Golf Basics: My Simple Guide To Getting Started

me and my golf basics

Me and My Golf is an online coaching platform founded by golfers, for golfers. PGA coaches Piers Ward and Andy Proudman provide a variety of video content for avid golf fans that reaches more than 180 countries. The platform offers simple, step-by-step plans to fix every area of your game, with easy-to-follow instructions and simple practice drills that will help you learn how to play golf in a matter of weeks. The content covers a range of topics, from grip, aim, stance, and ball position to flexibility, mobility, and mindset. The platform also includes entertainment-focused golf challenges, course vlogs, and trick shots.

Characteristics Values
Founders PGA coaches Piers Ward and Andy Proudman
Rating 4.8 out of 5
Features Core instructional training tips and drills, entertainment-focused golf challenges, course vlogs, and trick shots
Target Audience Beginners and experienced golfers
Benefits Simple, step-by-step plans to fix every area of your game, guided practice plans, video tutorials, flexibility, mobility, and mindset improvement
Course Features Easy-to-follow instructions, simple practice drills, video content, live practice tool for real-time feedback, and common golfing myths

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Grip

The grip is an essential part of your golf game as it's the only part of your body that touches the golf club. It influences the angle of your swing path and the club face.

To begin, stand straight with your feet together, point the leading edge of the club straight up, and place the club in the fingers of your glove hand. Close your hand around the club, ensuring you can see all four knuckles and the logo of your glove. Then, place your other hand below, so your right thumb overlaps your left thumb (if you're right-handed), forming a V-shape with your index finger. You should now be able to see your thumb and two knuckles. At this stage, don't worry about overlapping or interlocking your fingers.

The V-shape between your thumb and index finger is crucial. It should point up to the right of your chin, with your thumb resting slightly down the right side of the grip. This ensures the club is supported under the fleshy part of your hand, giving you a stronger grip. Many people hold the club in their palm, which promotes a weak grip and restricts your ability to set the wrists in the backswing. To check for a weak left-hand grip, look down and ensure you can see two knuckles on your left hand.

When interlocking your fingers, avoid a deep interlock, as this can make your right hand too 'strong', causing the club face to shut too quickly during the swing. This can lead to hitting a low hook. Conversely, ensure your right hand isn't too weak, which can cause the ball to go high and right of the target. Remember, your hand positioning affects the club face, which accounts for 75% of the ball's direction.

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Stance and aim

A good stance is the foundation of a good golf swing. When you're new to golf, the fundamentals are key, and it all starts with your stance. A proper golf stance is more than just how you stand—it's the base from which every great swing is born.

A proper golf stance combines optimal body alignment, posture, and foot position to generate the right power and accuracy for your golf swing. The proper golf stance involves standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed between both feet. Your spine should be straight with a slight forward tilt from the hips, and your arms should hang naturally from your shoulders.

Your feet, hips, and shoulders play a pivotal role in setting up your swing path. If you align these elements parallel to your target line (the imaginary line from your ball to your target), your swing path will naturally follow this line, helping to deliver straight shots. This also means that the stance width matters. For most full-swing shots with mid-irons up through fairway woods, a width equal to your shoulders is ideal. For tee shots with your driver and other fairway woods, widen your stance slightly to about 2-3 inches wider than your shoulders. This allows you to grip down an extra inch and creates extra leverage for generating more power.

There are two different aspects to ball position. The first is where you position the ball front to back in your golf stance. The second is how far you position the ball away from your feet, or how far away you stand from the ball. For a driver, the ball should be positioned forward in your stance off the heel of your lead foot. For a wedge, your ball should be positioned back almost to the middle of your stance. For the clubs in between, move the ball progressively back as the club gets shorter.

Mental preparation can also play a significant role in enhancing your alignment and aiming. Visualizing your shot before you execute it can be incredibly powerful. Picture the flight of the ball, the path it will take, and its landing spot. This mental image guides your body's alignment and aiming and helps improve shot accuracy and consistency.

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Myths and concepts

Me and My Golf is an online coaching platform with plans for golfers of all levels. The platform offers a four-week plan called 'How to Play Golf—The Basics' to help beginners with the game. The plan covers various topics, including grip, aim, stance, and ball position. In addition, the platform also addresses common golf myths and provides simple practice drills to improve one's game.

