Walking onto the Course for the First Time: Women’s Beginner Golf Tips

While there are many, many golf resources out there, finding golf tips specifically for women who are beginners was not easy for me at all.

I remember my first round of golf like it was yesterday. I was so excited – I’d wanted to actually play a round of golf for so long. I was also really nervous – what if I made a huge mistake or looked like I didn’t know what I was doing?

You may have the same worries – what do you need to be prepared with for the first time you walk onto a course?  That’s why I put together this post – and long story short – you don’t need to know everything (or much at all!) about golf, you don’t need to spend lots of money (or any!), and if you remember these key tips specifically aimed at women beginner golfers, you’ll be all set for your own first time on the course.

Getting Ready for my First Round of Golf

I’d been on a course a few times before. When I was growing up, my grandma had taken me to a Par 3 course, but I had trouble even making contact with the ball. I did enjoy driving her around in a golf cart, so it was still a great day! I’d also taken lessons and gone to driving ranges over the years, but never really had enough confidence to go out on the course.

Before my first round of golf, I’d signed up for a ladies’ clinic at a local course. Every week, there was a one-hour session for women of all levels to join the golf pros to learn or improve their game. Each week focused on a different element of the game, and while the focus was mostly technical, the information on general golf etiquette and rules of the game were very helpful. I especially appreciated that since I was learning with a group of women, most who were beginners like me, the tips and guidance was really tailored specifically for us. Some lessons took place on the driving range or chipping areas, and some were out on a hole or two on the course.

One week, one of the women in the group suggested that some of us just get out on the course and put what we’d been learning into practice. After that night’s clinic, four of us signed up for a tee time in the pro shop, and it hit me that I had just a few days to make sure I was ready to hit the links.

That night, it hit me – I felt completely unprepared to play an actual round of golf!

• I didn’t have clubs
• I had no idea what to wear
• I didn’t know all the rules of golf
• I was afraid of sticking out like a sore thumb

I started to second-guess myself. Maybe the timing was off. Maybe I should wait until I knew more – knew everything – about playing golf. I didn’t want to embarrass myself! 

That night, I looked up a couple of resources – YouTube videos, websites, even the PGA site! I couldn’t find much in the way of golf tips for women beginners, but there were a few good resources for an overview of the game. Still, I started to feel the pressure that I wouldn’t remember a thing. I remembered advice from the golf clinic that I attended: the most important thing new golfers should keep in mind is “pace of play.”

What’s pace of play?

Pace of play is the total amount of time it takes a group to play each hole, or play the course. Typically, for a round of 18 holes, the pace of play is about four hours and twenty minutes, though this can vary based on the course. I knew we wouldn’t be playing 18 holes – 9 still seemed like a long day for me – but we’d play 9, and aim to finish in just over two hours. How hard could that be?

Pace of play is important because you don’t want to slow down the golfers that are behind you. Golf courses schedule sequential tee times and it’s important to keep your game moving so you don’t cause a wait behind you. When you’re learning to golf, it’s important to learn the game and get better, but not at the expense of the other golfers on the course.

The scorecards you get at the course also typically outline the pace of play for the course, and often, each hole. You can take a look at the suggested timing and aim to finish your hole in that window. If you aim for about 15 minutes or less on each hole, you should be okay.

What did I need for my first round of golf?

Golf clubs: I had no clubs, so I borrowed a set from a friend. You could also call the course to inquire about a set to rent. If you’re golfing with friends, you can also borrow clubs from their bags – this is really common with the ladies I golf with

Balls, tees, ball marker: The course I played at would give us some balls to play with – as members of the ladies’ clinic, I think they extended this to us as a courtesy. They weren’t nice golf balls – they’d been picked up by the maintenance crew around the course, but they were fine to use. You can also buy balls at the course, and if you’re thinking ahead you can buy used balls at a place like LostGolfBalls.com – I usually stock up this way. Tees – most golf courses have a box of wooden tees you can take a few from. Ball marker – you can certainly purchase a golf marker, but a quarter works just as well, and is good for a new golfer.

Golf attire: I had been wearing leggings and workout tanks to the clinic – I knew I needed something different for the course. I went to a local big box athletic store and bought a golf skort and collared top on sale. I was so nervous that I needed to look the part. Looking back, I think I would have been fine to wear a pair of joggers and athletic shirt, but some courses have more formal requirements – call ahead and find out what they might be. I didn’t buy golf shoes – they weren’t required at the course, and I wasn’t ready to invest. I just wore the same pair of Nikes I’d been wearing to golf clinic.

Water and snacks: I knew we’d be out on the course for a while, so I brought a big bottle of water and some granola bars. The course sometimes has a snack/beverage cart come around, but they didn’t come around the day we were out. I was glad I was prepared. Sometimes it’s fun to enjoy a cocktail or beer on the course – that’s great too, but I think it would have stressed me out in my first round. It was much more fun to play and then head to the bar after for a drink and lunch.

A more experienced golfer: The first time I golfed on a course, I went with a group of four ladies – three of us were very new, and one woman had golfed for a couple of years. She helped us manage our pace of play, gave us good advice on what clubs to use, and cheered us on as we made progress around the course. I don’t think it would be smart to go out as four beginners – we needed someone who knew more than we did, even to help us figure out where we were heading for the next hole, tee shot, etc. 

Patience: Golf is HARD. It’s even harder when you’re teeing off in front of people you don’t know, losing your ball in the woods, trying to figure out what club to use – remember, you’re not going to figure it all out on your first try. It’s a lot more fun to just enjoy the fact that you’re outside, with friends, trying to get better at something, and give yourself some grace. It takes a lot of courage to even walk onto the course and play your first round – appreciate the moment, have fun, and don’t take it too seriously.

Have you played your first round of golf yet? What women’s beginner golf tips do you have to share? If you haven’t gone out yet, what’s holding you back? Share your questions below. Good luck, and have fun!