With practice, a beginner can learn golf in six months

Say you’re 35 or 45 years old, and you’ve never played golf. With the right teacher and time to play or practice three times a week, you could be able to make a good showing when you’re out with people who have played casually for many years.

Ron Stepanek, head of business development for the PGA, says almost anyone can learn to break 100 in five or six months. Someone with decent hand-eye coordination and any kind of athletic experience could probably break 90.

With the agreement to take lessons for five or six months, a teacher and student have the time to master the fundamentals in the right order before progressing.

The instructors say committed beginners make faster progress because they don’t have to unlearn as many bad habits.

Beginners start with putting and chipping. Once they understand what well-hit shots feel like at that level, they build up to full-swing shots. The Wall Street Journal’s John
Paul Newport says three of the six instructors he interviewed started with the short game.

He recommends relying on word of mouth to find an instructor, scheduling a trial lesson, and talking about your goals to determine whether the connection is right.

Some good tips:

* Start learning drives at a practice range, not on the course.

* Don’t make your spouse or significant other your main teacher.

* Make sure you learn a proper grip and then proceed to the swing.