Tips for Playing a New Course for the First Time

You’ve probably played a few different golf courses in your time. Perhaps you’re a local at a golf course in your town, playing every weekend. Chances are still high that you’ve played a couple games elsewhere. Different course have similarities and differences. Here are some tips for navigating a new course for the first time. Check the course out Do some research on the course. Read what the course’s website has to offer about the course, or check out client testimonials to see what they say about the course. You may learn that there’s a particularly difficult hole that trips up almost everyone. Learn about the degree of difficulty that the course has, which can help if you’re a beginner or a pro. When you arrive at the golf club, you can also check out the layout booklet or score card. Both should provide you with a diagram of the holes. Some booklets may even provide you with possible hazards or local rules or etiquette so you don’t look like a beginner, whether you are or not. An important tip, that most people ignore is to look at the flag locations on the 9^th and 18^th holes. These greens should be marked with red, white and blue pins which measure the distance to the center of the green. Noting the distance can help your swing on a new course. Warm Up It’s key to warm up your body and your swing before you play. Whether you’ve already been out on the course this season, or if it’s your first game, it’s important get your muscles moving before you play. Try hitting a small bucket of balls, or doing some stretches before heading out on the course. Try taking some swings at the clubs putting green, with your electric golf caddy. You could learn a lot about the condition of the courses’ green, whether they’re slow or faster. Out on the course Be sure to lookout for ponds or creeks. Walk the course and slopes, let your feet tell you what’s best. Land will typically slope to water, no matter what it may look like, so factor that in when you take a swing. If you use the first couple holes as practice holes, you can learn a ton about the course. Using this knowledge on the rest of the course, will let you overcome the first holes that you may have forfeited. Enjoy the game, whether you’re on a favorite course or a new one. Some courses will always have difficult areas and easy areas. Follow the rules and the etiquette of the course, and you should be set.