on their archery — the better to beat the English in battle. Years later James’s descendants, including his great-great-granddaughter Mary, Queen of Scots, embraced the game. (The original golf widow, she scandalized Britain by playing golf in the days after her husband, Lord Darnley, was murdered.)
The wooden golf balls of those early days gave way to featheries — leather pouches stuffed with goose feathers — and then gutty balls made from gutta percha, a rubber from Malaysia. In 1860, one of the best Scottish golfers, Tom Morris of St. Andrews, organized the Open Championship, which many Americans call the British Open. That tournament launched modern professional golf. Scottish immigrants introduced Americans to the game, which went on to become one of the world’s most popular sports. The rest is history — along with colorful cursing and fun.
Knowing Why Golf Is So Special
You’ve probably heard about business leaders making huge deals on the golf course. It’s true. Back in 1901, zillionaires Charles Schwab and Andrew Carnegie met at St. Andrews Golf Course in New York to make the $480 million deal that created U.S. Steel. Countless handshakes later, the game has earned a reputation as the ultimate networking game. And while business leaders, like the rest of us, actually spend much of their time on the course looking for wayward golf balls, it’s true that golf can bring great networking opportunities.
And that’s about the 167th-most-important reason to take up the game. Better reasons include spending time with friends, staying in shape, challenging yourself, and enjoying some of the best scenery you’ll ever see. (Tennis courts are all pretty much the same, but each golf course is different, and many are designed to show off their gorgeous surroundings.) Golf is physical, mental, and even spiritual challenge — it tests your skill and your will. It tests your self.
And it’s a game for a lifetime. Lots of people played football or basketball in high school, but how many are returning punts or grabbing rebounds when they’re 50 or 60 years old? I know 70-year-old golfers who have “shot their age,” meaning they carded a score of 70 or better. I’m one of them. The term means that your score for a full round is the same or less than your chronological age. Here’s hoping you play the game long enough to shoot your age someday!
The most important reason to play, though, is that golf is magic — and totally addictive. After it becomes part of your life, you can barely imagine living without it.
It’s also difficult. Otherwise, everybody would be out there earning millions on the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) and LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tours. As I see it, there are two main reasons why:
The ball doesn’t move on its own.
You have, on average, about three minutes between shots.
In other words, you don’t react to the ball as you do in most sports. A baseball gets thrown, hit, and spat on. A football gets passed, tossed, kicked, and carried. A basketball gets shot, rebounded, and dribbled. But a golf ball just sits there, daring you not to lose it.
In most sports, you have only an instant to react to the action — natural athletic instincts take over, and you move to the ball. In golf, you get far too long to think about what you’re doing. Thinking too much — worrying about what might go wrong with the next shot — can make your worst fears come true.
Maybe golf would be easier if the ball moved and you were running after it. Then you could stop worrying and react. But if it were easy, it wouldn’t be golf.
Like many sports, golf has a language all its own. If you’re just starting out, you’ll encounter many terms that might be unfamiliar as you go through this book. Dogleg. Waggle. Double eagle. But don’t worry! You’ll find them all defined in Appendix A at the back of the book.
Breaking Down a Typical Course
Most courses have 18 holes, although some have only 9. The 19th hole is golfspeak for the clubhouse bar — the place where you can guzzle an Arnold Palmer (a mix of iced tea and lemonade) or a John Daly (a spiked Arnold Palmer) and regale your friends with tales of how the rub of the green went against you. (See Appendix A for more on golf jargon.) Seaside courses are called links — the parts of Scotland where the game began were the link between beach and farmland. Many people use “links” to mean any golf course, but purists stick to the correct usage: A links is a course by the water.
Most courses are between 5,500 and 7,000 yards. A few monsters are longer, but leave those courses to the pros you see on TV. It’s a good idea to start at the shorter yardages and work your way up. It’s also important to start each hole from the proper set of tees — a topic I’ll get to later in this section.
You may have heard the word, par, which is the number of strokes a good golfer should take to finish a particular hole. Every hole is a par-3, a par-4, or a par-5. (Par-2s are for minigolf; the exceedingly rare par-6 hole is usually a gimmick.) On a par-5 hole, for example, a typical par consists of a drive (the first swing from the tee), two more full swings, and two putts. Two putts to the hole (also known as a cup) is the most you want to take on every green.
Three putts are poison. Don’t worry if you take three putts on a green when you’re starting out in the game because it’ll happen. If you take only one, congratulations! That’s a bonus. See Chapter 10 for my surefire putting tips. For now, remember that during an ideal round of golf, half your strokes will be putts. A good day with your putter can make up for a bad day with every other club in your golf bag.
