Golf Tips
for New Fans
Like any sport, golf is confusing to watch if
you never played it yourself or you didn’t
grow up watching it. Here are a few things you
can do to learn more about the sport.
1. Read about the basics.
Here are a few sites you should visit to learn
more about the game:
-1a.Online:
SportSpectator Fan’s
Guide to Golf: Our 10 minute guide to golf.
Wikipedia
Golf Write-up: Good wiki community write-up
on golf.
-1b. Consider buying one or several of the following
books:
Golf
Essentials for Dummies
Complete
Idiot's Guide to Golf
2. Watch a televised match.
The commentary makes the sport much easier to
follow and will help you pick up the lingo. Commentators
use the language and provide analysis that will
help you learn. Professional golf tournaments
are four days long, with play starting on Thursday
and ending on Sunday. Between the PGA (men's pro),
LPGA, (women's pro), and senior tours, there is
televised coverage of golf almost every week.
3. Watch a major tournament and follow
a player over the 4 days. Golf is much
more fun to watch when you are rooting for a player.
If possible, choose one of the four major tournaments
(Masters, British Open, US Open, and PGA championship).
These are the most important tournaments in terms
of both prestige and payout. Some players, like
Tiger Woods, play very few tournaments that aren't
one of the majors. Other players, like VJ Singh,
play as many tournaments as possible. Choose a
popular player like Tiger Woods, VJ Singh, or
Phil Mickleson. Or consider choosing an unknown
player that is on the leaderboard after the first
day. If you have to choose only one day to watch,
watch the final day (Sunday).
4. Play. If you've never played
before, have a friend or colleague take you to
a driving range so that you can appreciate what
it is like to hit a golf ball. If you have moderate
success at the range, have a friend take you out
to an inexpensive public course (preferably a
Par-3 course). People on public courses, especially
Par-3 courses, have a much higher tolerance for
novice players.
|