5 Common Mistakes Beginner Golfers Make…And How to Limit Them From Happening!

Written by Brendon Elliott

 

With the game of golf being as complex as it is, it makes sense that multiple things can go wrong at any given time. As golfers, all we can realistically do is try our best to minimize bad swings and on-course mistakes. Ben Hogan may have captured the essence of this idea in his quote…“This is a game of misses. The guy who misses the best is going to win.” No golfer on the planet will ever hit every shot, make every putt, and go without a mistake in a round…that includes the professionals.

With this concept firmly in mind, I wanted to share the following… The list to come includes five common mistakes that I see beginner golfers make. For swing or playing-related mistakes, I’ll cover how to “fix” the error or, at the very least, limit them from happening and do so through technology. 

 

#1- Not Seeing The Importance Of Or Working On Pre-Swing Fundamentals 

Pre-swing fundamentals include three main areas—Posture, Grip, and Alignment. If any of these fundamentals are off, a golfer’s ability to hit the ball well and at the target dramatically decreases. By using V1 GOLF, with or without your coach, golfers can notice things in video playback that they may not otherwise be able to see or feel. One great example is the idea of “feel” vs. “real” as it relates to alignment.

Eight out of every ten students come to me with some alignment issue. How they “feel” regarding their body alignment to the target and what is “real” regarding how they are aligned are very often off. In the down the line view using the V1 GOLF App, coaches and golfers can draw lines to show the position of shoulders, hips, knees, and feet and how they correspond to the target line. This is where technology bridges the gap between “feel” and “real,” as you can clearly see where issues lie.

Fix- With your new coach or without, learn the tools that V1 GOLF offers, and use them often for analysis. 

 

#2- Not Turning The Body Properly Throughout The Swing

The golf swing is a rotational movement of the hips and upper torso around a fixed point. The fixed point is the spine, running from the base of the back of the head and down to the tailbone. Many beginner golfers think of the swing as more of a side-to-side movement without rotation.

Through V1 GOLF, coaches can capture and share video of a new golfer’s body movements as they swing and compare them, in a split screen view, with any one of hundreds of PGA and LPGA Professionals. Having that reference can drive points home where deficiencies in a golfer’s swing may be…such as not correctly rotating the hips and upper body.

Fix- Use the side-by-side comparison feature on the V1 GOLF App to understand how to use your body better with your swing.

 

#3- Not Knowing The Distances They Hit Their Clubs, Or How Far Targets Really Are From Them

Many golfers have no idea what distances they hit their clubs on average. As new golfers start to venture onto the golf course, there will always be a period of the “great unknown.” What I mean by this is that they will not have any frame of reference regarding the distances they hit their clubs. Over time, and through playing multiple rounds, golfers will begin to have a better idea of what clubs might be best from certain distances, but it is still, very often, a guessing game.

With the V1 GAME app and it’s all-in-one GPS and shot-tracking capabilities, a golfer will know precisely how far their targets are from them. Additionally, as the app gets more game play data, patterns will arise where golfers can see what clubs they hit most often and what distances.  Golfers can make intuitive adjustments to club selection through accurate GPS distances and shot tracking data over time. That information will eventually lead to better scores. You can find more in this Check Your Distance Gapping blog.

Fix- Stop guessing how far targets or obstacles are and get to know your distances with the V1 GAME App.

 

#4- Not Taking Lessons

To play this game and to start right, beginner golfers should seriously consider professional lessons and coaching. With so much to learn, and not just all the little intricacies of the swing, it is well worth the investment of having professional coaching and instruction. Golf Coaches not only know the swing and the game intimately and can pass on that knowledge in a well-communicated way, but they also know how to use technology to help you see what’s happening with your game in real-time. V1 GOLF and V1 GAME are two examples of tech that many top coaches know well and encourage students to use. V1 GOLF allows coaches to explain, through video analysis, what is happening in a student’s swing. Better yet, through the V1 GOLF App, a student will always have access to the videos coaches make where they break down their swing. Technology, especially easy-to-use and understand tech, is invaluable for any new or seasoned golfer. Through their use, golfers can get a far better understanding of their game.

Fix- Find a reputable coach, take lessons, and use easy-to-use technology like V1 GOLF.

 

#5- Not Putting Enough Emphasis On The Importance of Practicing Putting

Many new golfers focus mainly on learning the swing. They spend most of their time on the range tee, working relentlessly in trying to perfect their swing. In reality, the one area many beginner golfers could benefit the most in learning the basics of is putting and spending much more time in that area.

Putting makes up nearly 40% of all the shots taken during a round. Spending more time practicing putting can improve a golfer’s scoring relatively quickly and dramatically. However, many newbies spend little time in this area.

The V1 GOLF App offers a Drills area with tons of great videos from V1 Coaches. From full swing to putting, countless beneficial videos provide advice and drills that can help golfers of any level.

Fix- Start working on your putting more often to see scores drop quicker. Go to the Drills section of the V1 GOLF App, go to the search bar, and type in Putting to find tons of great drills and tips from some of the game’s best coaches.

 

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is a multiple award-winning Golf Professional based in Central Florida. He is the 2017 PGA of America’s National Youth Player Development Award Winner and is the recipient of more than 25 other industry awards with a focus on Coaching & Education. He is considered by his peers as an industry expert on topics ranging from Jr. Golf Development to Operations to Industry Sustainability. He is the founder of the Little Linksters Golf Academies and the Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development, a 501c3 nonprofit also based out of Central Florida. Brendon is also a freelance golf writer for PGA.com, Golf Range Magazine and several other golf websites and blogs. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America. You can learn more about Brendon at BrendonElliott.com and Little Linksters at littlelinksters.com.