The Golf Classes Dilemma: How To Get Your Moneys Worth

Or you might want your ball to stay in the air just a bit longer (rather than having it get slowed down as it rolls).

Different courses use different types of grass. For the most part, grass is grass. And as a beginner, you may not even notice that much of a difference between courses and how grass affects your play. As your skills and your control develop, however, you'll become more aware of the grass.

For example, you'll find different types of grasses used on courses in different climates. A warm-climate course may use something like Bermuda grass, while a cool-climate course may use something similar to bentgrass. Generally, bentgrass allows you to put more spin on your ball as opposed to Bermuda grass. Thus it may be easier to use fades and draws in bentgrass. Meanwhile, if you don't have proper form then your hooks and slices may be slightly amplified if you're playing in bentgrass.

The grass grain can affect your putts. The "grain" of the grass is the direction the grass grows. In other words, grass rarely grows straight up and down. Instead, it tends to be pointed in one direction or the other. Plus other factors can affect the direction it points, including wind and drainage conditions.

The direction the grass grows can certainly affect your putt. If you're putting in the same direction the grass grows, your ball may roll faster and further than you anticipated. If you're putting against the grain, it may slow up and stop just a bit sooner than you expected. And sidewise across the grain? It's hard to tell - it may be "just right," or you may feel it slows your ball down too much. You'll need to experiment on different greens to get a feel for how the grain affects your play.

What kind of shot should you use in tall grass? It's disheartening when your ball lands in the tall grass of the rough. Many golfer's mental game suffers at this point. But don't let it. And don't worry about creating a fancy shot to get out of the long grass. Instead, just use a longer club than you would on the fairway (which will give you more power). Then swing as usual, using a slightly firmer grip.

TIP: If your ball is sitting up on the rough, you'll need to choke up on your club a bit by gripping it lower on the shaft. This will give you more control.

If your ball is buried, then put your primary focus on taking an explosive shot just to pop it back onto the fairway (rather than worrying too much about moving it towards the green).

Each time you focus on something new there is a serious chance of your handicap will be reduced.

Have you ever considered signing up for golf lessons at a golfing school? However easy it may look when you watch the professional golfers, there is no doubt that golf can be a difficult game. If you really want to play well you need to practice, build up your skill and consider expert tuition.

Golf beginners can be easily tempted to think that the longer you play the greater the chance there is of your game improving and you do not therefore need any golf lessons at all.