It’s a new year and a new attitude.  Let’s get ready to bring it!

Here is how it breaks down. No one can call themselves a beer fan if they only enjoy Budweiser (it does not matter what the commercials say). No one can call themselves a sports fan if they do not follow a team and no one—not a single person-can call themselves a golfer if they do not enjoy the short game. Sure, plenty of people enjoy going to the driving range and hitting a ball off a tee as hard as they can, but if that makes them a golfer than a food critic is anyone who has ever dropped a dish on the floor and broken it. The point being: the best beginner golf swing tips boil down to two rules. Love the short game, and be devoted to the short game.

Driving ranges are fun. Having a strong drive is important to a low scoring game. Putting greens are frustrating. Watching a put curl to the left and miss the cup by inches is maddening. Fixing a bad drive takes a day of work and a few cold ones (soda or beer, whatever is preferred by the golfer). Fixing a weak putting game takes twenty years, five putters and counseling.

If anyone can expect to be a real golfer, and a good one, they will have to spend hours practicing on a green. Practice is the most important part of putting, but enforcing bad habits can undermine real success. The top three considerations for strong putting are patience, view and follow-through.

Patience in a putt is the first thing new golfers lose. By the third hole, most people do not stop to line up their shot. They eye it from a bird’s eye view and take a prayerful swing. At that point luck is on the side of the green, not the putter. To succeed, the golfer must maintain a slow and tentative approach.

Going slow leads into getting a good view of each shot. It may look like the majors are only wasting time or catching their breath when they squat low on the green to stare at the ball and the cup, but it is a crucial part of the shot. The green has subtle dips and curves. Seeing those curves leads to lining up a proper shot. Making a small adjustment to the left to override a right sloping green ensures a closer shot.

Finally, follow through must be observed. Many of the best golfers swear by this one tactic more than every other. Amateur golfers forget to let the putting club ride through the swing and instead stop abruptly upon contact. Abrupt stops cause the ball to jolt and make the swing angle poorly. Taking a deep breath and practicing a few air shots before making the real swing may reduce a new golfers total par by up to fifteen shots, and when the put hangs too far left, it is okay (occasionally) to curse and snap a club over a solid knee.