One common myth in golf is that the golf swing is straight back and straight through. However, this is not the case, and understanding the correct swing path is crucial for improvement. Additionally, Me and My Golf emphasizes the importance of grip, which is the only part of the body that touches the golf club. They provide a detailed description of how to properly hold a golf club, ensuring the correct placement of the hands and alignment of the knuckles.

Another myth addressed by Me and My Golf is the belief that you need to get under the ball to make it go in the air. They clarify that golf clubs have loft built-in, so hitting down on the ball will actually cause it to go up. In fact, striking the ball while the club is descending can lead to better results. This demonstrates how understanding and dispelling myths can improve one's technique and performance.

Me and My Golf also offer guidance on improving one's flexibility and mobility, which can unlock golfing potential and improve performance. Their simple, tried-and-tested methods have helped golfers break 90 and even reach the 80s in their scores. The platform provides clear and concise instructions, presented in a way that is easy to understand and implement, making it accessible to golfers of all levels.

Overall, Me and My Golf's approach to basics and myth-busting is comprehensive and effective. By addressing common misconceptions and providing practical advice, they help golfers improve their technique, strategy, and overall performance on the course. Their step-by-step plans and simple drills cater to golfers of all skill levels, making the game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

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Ball striking

Improving Ball Striking

There are several ways to improve ball striking. One way is to increase hip tilt. This can be done by getting into a setup position with hands on the hips and knees flexed. Push the hips back using the fingers, which should make the rear end "pop" out a bit, creating a crease in the pants just below the belt. The belt buckle should point just beyond the ball, not straight out in front. The right amount of hip hinge stabilizes the turn for a tighter coil during the backswing.

Another tip is to stop the shoulder turn at 90 degrees while keeping the right knee flexed, which lets you load a lot of energy. This will make the swing feel tighter, not shorter. The extra hip turn allows the shoulders to rotate a full 90 degrees.

Additionally, it is important to have a good setup and a tempo backswing. Understanding how the golf swing works and applying it to your own swing is also crucial.

Common Issues with Ball Striking

A common issue with ball striking is the trail foot being too wide, causing the player to sway off the ball instead of turning into the trail heel. This can result in contact issues.

Another issue is the stance being too wide, which can throw off alignment. This can cause problems with consistency.

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Mobility and mindset

Golf is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. To improve your game, it's important to work on your flexibility and mobility, as well as your mindset.

Me and My Golf offer a four-week plan to help beginners with the basics of the game, covering grip, aim, and stance. They also provide guided practice plans and live practice tools to analyse your swing and get real-time feedback. Their videos are easy to follow and understand, with simple instructions and drills for beginners.

To improve your mindset, it's important to first understand the basics of golf psychology and mental game strategies. This includes developing a pre-shot routine, improving your body language, self-talk, and overall attitude. Having a pre-shot routine helps you commit to a target and prepare for the shot, and a post-shot routine helps you accept the shot and move on.

Breathing exercises are also a crucial part of mental preparation, helping you to stay focused and calm under pressure. It's important to learn when to focus and when to relax on the course, known as narrow and wide focus. Narrow focus refers to concentrating on the shot at hand, while wide focus allows your mind to recharge by thinking about other topics.

Additionally, eliminating stress triggers and managing your self-talk can help improve your mindset and unlock your full potential. This includes identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones, such as thinking of a happy memory or place when things aren't going according to plan.

Frequently asked questions

Me and My Golf is an online coaching platform with plans for golfers of all levels. It was founded by PGA coaches Piers Ward and Andy Proudman, who have spent over a decade coaching golf.

The Basics course covers grip, aim, stance, and ball position. It also includes tips and tricks for beginners, such as using a tee when practising.

The course is taught through easy-to-follow instruction and simple practice drills. It is sectioned into different parts so you can learn at your own pace.

You will need a golf club and a golf ball. When you are practising, you will also need a tee.

Me and My Golf currently offers a 30-day free trial for new members. After that, there are a variety of plans available, with the VIP package including monthly live webinars with Piers and Andy.

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