Golf Tips for Beginners

Tennessee Mountain Golf

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Located on the beautiful Cumberland Plateau, the Fairfield Glade and Crossville area is known as “The Golf Capital of Tennessee”. With our many championship courses, from the Jack Nicklaus designed Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain in Crossville to the highly rated Stonehenge at Fairfield Glade, we have courses that are enjoyed by all levels of golfers.

Golf is never easy — especially as a beginner — but we’re here to help.

1. Swing with an Anti-Slice Grip

If you slice, it may be because you’re not closing the clubface fast enough through the hitting zone. To improve your ability to deliver a square clubface (relative to your path), make practice swings with your hands split apart on the grip.

Hold the club in its normal position with your gloved hand. Then slide your lower hand down to where the grip meets the shaft (photo, left). Separating your hands like this makes it easier to square the face through impact. Also, it keeps the handle pointing at your belly button as the clubhead slings out toward the ball. Make sure to brush the grass aggressively. If you can recreate the feels in the drill on real swings, you’re money. —Krista Dunton

2. Steps to Perfect Posture

How you set up over the ball greatly influences how well you’re able to hit it. To correctly prep your posture for action, stand with a club pressed against your thighs. Then bend forward from your hips while slightly flexing your knees. If you do this without hunching your back, your arms will hang straight down. Perfect. Now grip the handle with your glove hand and check that it’s at roughly a 45-degree angle to your forearm. Once you’ve taken hold with your gloved hand, add the other. Congrats! You’re in perfect setup posture. —Sean Hogan

3. Get Square at the Start

Often, shots go wayward because of a misaligned clubface at address. Place an alignment stick outside the golf ball, so it creates a 90-degree angle with the target line (photo, above). As you set up, align the leading edge of the club with the stick, then pull it back to its regular position. It’s a simple way to ensure that the face is square every time. —Mark Durland

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