A Beginners Guide to Golf

Terminology

There are alot of words and phrases used in golf that are not common, the terminology guide HERE should explain any of them you are unsure of.

Rules Of Golf

There are many rules in the game of golf so its worth brushing up on them

You can download the Rules Of Golf from the R&A website HERE

For some of the more obscure, or if you cannot find your answer via the search option you can ask here on Boards.ie Rules Thread

Etiquette

Calling FORE!

Everyone, even the Pro's, have a wayward shot at times. You must call FORE! to warn other golfers to avoid causing harm. It helps if you give a direction also eg. FORE LEFT!

Finding Clubs on the Golf Course
Return them to the club house, never ever take them for yourself. Its extremely bad form.

Personal Space
Be sure to give anyone putting or swinging a club a wide berth (be mindful of shadows aswell). When Tee'ing off try facing them from a few feet back and the same when putting so as not to catch they're eye and/or throw them off.

Advice
Don't give it unless asked for, its considered rude and can be extremely off putting. The only time advice should be given is if you think your playing partner is aiming for the wrong fairway.

Arriving on Time

When booking a Tee Time, arrive early so as not to bunch up the time tables.

Clothing

Most Clubs will have a list of what is acceptable but in general the below is acceptable.

Shoes
You must wear golf shoes while on the golf course. Any style is acceptable but nearly every course will ask that you use only soft/plastic spikes and not metal.

Top
A Polo Shirt or T-Shirt with a Collar. Jersey's usually are not allowed.

Bottoms
Trousers,shorts and plain track bottoms are perfectly fine but Jeans and are a big no no.

A peaked cap is advisable for the Sun for the 2 weeks of the year we see it.

Talking During Someones Swing

Most golfers find this very distracting and it can lead to some sharp words, the same goes for standing too close when some one is taking a swing. Don't do it

Greens

Don't pull a trolley or a drive a cart onto the green.You should only walk on with your putter.

Repair your pitch mark and divots

Use a pitch mark repairer to Repair it Correctly

Also Repair your Divots Correctly

Pace Of Play

Try not to hold up anyone on the golf course. Take your time with your swing but get to the ball in a timely fashion, it ensures everyone gets a good game in without waiting on the Tee Box for 10 minutes. If you find you simply cannot keep ahead of the group behind call them through.

What do you need to Play Golf

Golf Bag
There are a few different types of golf bags, the most common are Carry Bags and Cart Bags.

Carry bags are literally a bag you use to carry your clubs around the course. A cart bag is bigger usually with more pockets but is used with a push/pull trolley which is bought seperate. There are also electronic trolley's.

Golf Tee's
These are mainly used for the Driver or an Iron from the Tee Box

Divot Repair Tool
This is covered above.

Ball Marker
This is used whilst on the green. You put your marker down and remove your ball until your ready to putt. A simple coin can be used or you can buy one in almost any golf store.

Golf Glove

Not everyone will use a golf glove but most do. It provides grip and can protect your hands from some wear and tear. Right hand golfers will get a left hand glove whilst the opposite is true for left handed players.


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and Brush

Almost any towel will do but the brush is something worth investing it, it keeps the dirt out of the grooves and off your club.

Golf Balls

You'll more than likely need alot of these in the beginning so its recommended buying cheap or secondhand golf balls. You can buy second hand golf balls in bulk from some sites online in Ireland like Castlegolf.ie or Golfballs.ie. Its truly user preference though, play what you feel comfortable with.

Golf Clubs

Depending on how you approach golf depends on what clubs you get.

If you want to start in the range a 6iron/7iron and a driver is plenty. You can buy these indviudually from Halpenny's or McGuirks. The single iron would be an old demo iron.

You can buy a full cheaper set like THIS but they depreciate in value very quickly.

You can buy everything brand new from the likes of McGuirks/Halpenny Golf/American Golf. New premium clubs hold they're value longer but they are of course more expensive.

You can also buy clubs second hand from the likes of Donedeal or Adverts.ie
Most will recommend this due to golf clubs depreciating so quickly you can pick up real bargains.

A basic golf bag usually consist of
Driver
3Wood
5iron
6iron
7iron
8iron
9iron
PW (Pitching Wedge)
SW (56° or Sand Wedge)
Putter

They're of course more clubs you can add
Hybrids They are more forgiving than irons, most replace some of theirlong irons (1iron to 5iron) with them.

Woods
Same as the Hybrids, some replace the longer irons with these.

Wedges
Some add more wedges usually when they need to fill a gap in their distance.

