The Beginners Guide to Golf

For beginners who want to start out at golf it can feel quite daunting. To begin with there’s the decision of what golf clubs and accessories to buy, then there’s the rules of golf course etiquette and finally there’s the terminology to get the grips with. It can all feel a little bit confusing, however, we’re here to help that!
What equipment do I need?
A great way to begin is to get hold of a golf set, once you’ve acquired one of these you’re 90% there. These sets normally include a selection of irons, a pitching wedge (PW), sand wedge (SW), putter, driver, wood and hybrid club. Following this, the only kit left to acquire are golf tees and golf balls. You might wonder (if you’ve ever looked at the vast selection of golf balls on offer) why there are so many and which ones to use. A pro such as Lee Westwood, for example, uses Titleist Golf Balls, specifically the V1x, however for a beginner who is more than likely going to lose a good number of golf balls to the water/undergrowth/farmers field, a more ‘economical’ (i.e. cheaper) option is recommended, at least until your technique improves. As with most sports, technique is much more important than the very best equipment.
Where to learn
Driving ranges and ‘Pitch-and-Putts’ are much more ‘beginner friendly’ than golf clubs are. Everything is very informal and it’s a perfect place to perfect your swing and get a feel for your new golf set before taking it to a club. Driving ranges for example deliver you with the opportunity to work on your swing in a no pressure environment, and for around £6.00 provide you with a bucket of around 120 balls to practice with. Many driving ranges also offer one-to-one golf lessons and are something to definitely consider, in most cases a good teacher can teach you more in a 30 minute lesson than you could teach yourself over several weeks.  
What club to use when
Knowing when and which club to use will come with practice, however as a general rule, drivers/woods provide you with the greatest distance, followed by irons (with distance decreasing the higher the iron used), pitching wedges and sand wedges. Understanding which clubs match which distance will help you in achieving ‘par’ (the pre-determined number of strokes a golfer should aim to complete a hole in) and hopefully even beat it. Our golf scoring terminology chart can help you understand what score you are achieving and instantly make you sound like a golfer!
My recommendations
For the beginner who is looking to take their first steps into the world of golf I would recommend the Dunlop 65i Golf Set for adults or the Dunlop Junior Golf Set for junior golfers. The majority of
the golf clubs mentioned above are included within these package and it is generally the perfect place to start without breaking the bank.