Many courses have a total par of 72, often consisting of ten par-4s (40 regulation strokes), four par-3s (12), and four par-5s (20). But you can find golf courses with total pars of anywhere from 62 to 74. Table 1-1 lists each type of hole’s regulation strokes and the yardages that generally determine par on a hole for men and women. It’s worth noting that these guidelines don’t always refer to precise yardages, but rather to what the United States Golf Association (USGA) calls a hole’s “effective playing length.” A 460-yard hole that goes straight uphill, for instance, may be a par-5 for men.
TABLE 1-1 Shooting for Par
Par
Regulation Strokes
Regulation Yardages
Women
Men
Par-3
1 swing, 2 putts
200 yards or less
260 yards or less
Par-4
2 swings, 2 putts
200–420 yards
240-490 yards
Par-5
3 swings, 2 putts
370–600 yards
450–710 yards
Source: USGA
That’s the big picture.
You often find different teeing areas on each hole, allowing you to play the hole from different lengths based on your skill level. Pay attention to these different tee boxes (the designated areas for the first shot of a hole)! Most courses offer four for each hole, with color-coded markers on the ground to help you out:
Gold tees
are invariably the farthest from the green — they’re are for long-ball strikers or expert players only. (Sometimes the back tees are black rather than gold.)
Blue tees
are usually a few yards ahead of the farthest back tees. Teeing off from this set of tees makes a hole shorter, but it may still be difficult. Club tournaments are played from these tees. In general, your handicap should be 10 or lower if you’re playing the blues. See
Chapter 16
for more on handicaps.
White tees
are for everyday, casual play and are the right choice for most men, lower-handicap women, and capable seniors. Most golfers should play from these tees!
Red tees
are traditionally used by women or junior golfers. There is nothing — I repeat NOTHING — wrong or embarrassing about playing from the forward tees. If more golfers did so, the game would go faster and fewer golfer would complain.
Don’t get hung up on the colors I mention above. Many courses use their own color schemes to mark the various tee boxes. The point is to select the ones that suit your skill level.
Playing Step-by-Step Golf
Simply stated, your goal is to get the ball into 18 holes in succession with the fewest number of strokes, using no more than 14 clubs. The lower your total score, the better. That’s it.
The game’s charm lies in the journey. How many possible ways can a golfer go from the tee to the hole? Let me count the ways: One, two … sixty-five million … I give up. That’s one of the things that makes the game so frustrating and fun. By the time you hit your second shot, your round of golf will be different from every other round you ever played.
The best advice I can give you boils down to one word: Relax! Stay calm, make prudent decisions, and never hit a shot while thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner. You should play with full concentration and no ego. And when the game tempts you to try feats of unlikely derring-do, don’t. A good golfer judges her or his talents honestly.
Should you try to make it over the water to a green that’s 240 yards away? Or play it safe?
My advice is, don’t get greedy. Play the game one step at a time. Figure 1-1 shows a sensible approach. Starting at the tee, you hit your drive to Point A. From there, it’s 240 yards to the green, with a lake lurking to the left. (Do lakes lurk? I’m not a hydrologist.) The smart approach is to lay up to Point B, then hit a shorter shot to the green, Point C. Of course, the smart approach doesn’t always work — you may shoot for Point B and still yank your second shot into the pond — Point X. But it’s the right choice, and that’s the key to smart step-by-step golf.
FIGURE 1-1: A reasonable plan for playing a golf hole.
Score is what counts. As you’ll see in Chapters 9, 10, and 11, most golf shots occur within 100 yards of the hole. If you save strokes near the green, your score will be better than that of the glory hog whose sole purpose in life is to hit the ball as far as possible. So in addition to choosing the right route from tee to green, you need to practice putting, sand play, chips, and pitches twice as much as you practice driving. Your hard work will pay off, and your friends will be the ones dipping into their wallets (if you’re wagering, as I discuss in Chapter 17).
Becoming a “Real” Golfer
To me, a “real” golfer has three great virtues:
You understand the game.
You can play it a little.
You never dishonor the game’s spirit.
Anyone can smack a ball around a course. (I can already hear my fellow pros saying, “Yeah — like you, McCord!”) But that doesn’t make you a real golfer. There’s more to this game than hitting the ball with a club.
How can you join the ranks of real golfers? It’s easy. First, read the rest of this book. You’ll find everything you need to get started, from equipment to instruction to common problems, etiquette, betting, and everything else you need to know. I guide you through the aisles of your local pro shop or sporting-goods store, with tips (and quips — there will always be quips) to help you avoid shelling out thousands of dollars on stuff you don’t need. (Check out Chapter 2 for tips on what you do need to get started.)
After you’re swinging the right set of clubs — a starter set at first — I show you how to grip the club. Far too many beginners get the grip wrong, and it sets them back, sometimes for years. The wrong grip has led millions of golfers to think the game’s way harder than it is. But the golf grip is simple and fundamental! (See Chapter 6 for more on this gripping — pardon the pun — topic.)
