Where to begin?

If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely tweak some advice that I learned along the way to “play the hole backwards” and tell you to “learn the game backwards” as well. What does this mean? Start on the putting green and learn how to consistently hole 3-foot putts. Then expand your mastery to 4′ then 5′ then 6′ and you will be set.

Why do I say this? Most golfers start by blasting drivers into the ground, straight up into the air, or into the trees, water, and every other hazard guarding the course. This is why so many newbies quit the game within the first few rounds. If you start with putting and then work away from the hole, the next skill to master is chipping. Pick up an 8-iron and drop half a dozen balls around the green. Keep chipping until you can get at least half of them into a 5′ radius around the cup – where you have already learned to hole those putts!

Your journey outward will then progress to pitching. Here, a basic Pitching Wedge is all you need. Work on clipping the ball off the turf with crisp contact and getting it onto the green. Focus on keeping the hands ahead of the clubhead with your weight on your front foot. This impact position will be vital to all of the full shots that you will eventually learn.

When you advance onto some short irons, start again with “half shots” where your backswing doesn’t rise above your waist. Master that and then allow your arms to swing parallel to the ground. At most, work on a swing that gets shoulder high – no higher! – and you should be able to compress a 7-iron shot to carry at least 130 yards. It should also stay reasonably straight.

Where does this put you? Well ahead of most novices as you know how to “get up and down” around the greens, saving many of the strokes that plague golfers who struggle to break 100.

Now teeing off!

Now on the tee, Matt Bauman!

Have you ever heard that introduction on television and dreamed about that moment? Me too! The rest of my introduction would go like this:

Matt is a 2-handicap golfer who has been on this journey for 35 years. While starting as an infrequent hobbyist in his teens, Matt eventually caught the golf bug in his twenties, picked up his bag, and headed down the path. After struggling to regularly break 100, he made it his first goal to break 90 by age 25. With no Internet, no funds, and no golf pro friends to rely on, he eventually figured some things out and reached Goal #1.

Like most golfers, Goal #2 was to break 80. He took some lessons, read a ton of books and magazines… and finally put in a bit of work. He thought breaking 80 on May 27, 1998 would satisfy his quest, but it only led to bigger and better things. A lot more reading, lessons, practicing, and other work led to his first par round, followed by a -2 score of 70, followed by a career-low of 66.

What does Matt want to do next? Share his insights, tips, and equipment notes with you! Matt has already helped his son drop from initial rounds high in the 100s to score quickly closing in on the 90s. There are so many shortcuts to overcome misinformation, over-hyped products, and golf’s general trickery that will help you to enjoy better golf and enjoy it right away!

So please join Matt on the tee!

Let Me Introduce Myself

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

This is my first post on the World Wide Web. As Tiger Woods said, “Hello, world!”

Why did I do this?

• Because I want to give new readers context. I am here to focus and shorten your learning curve so that golf will be more enjoyable.
• I will help you focus your own ideas about your golf game and what you’d like to do with it.

The posts can be short or long, a personal intro to my life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future, or a simple outline of your the types of things I hope to publish.