Everything Beginner Golfers Need to Know

Our passion here at the Housewives of Golf podcast is for all women to be empowered and encouraged to jump into the world of golf. We genuinely believe that it’s for everyone! But starting out as a beginner golfer can be a bit scary and a bit intimidating.

So, to walk us through her experience getting started with golf, we invited Karin Eckrote onto episode 53 of the podcast. Karin is a long-time friend of Sarah’s and pretty new to the sport. She talks about her experience getting started, some limiting mindsets to overcome, golf fashion, and how to establish a handicap index.

If you’re a beginner golfer, this one’s for you!

Getting into Golf: Karin’s Story

We always love hearing about how someone finds their way to golf. And for Karin, the seeds were planted during high school, when her mom encouraged her to start learning. At that time, though, Karin preferred team sports and kind of just left it alone.

Fast forward to her 30s, Karin realized she needed something else in her life to stay active and be outside—the gym was just not cutting it. So, she connected with some colleagues and joined their casual golf league that met every week. As time went on, she started to enjoy it more and more!

Here are some things that helped Karin in those initial stages of becoming a golfer:

• Join a league and have fun. Socialization and meeting new people were the initial draws for Karin and created an environment where it was easy to keep practicing and improving.
• Get some lessons. Frustrated by not being immediately great at golf, Karin took some private lessons. After just a few intro lessons, she improved to a point where she was more confident getting back out onto the green.
• Invest once you’re committed. Karin didn’t invest in her own clubs until she was sure this was going to be a long-term interest. Until then, she borrowed clubs, allowing her to try out different kinds and see what would work best for her.

Beginner Golfer Mindsets

Negative mindsets can really prevent women from getting into golf. Most experience that running commentary in their heads: am I good enough? Is everyone watching me? What’s the point of posting my scores?

But the truth is that most golfers are just focused on their own game—they’re not looking at you! So, you need to keep the mindset as a beginner that you are learning and improving, yes, but it’s not about just becoming the best right away. Golf is more than that.

Karin identified some of the things she loves about golf that helped keep her balanced and in the right mindset:

• Golfing is a way to meet new people.
• Golfing is a hobby she can enjoy independently from her other responsibilities as a mom.
• Golf allows her to tap into her competitive side, where she learns to focus on improving her own game and “beating” her past scores.

There is so much to gain from playing golf. So, don’t let negative mindsets hold you back from going for it. People are not as concerned about your game as you think… just do your thing and have fun with it!

What Beginner Golfers Need to Know

Entering into the world of golf can be a bit overwhelming. Here’s a few things that Karin identified that beginner golfers need to know:

Golf apparel

Okay, the point of golf is not to use it as your personal fashion show… but it kind of is, right? We discussed what was working and what wasn’t with Karin. So far, she’s identified that the Lululemon skirts don’t work for her, even though both Tori and Sarah love them.

But that just goes to show everyone’s different! So, try a few brands and see what works for you. We talked all about women’s golf apparel brands on episode 55 of the Housewives of Golf podcast, so make sure to check it out.

Pace of Play

One thing that a lot of beginner golfers stress out about is pace of play. Are you going fast enough? Are people getting frustrated with you? Making sure you’re keeping up pace of game is an important thing to get right.

Here’s the golden rule: Keep up with the group ahead of you and don’t worry about the group behind you. That said, if you’re struggling to keep up, don’t be afraid to wave the group behind you and just keep going.

Golf is a big mental game, so don’t let this stress you out too much. Just do what you can to keep up and keep moving forward.

Handicap index

We talked all about establishing a Handicap Index on episode 50… so you can check it out there. The funny thing is that Karin also listened to that episode and was inspired to start establishing her own! As she put it, there’s no harm in doing it and it will benefit you by showing your progression over time.

The other benefit to establishing a handicap index for beginner golfers is that it allows you to participate in tournaments! There are so many fun tournaments out there, and you don’t want to miss out. Country club invitationals or guest days are the perfect tournament for beginner golfers to start out at—but you need to establish your handicap index first.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary to start playing golf. That’s what we’re all about here at The Housewives of Golf podcast—making golf accessible to all women. We’re so grateful that Karin shared her story of how she started playing golf along with all her tips and tricks for beginner golfers. She’s the proof that golf is for anyone who wants to learn.

Check out our full conversation with Karin over on the podcast (you can watch it on YouTube here!). While you’re there, check out the other Housewives of Golf podcast to learn everything you need to know as a beginner golfer.

Podcast Time Segments

[02:49] A top course to visit; Wickenburg Ranch.
[04:35] Meet today's guest, Karin Eckrote. 
[09:40] Karin's journey with golf. 
[19:57] USGA now allows non-club members to get a Handicap Index. 
[22:04] Why a country club Invitational is the perfect tournament to start out with. 
[23:40] Karin's advice to her past self 
[25:30] About the Handicap Index (from Episode 50)
[31:34] Getting started in Golf; Clothing
[36:38] Pace of Play; Dealing with Anxiety as a beginner. 
[42:10] Start posting your scores and maintaining your handicap index. 
[48:58] Karin's preferred driving range; the Continental Driving Range. 
[52:48] What has golf brought to your life? 

Links

Check out Wickenburg Ranch
The Handicap Index Episode (Episode 50)
Karin's preferred driving range; the Continental Driving Range. 
To register for a Handicap Index®, visit: usga.org/getahandicapTori
Check out and download TODAY the bestselling practice program, Short Game 100!!
Subscribe to our FREE Female Golfer Facebook Group: Housewives of Golf

The BFore Golf Program

Did you know that golf is one of the sports with the largest number of beginner dropouts? Beginner golfers are very difficult to teach due to the overwhelming amount of information that is required just to get started. If you are one of many people who want to incorporate golf into their life, you may also be one of those people who have felt discouraged by the overwhelming learning curve, we have the solution you need.

It is not just about knowing your golf clubs and learning how to stand. You also need to understand the course, memorize the slang, recognize the positioning subtleties between golf clubs, the etiquette of the game, etc. This series of videos is going to provide the 101 on all aspects of golf to help you take on the sport with core essentials in mind! We take teaching to a completely new level with a very insightful, but also practical, and reliable method.

This means you will enjoy the experience as you get better instead of feeling frustrated and unable to enjoy the game.

Click HERE to get started!

Resources

Connect with us on your favorite social platform:
Subscribe to our FREE Female Golfer Facebook Group: Housewives of Golf

Tori:
Instagram: @tori_totlis
TikTok: @tori_totlis
Website: CompeteConfidenceGolf.com

Sarah:
Instagram: @sarahheldgolftravel
Website: EliteGolfExperience.com

Podcast IG: @housewivesofgolf
Podcast YouTube: Housewives of Golf

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