When you’ve got the grip down pat, you’re almost ready to swing. And believe me, the swing isn’t as easy as it looks. That’s why I devote Chapter 7 to developing your own swing.
Once you know how to grip the club and hit the ball, you’ll delve into how to keep score, proper etiquette, and other parts of the game. You’ve probably heard about golf etiquette, handicaps, and one- and two-stroke penalties — and maybe even such goofy-sounding concepts as nassaus, skins, barkies, and even mulligans! If not, don’t worry. Part 3 gives you the lowdown on these and other topics.
Making Golf Part of Your Life
As any golf nut will tell you — often at great length — there’s lots more to the game than hitting the ball. There’s the fun of watching the sport on TV or in person, following it online, playing mini-golf, video golf, simulator golf or new, fun variations like Topgolf, and even playing while you’re asleep! (In my dreams, I shoot 59.) See Part 5 for my guide to many of the best off-the-course ways to stay tuned to the game.
But beware: Once the golf bug bites, you may never be the same. If you become a real golfer, you may experience more anger, frustration, wonder and delight than you ever expected. You’ll be one of us.
WHO KNEW?
Many golfers fancy themselves experts on the game’s long history, but how many know the delightful details? Entertain your golf buddies with your command of the game’s early history:
Dutch historians have claimed that golf originated in Holland around 1300. A game called spel metten kolve (or colf, which means “club”) was popular in the late 13th century. Colf is believed to have been played mostly on ice. But it was in Scotland that early golfers began hitting a rock or wooden ball at a hole in the ground.Golfers play 18 holes because the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, was shortened from 22 holes to 18 in 1764. Eighteen has been the standard since St. Andrews became the capital of the game in the late 1800s.In those days of golf, a small dollop of sand, acting as a tee, was placed under the ball. Wooden tees weren’t invented until 1899.According to Scottish lore, the hole is 4¼ inches in diameter because that was the size of drainpipes in St. Andrews when Old Tom Morris, the legendary greenskeeper at the Old Course, used a drainpipe as the first cup liner.Golf’s first major tournament, the Open Championship, was held with only eight players at Scotland’s Prestwick Golf Club in 1860. Old Tom finished second to Willie Park, whose prize was a year’s custody of the Championship Belt and a purse of £0 — that’s right, zero pounds. The honor of victory was supposed to be prize enough.America’s first golf club was formed in 1888. The St. Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York, named for the game’s capital in Scotland, had a three-hole layout that ended near a large apple tree. The club’s golfers became known as the Apple Tree Gang. They hung their coats on the tree before they teed off.The PGA Tour was born in 1968, when a group of touring professionals led by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus split off from the PGA of America, which represents teaching professionals and still runs the PGA Championship, one of the game’s most important tournaments. The PGA Tour’s total purse in 1968 was about $4 million. Currently it’s more than $450 million.A local telecast of the 1947 U.S. Open in St. Louis marked the advent of televised golf — a red-letter day in golf history if ever there was one. TV would give me a job that wasn’t dependent on my golf score!Chapter 2
Choosing Your Implements of Destruction
IN THIS CHAPTER
Evaluating the game’s costs
Choosing a golf ball
Buying clubs and knowing when to use each one
Choosing your golf gear
Mark Twain once joked that golf is “a good walk spoiled.” Add a bunch of sticks and make your burden even worse! Unless you’ve started to understand something nongolfer Twain didn’t, try restating his quip as: Once the game’s frustrations have spoiled a few of them — and once you learn more about how to deploy those sticks — your walks get better and better.
Today’s clubs are unrecognizable compared to the cudgels used by the game’s Scottish pioneers. Sure, early golf clubs had cool names: Niblick, brassie, driving-iron, mashie, and mashie-niblick are more fun than 9-iron, 3-wood, 1-iron, 5-iron, and 7-iron. But today’s equipment is much suited to getting the ball down the fairway, from there to the green, and into the hole.
Too many beginners start playing with the wrong equipment. There’s a whole industry devoted to getting the right clubs into your hands. Refer back to this chapter if you get confused.
Figuring Out the Cost
Take a look at a shiny new driver made of space-age materials. Beautiful, isn’t it? Now check the price tag. Oww! Each year, the hot new driver seems to cost more than last year’s model — some now retail for $600 and up. And that’s just one club. You’ll need 13 more to fill your golf bag, and the bag itself can set you back another $100 or more. Avid golfers like Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady don’t need to worry about price tags — does that mean you have to be rich to play with good equipment?
No! Just as there are myriad ways to get the ball from the tee to the hole, there are countless ways to find equipment that will suit your needs.
If money’s no object
When you picked up this book, you may have imagined spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to get started playing golf the right way. If so, congratulations! I’ve got an autographed picture of Sasquatch in a Speedo you can buy.
