10 Golf Tips for Women

By Britt Olizarowicz – Sep 13, 2023

 

(Reviewed by Coach Erik Schjolberg)

Some women golfers will find the game of golf to be so overwhelming they will never even start it. I can completely understand that. However, golf professionals like myself work hard to grow the game of golf for women and teach that the sport does not have to be scary, overwhelming, or even all that difficult.

The most important thing for women golfers to remember is that the game of golf takes time. Learning to navigate a golf course is a skill that will likely take you years to perfect. Use these golf tips as a way to be more comfortable in the beginning. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to perfect a golf swing.

Here are my top women’s golf tips; there is sure to be something useful for all women, regardless of previous experience.

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Our Top 10 Women’s Golf Tips

Here are ten of the best tips for women golfers. Having played the game for 30 years and taught hundreds of women to play, I’ve narrowed these down to the most important.

1. Watch Rules Videos

The rules of golf are a bit complicated. In fact, most female golfers will admit to not knowing how to take a penalty stroke or what their options are for relief. The rules of golf are not made to punish you; they can help your game.

However, reading the rules of golf is a bit dry, boring, and difficult to understand. One of my best golf tips for women is to watch rules videos instead.

It’s so simple to see a golfer doing the same thing you are doing on the course and how they apply the rules to these situations. New golfers need to focus on how to take a drop, what an unplayable lie is and how to ensure they are properly respecting the golf course.

2. Women’s Golf Clubs Matter

We know it’s tempting to use your husband’s old set or borrow from your friend, but the golf club you put in your hand will have a tremendous impact on what the golf ball does. There is a difference between men’s and women’s golf clubs.

For women golfers that want to hit consistent golf shots and learn to play the game well, the proper golf clubs count. 

Golf clubs made for women are lighter in weight and help improve overall clubhead speed. Check out our ranking of the best golf clubs for women beginners to get started.

3. Go After The Ball

As a young kid, I learned the game of golf from the men around me in my life. One of the first things they told me was, “hit it.” However, it was said in a way like, “come on, go after it.” As a young girl playing golf, I always went after the ball with as much power as I could.

Of course, proper posture, good balance, and timing all matter, but swinging at the ball with a bit of force and speed will help you long term.

When working on the driving range to establish more consistency, don’t forget about power. Many women lack power in their golf swing, and it’s simply because they don’t think to go after the ball.

When you get your swing straightened out, and the wrist hinge and left arm position all fall into place, you will be glad you have this extra speed. 

4. Learn Different Types of Shots

As a female beginner golfer, it becomes effortless to fall in love with one golf club and use it throughout the entire golf course. However, this won’t help your golf game long term.

It is really important to learn how to use each of your golf clubs. In addition, you will want to learn your individual club distances and ways to hit both low and high shots.

I’ve met many women beginner golfers that get stuck on their 5 hybrid and use it around the entire course. Challenge yourself to use all the clubs in your bag (Callaway is making some of the best womens golf irons right now), and your experience will be considerably better.

5. Copy Professional Golfers

Even if you think professional golf is a little boring, start watching it. There are so many natural golf tips that will be portrayed to you as you are watching. In addition, you will pick up on the rules of the game, great tempo, and even just demeanor on the golf course.

When they do slow-motion pictures of a professional golfer swing, look at how the upper and lower body work together.

Even if you put a golf match on for a half hour a week, you will pick up quite a bit of information, some pre-shot routines, and more.

6. Understand Your Distances

When you first start playing the game, most of your golf shots will go about the same distance. However, after a few months, you will notice that something like your sand wedge may only fly 40 yards, but it has a higher flight.

Try to narrow down a general range of how far these golf balls are going. If you know your 5 hybrid is your 100 yard club; you can start making sure your club selection is correct on each hole.

As you start making contact with the center of the club face, you will pick up some extra distance, but in the meantime, try to have a general understanding of your distances, including your driver distance. Don’t blindly select clubs, as you will end up hitting a great shot into a great big bunker!

7. Watch The Golf Ball!

So many beginner golfers have 1000 different golf tips in their mind that they forget to watch the golf ball after they hit it. Trust me here, nobody minds playing with a new golfer. However, if you can’t find your golf ball and you are a bit slow on the course, it gets frustrating.

After you make contact with the golf ball, learn to track it. It’s not hard, and in the beginning, chances are the ball did not go all that far.

Get to your golf ball quickly, be ready to take your shot, and then watch where it goes again. This saves a ton of time and keeps the round of golf moving much faster.

8. Use Low Compression Balls

Low-compression golf balls are made for golfers with a slightly slower swing speed. When you use a low-compression golf ball, expect to have a bit of a softer feel and less spin around the greens.

As your game progresses and your swing speed increases, a higher-compression golf ball may be necessary, but for now, it’s smart to play with low compression women’s golf balls.

9. Video Your Swing

From time to time, take a video of your swing. The video is going to give you a better idea as to what your swing looks like, but it also gives you a way to look back and see how far you have come.

I love taking a video before I make a swing change and then checking back on it after the change. It’s kind of like those before and after weight loss challenges that people do. Seeing how far you have come is a great way to stay motivated.

In addition, when you take a video of your golf swing, you can look and see what your wrist hinge looks like, if your right foot is in the proper position, does your weight transfer to the left side, and much more.

10. Find Other New Golfers

You are not the only new golfer in your area. Some of the most successful beginner golfers I have seen started out in a ladies’ golf clinic. Learning with friends is not only fun, but it is also effective.

Most golf courses offer beginner clinics. Although they can offer some great advice, the best thing about these clinics is they let you meet other new golfers. Do a search for these types of clinics and services in your location, and there are bound to be some options at both private and public golf courses.

Bonus Tip

Work on your short game! This includes both chipping and putting. If you want lower scores, this is the one area of the game I see most amateurs leaving so many strokes on the course. Get yourself a nice womens putter, and start practicing putts.

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FAQ

As a beginner woman golfer, it’s ok to ask lots of questions. To get your game up off the ground, you have a lot of information to take in, and these little details can make or break your next round.

How can a woman get better at golf?

Women golfers can get better at golf through practicing and organized instruction. It pays to sign up for a few golf lessons to learn the details of what will help improve your game. Once you have those details, take them to the range and focus on hitting your target line with everything from the pitching wedge to the driver.

How can I be a good female golfer?

One of the best ways to be a good female golfer is to learn how to be aggressive with your golf shots. Don’t decelerate through impact; continue to keep the club moving, practice the game often and try to get plenty of rounds in each month. If you have the right equipment in your bag and do all of these things, the game of golf will be a lot more fun.

Can I learn to play golf at 40 as a woman?

Learning to play golf at 40 may take a little longer than if you were 10 or 18 years old, but you can absolutely learn the game of golf as a 40-year-old woman golfer. If you have played other sports in your life, learning golf will likely be a bit easier.

Can a woman learn to play during the winter?

Yes you can, but it’s going to be a little bit harder. It’s a little harder to compress the ball, and you’ll need some warm golf clothes (check those out here). There are also a few rules changes for winter golf as well (more on that over here).

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Final Thoughts – Women’s Golf Tips

I hope my best golf tips for woman help you in your quest to learn the game of golf.

There are lots of different ways to learn golf, and you will hear all kinds of tips about where to aim in the fairway, the position of your back foot, how to hit down on the ball, how to stop popping up your driver, and plenty more.

However, in addition to all these pieces of swing advice, you must also learn the game and learn how to be a golfer. Only then will you fully understand what it is that makes us all fall in love with this game.