Golf can be a very enjoyable and relaxing sport that anyone can enjoy playing. However, for a beginner, that golf club can be a very intimidating piece of equipment to handle. So, what should a novice do to learn how to use it? Well, read the tips below, of course!

Remember to twist your body to get a great golf swing. If you hit the ball straight on, without twisting your body, you will never get the force behind the ball that you need. A proper twist will help your ball to go further, and your swing to be more accurate too.

A helpful tip when it comes to golf is to make sure you understand which area you should tee off from. There are different color coded tees depending on your skill set and choosing the wrong one may lead to either personal embarrassment or an unexpected difficulty on the course.

Make sure to keep your hands low during all of your follow-throughs. Doing this will allow you to lower the ball flight. This will also help the trajectory of every shot you take to be lower, and allow you to have better control over where you want the ball to go.

Setting ambitious scoring goals can improve your golf performance. When you aim to shave an extra point or two off your score or dedicate yourself to improving your performance on a particular hole, you are setting challenges for yourself that you will strive to achieve subconsciously. You may not reach every lofty goal, but in reaching for them you will see better overall performance.

A helpful tip when it comes to golf is to make sure that you are accurately able to read the lay of the green. You are going to have to determine how hard you hit the ball and where you aim it based on the slope, distance, and green conditions. Be sure to look from all possible angles before putting.

A helpful tip when it comes to golf is to know the names for each type of score per hole. This way you will know what you are talking about when playing and talking about golf. A score of 1 under par is a birdie, and 2 under is an eagle. Each score over par is considered a bogey.

Avoid being super-tight or ultra-loose with your golf swing. Lacking a tight enough grip on the club means your ball will often cut to the right of its target. If you hold too loose, the ball will likely go to the left. Analyze what direction your shots are traveling in, and then make alterations to your grip accordingly.

Remember, accuracy is so much more important than power, this is why some 80 year-olds can out drive 20 year-olds. Practice with hitting the ball consistently in almost the same spot on the club. This is easy to say or instruct but difficult to do. Simply apply some chap-stick or vaseline to the head of your club and swing. The ball will leave an imprint on the club showing you where the ball was struck. However, don’t use this during a game with friends as this could be considered cheating in a game because it also corrects slices.

It is important to buy a good, sturdy golf club, but do not spend too much money. Companies tend to overcharge on their golf clubs because of their brand. There are many reliable clubs that are available for a fraction of the cost. If you are unsure of which one to get, check out online reviews.

Align your club face before you align your body. Before you address the ball, set your club face to the line which you will be hitting. Only after the club face is lined up should you bring yourself in and assume your grip. The club face is the most important part of your alignment, so focus on that first.

Downhill putts are one of the most difficult kinds of putts in golf. A tip to keep your ball from bouncing and overshooting is to only hit the ball with the toe of the putter rather than the sweet spot. This will deaden the movement and bring the ball to a stop sooner.

Always warm up before beginning a game of golf. Golf is an enjoyable sport but it can also be very stressful on the body, especially the back, arms and legs. If you stretch prior to playing you will decrease the chance of getting injured. Stretching will also limber you up, which helps your swing.

Now you should be able to see why golf can be such an enjoyable sport to participate in. There is so much fun and relaxation to be had as one tries to putt the golf ball into the hole. With these tips in mind, you can start putting like a pro!