Even if you’re a billionaire with no need to save money, I have three words for you: Don’t blow it. Yes, you can purchase a gleaming set of custom-fit clubs for $3,000. But if you’re a beginner, your swing is bound to change as you become more acquainted with this great game. Why pay through the nose when your progress will soon render your set obsolete? You can also opt for the high-tech golf balls that pros use — we get them free, but a dozen will set you back about $55. That’s another needless expense if you’re a beginner.
Spending doesn’t guarantee success. For that, above all, you’re going to need a good swing. Still, you can rest assured that if you do shell out your hard-earned cash for today’s name-brand golf gear, you aren’t getting cheated. Golf equipment has never been better than it is today.
If you’re on a budget
Just as a student driver doesn’t need a Lamborghini, beginning golfers can get their games in gear with the golf equivalent of a rent-a-wreck. In the old days, many golfers started out with hand-me-down clubs. They may have been Dad’s or Mom’s old set cut down for Junior. The young phenom may have graduated to a full set from at a garage sale, and if those clubs happened to fit the youngster’s swing and physique, Junior may have made the school team. If he was good enough, he may even have gone on to college golf and a long, winless PGA Tour career, like me!
Today’s version of the old garage sale is the online marketplace. (I discuss many of the best golf websites in Chapter 21.) When you know what to look for (after reading this chapter), you can find precisely what you need, either online or in a golf shop — often for a fraction of what Messrs Gates and Trump would pay. If you keep an eye on costs, you can get started in golf for as little as $100.
Choosing the Right Golf Balls for Your Game
Over golf’s long history, nothing has changed more than the ball. It’s no coincidence that the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (known as “The R&A”) keep a tight rein on just how far a ball can go, with new restrictions coming for tour players in 2028 and everybody else in 2030. That makes choosing the right golf ball more interesting than ever.
Here are the specs the USGA imposes on the ball:
Size:
A golf ball may not be smaller than 1.68 inches in diameter. The ball can be as big as you want, but don’t expect to see any grapefruit-sized golf balls when you hit the course. Smaller tends to be better for a dimpled flying orb — that’s why you’ll never see one bigger than 1.68 inches in diameter.
Weight:
The ball may not be heavier than 1.62 ounces.
Velocity: The USGA has a machine for measuring how fast a ball comes off the face of a club. That’s not easy, because impact lasts only 450 millionths of a second, and a drive can zoom off the club at more than 170 miles an hour. When long-driving champion Kyle Berkshire launches one, the ball takes off at more than 230 miles an hour!
No legal ball may exceed an initial velocity of 250 feet per second at a temperature between 73 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. A tolerance of no more than 2 percent is allowed, which means an absolute max of 255 feet per second. This ensures that golf balls don’t go too far.
Distance:
For years the legal limit was set by the USGA’s “Iron Byron,” a robot named for golf great Byron Nelson. No ball struck by Iron Byron could go farther than 280 yards. A tolerance of 6 percent was allowed, making 296.8 yards the absolute farthest the ball could go. That was then. Today’s top players can hit
irons
farther than that! Some blast drives past 400 yards. That’s why the game’s ruling bodies set limits on the golf ball.
Shape:
A golf ball must be round. An anti-slice ball, bulging on one side to help golfers avoid the old left-to-right “banana ball,” came out a few years ago and failed this test. Nice try, though!
Upon close inspection, you’ll notice that every type of ball falls into one of two categories: Either the manufacturer claims that it goes farther than any other ball in human history, or that it goes straighter. The thing to remember is: If you put a bad swing on it, the world’s best ball is still going someplace where you’ll never find it.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the selections. Golf balls come in three basic types: one-piece, two-piece, and three-piece. (Each “piece” is a layer of the golf ball — a three-piece ball features a cover, a mantle made of rubber or high-tech plastic, and a denser core that stores energy, which is released when you hit the ball.) Some manufactures even offer four- and five-piece balls. They’re good, but expensive. You don’t need those yet. And forget about one-piece balls — they tend to be suitable only for driving-range practice. One golfer describes them as “like a round tooth.”
That leaves two-piece and three-piece balls. And don’t worry — you don’t even have to know what their pieces contain to choose between them. Leave all that to the scientists. And don’t fret about terms like “launch angle” and “spin rate,” either. (At least not yet.) Today’s balls are technological marvels, designed to fly high and spin just the right amount.
Go with a two-piece ball. I don’t recommend a three-piece ball to beginning golfers. Tour pros and expert players use such balls to maximize control. For many years, the best players used balls with covers made of balata, a soft, rubbery substance. Today, many high-performance three-piece balls have covers of something even better — high-performance urethane elastomer, which is a fancy way of saying “expensive superplastic.” But you don’t need that stuff — not yet. As a beginner, you need a reliable, durable ball. Unless you have very deep pockets, go the surlyn, two-piece route. (Surlyn