As for Brand and Type, again its personal preference.
Callaway,Taylormade,Nike,Cleveland,Titleist, Mizuno, Ping, Cobra etc are premium brands. Look on the likes of Halepenny's as they normally only sell quality clubs.

Most irons are directed at a certain level of skill.

Game Improvement irons are usually targeted at beginners. These have the most forgivness and thus are usually quite chunky.

Muscle Irons are usually targeted at mid to low handicappers and are a bit smaller in size.

Blade Style Irons are usually targeted to low handicappers as they are generally the hardest to hit but are more workable.

Its highly recommend getting a lesson before shelling out on a new set of clubs. Your pro can recommend what type of irons will suit your swing, but again, while it is advised you can certainly buy whichever you prefer the feel of.

Other Golf Equipment

GPS Watch
A GPS watch is similar to the range finder. The most basic ones will tell you how far you are from the front,middle and back of the green in relation to where you are on the particular hole. It can be very useful if playing over a crest unlike the range finder where you would need to climb the hill first.

Range Finder/Laser
Similar to the GPS the range finder allows you to point at the green ( with some able to pick out the flag ) and tell you how far you have to hit your ball. Unlike most of the GPS watches, you can get the distance to the corner of a dog leg or hazard.

Golf Ball Retriever
A basic tool which allows you to retriever your ball from a water hazard. Most are extendable and come in different lengths.

As with everything purchased online or second hand, check feedback and if still unsure ask to meet at a pro shop and have him verify the legitimacy of the clubs. Fake golf clubs are a huge problem, especially on Ebay.

The Cost Of Golf
Its understandably one of the reasons alot of people will dismiss golf. It can be very expensive but like all things there is a way to ease the financial burden.

Buying Second Hand
Whether its Golf Clubs,Bags, Range Finders, Trolleys and even Golf Balls you can save by buying used or second hand.

Adverts.ie
Donedeal.ie
GolfBidder.Co.uk
Ebay
Golfballs.ie
CastleGolf.ie

Your local Pro Shop along with the likes of Halpenny Golf and McGuriks usually have a small selection of second hand clubs for a fraction of the original price.

Clothing
SportsDirect and even Pennys,Aldi/Lidil or Dunne Stores sell clothes that look right at home on the golf course for much less than most retail golf stores sell at.

Green Fees
Most clubs have discounts for playing mid week, early or late in the day, sometimes up to 50% cheaper.

TeeTimes.ie along with GolfNow offer discounted Green Fees from most clubs in Ireland

Open Days
Clubs will host Open Days, some weekly, at a discounted price for GUI members aswell and a list can be found on the GUI Website which brings us nicely to the next topic.

Club Membership
There are a few membership options now, all of which could save you money in the long term on top of allowing you to participate in Open Days

Distance Membership
This is used mainly if you don't get to play often and is usually heavily discounted.

Pay and Play
You pay a small sub and then pay reduced green fees. Its probably the most flexible.

3 & 5 Day Membership
This entitles you to play at anytime usually from Monday to Wedensday (3) or Monday to Friday (5) with the option of reduced green fee's for the weekend.

Full Membership
This is the most expensive option but allows you to play anyday free all year round.

Some Clubs will restrict the bigger competition's to full members only plus some other benefits.

Online Tips/Videos
Here are some coaches who post online.

Mark Crossfield

Rick Shiels

Me and My Golf

Shawn Clement

[Some Books

David Pelz's Short Game Bible

Ben Hogans Five Lessons


Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect


They're are loads more, the above are just some of the most popular.

Threads of Interest

Arrange A Game / Open Events
Don't know anyone who plays golf or just want to play with some new people? This is the thread for you.

Post a Video of Your Swing
Want to show off your new swing or get advice on something your working on, stick it here.

How did you score in your last round ??...2014
This thread is for posting your recent scores and keeping track of other members current scores.

Hows Your Game
You can use this thread to let us know what your working on and how its going.

Golfing Bargains
Here you can post any deals you seen or find some yourself.

Boards.ie Golf Handicap Handicap Index 2014
Here you can update and keep track of your handicap aswell as others.

Weather
A useful thread to speculate when the rain is arriving :pac:

Tell Us What You Bought
Use this thread to show of your new gear.

Wanted!
You can use this to find the equipment your having a hard time finding.

Course Guides
Some first hand advice on courses around Ireland

Whats In The Bag

Barry Rhodes Rules Of Golf Blog
Show us what you bring to the course in this thread.

Will Update over time.