Making Those First Rounds Easier

By Nancy Berkley, excerpted from Women Welcome Here! A Guide to Growing Women's Golf
Download a printer-friendly PDF of this list of tips

1. Tee it up on the fairway! When your tees fly out of the ground consistently, it's time to hit off the ground.
2. Join a beginner league that has permission to use special rules for hazards and difficult situations.
3. Watch the USGA's video, "The Spirit of the Game." It uses humor in a positive way to make the rules meaningful and easier to remember.
4. Be creative a bout scoring. For example, rather than counting every stroke, count the number of holes where you scored a triple bogey.
5. Know when it's best to pick up the ball and start again fresh on the next hole. (Somewhere around 10 strokes is usually a good number.)
6. Speed up play on the green by declaring putts within a certain distance as "good." Somewhere around two feet is usually referred to as a "gimme."
7. Play less than nine holes if your club will allow it. Many late afternoon programs provide for play on only six holes—or even three.
8. Play in a scramble or "best ball" format. (After teeing off, everyone hits from the agreed-on best ball in the foursome.)

More Articles from Moms Who Golf

• Great Tips for Golfing Newcomers, by PGA Professional Justina Hopkins
• Golfing Rules and Etiquette, by PGA Professional Justina Hopkins

Online Resources for Newcomers

• Find a Chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association
• Find/Request a Women's Golf Event from Women On Course
• Find a Women's State Golf Association
• Find a Golf Instructor specializing in women
• Must-Know Rules and Etiquette

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