Beginner

[agr347]

I have been playing (well attempting to play) for the last 8 months or so, and am still having trouble hitting my irons with any kind of consistency.  I am a big guy and don't have a lot of flexibility so I am sure that may be part of the problem, but  I have been working to correct this.  I have gotten fairly decent with my driver, but still pretty much suck when it comes to actually getting it onto the greens after my drives.  Any suggestions?

[SEClion]

Go get a lesson from a PGA professional at your local course.

[Thunderhog Jr]

 :razorback:

The thing that helped me with my irons was to shorten my backswing, use a club or two more, put my weight on my left side and concentrate on making good contact more than worry about where it goes.  Once I started making good contact I started hitting it straighter.  I then slowly lenghtend my backswing which allowed me to club down normally.  Once you start making good contact your confidence in your irons should improve.  You might want to start by just using a chipping motion and work from there.  Oh yeah, accelerate through the ball.

:razorback:

[hog49]

Go get a lesson from a PGA professional at your local course.

SEClion is right.  Take lessons from a good , PGA teaching pro.   Start lessons before you develop any more bad habits.

Lessons will build your fundamentals and allow you to enjoy your golf much more and much more quickly.  Golf is too difficult for 99.999% of people to learn on their own. I tried and failed and I consider my self a good athlete. Read books, took suggestions from non-teaching pros, etc...Every other sport I tried, I was able to master...but not golf...

Taking lessons from a good pro is the best thing I ever did for my golf..  I went from shooting in the 100's and actually quit for a while and now I break 80 regularly and now I love it!!

[MS_HogFan]

you have only been playing for 8 months. you are gonna suck for a while.  i have been playing for 15 years and i still have days when i suck.
getting lessons is a good idea if you can afford it, but if you want to get better, just play. im not sure how old you are or what your goals are, but just hit balls every chance you get and you will figure it out.
there is no way for someone to fix your swing without looking at it. the key to the game is keep your hands ahead of the club head.  If you can do that you will figure the rest out.
Good Luck

[agr347]

Thanks for the help.  I am 24 so hopefully I will have plenty of years to get better at it!

[Throwback1]

Remember, you are trying to learn the most difficult, aggravating game known to man.  No matter how good you get, you'll always strive to get better, which should be some part of the answer to the question, "How can I make myself insane?".

[hog49]

If you want to have fun, take lessons....
If you want to be frustrated and struggle on the course, don't take lessons.

I play golf with lots of different people and I feel sorry for the poor guys that don't know how to grip the club, don't know how to set up to the ball, don't know how to line up their shot, etc etc and then, they get upset because they can't hit a golf shot...   There's really no reason for them to get upset...since they can't do even the fundamental things, they should expect to hit mostly bad shots and rarely to never breaking 100...

Take lessons from a good teaching pro and learn how to play....then, you'll know enough to get upset over playing poorly 

[Throwback1]

I"m not playing with those people, anyway...lol

[BR]

Tip Beer Cart Girl well, she is your friend!

Take Lessons from a PRO....

Tip Beer Cart Girl well, she is your friend!

[hog49]

Tip Beer Cart Girl well, she is your friend!

Take Lessons from a PRO....

Tip Beer Cart Girl well, she is your friend!

I think we have a winner!!  Great advice!!   I think that this should be posted in all club houses!

[Throwback1]

Has anybody mentioned tipping the beer girl well?

[dawginar]

Tip beer cart girl(or guy).....THEY R UR FRIEND...

more swings=more practice..........

swings can B on the practice range and help on the course...

BUT practice NOT FUN

[kingofdequeen]

Sell your clubs...buy a john boat. 

Best bet...PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.  no substitute for pounding balls.  Also...putt about 10x as much as you hit balls.  40% of your strokes will be around the moss.

[hog49]

Not to trying to be a smarta$$, but:

more bad swings = more bad practice = reinforcing bad habits = more bad golf

Bad swings on the driving range will help create more bad swings on the course.( I saw a young man hit two parked cars on two consecutive holes this weekend.  He lined up his body at the 10 o'clock direction to hit the ball to the 12 o'clock position..If he happened to square the club, he hit the ball dead left ,right at 10 o'clock, and that's how he hit the cars ;-)

I like to practice and enjoy lessons from a good pro...I would rather play but the lessons and practice help me enjoy the game. It also reduces strain on my old back, since I don't swing the club as many times as I used to in a round of golf(20-40 strokes less)

Take lessons and tip the cart girl, too!!

[GolfnHog]

Joetown Parrothead and  Hog49 have not lied to you, listen to them and good things will come. As you are relatively new you probably have already created some habits that are easily fixed with the help of a teaching pro and as you fix the fixable, the game will come to you and it will be enjoyable but yet still allow you to learn and use more profanity than you ever thought possible!!! 
In closing, you know why the game is called "golf" don't you? 

All the other 4 letters words were already in use.

[HOGWILD_F4I]

You say you are a big guy and don't have alot of flexibility..
So, you are probably a strong guy also..

I'm willing to wager that you probably try to "Hit" the golf ball, instead of swinging the club?

This is a mistake alot of beginners make. 

If you can't afford lessons, at least get yourself a copy of Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf".
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Lessons-Modern-Fundamentals-Golf/dp/0671612972

Nobody is capable of replicating Hogan's swing; but the fundamentals are all the same, and are required in each and every players swing, regardless of your size, shape, color, sex, etc.

[agr347]

You say you are a big guy and don't have alot of flexibility..
So, you are probably a strong guy also..

I'm willing to wager that you probably try to "Hit" the golf ball, instead of swinging the club?

This is a mistake alot of beginners make. 

If you can't afford lessons, at least get yourself a copy of Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf".
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Lessons-Modern-Fundamentals-Golf/dp/0671612972

Nobody is capable of replicating Hogan's swing; but the fundamentals are all the same, and are required in each and every players swing, regardless of your size, shape, color, sex, etc.

Thanks for that link.   I will check that out.

[gwddog]

It is all in the clubs, if you haven't invested over $2,000 dollars in your equipment then you need to do that immediately if you ever want to get very good at your game. Seriously though, slow your back sling down and practice with your highest number iron and work your way through them. Leave the driver in the bag, lessons would do wonders but be sure to ask the golf pro what level of players he or she is accustomed to working with, it does make a difference if they teach beginners or low handicappers. Good luck and never take the game seriously and you'll always have fun playing.

[wendellgee]

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book was a big help for me.