So you want to take up golf, do you? You have watched on television and seen the likes of Tiger, Phil and Sergio absolutely crush the ball 300 or more yards down the middle of the fairway at will. You're thinking to yourself, "it can't be that tough can it?" I'm here to tell you that it is that tough and more! After struggling to become "average" after more than 20 years of trial and error I would like to pass along a couple of tips that may make your learning curve a bit shorter, if you are looking for suggestions.

First and foremost get yourself some quality instruction. Depending on where you live this may be easier said than done. If you live near a major metropolitan area you may have hundreds of golf instructors available to you. You should narrow your search to the distance from your home or work. There is no need to go across town if a quality instructor is a mile from you. If you live in a rural area you may have no option but to travel 50 miles to get the instruction you are seeking. Once you have narrowed your search to 4 or 5 instructors that are near you, interview them. You want to make sure your learning style and their teaching style are compatible. What I'm trying to say is don't sign up for lessons with the first instructor you speak to without checking out the others on your list.

Second, when you have selected an instructor, sign up for a series of lessons. The reason for this is twofold. You may be able to get a discounted rate on a series of lessons and there is no way you can learn everything in one lesson. I mean, you didn't learn to drive a car in one lesson did you?

If you are not able to take lessons because of your budget or time commitments the next best thing would be to educate yourself with DVDs or books. One book I would like to recommend as a starting point would be a classic book by Ben Hogan titled Ben Hogan's Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

The third area I would like to touch on would be equipment. You couldn't very well play golf, or any other sport, without the proper equipment. One thing I discovered in my journey of finding a better golf game is that equipment is expensive and you had better get something that is going to be of use to you after laying down your hard earned money. I would highly suggest getting custom fitted clubs. If you wear size 10 shoes you certainly wouldn't buy a pair of size 8 shoes just because they have a low price on them would you? The same goes for golf clubs. Just because your buddy is getting a new set of clubs and you can buy their current set cheap don't do it.

The fourth thing I would like to recommend is that you spend more time working on your pitching, chipping and putting than you would on your driver. Most of the shots you mark down on the scorecard come from 100 yards and closer to the pin.

The fifth and final item I would like to suggest is to get a mental game plan. What do you do when things go bad? Most amateurs and some professional players will throw in the towel if they have a hole with a balloon score. You need to understand that golf is a game of limiting the bad shots and enjoying the good shots.

These five tips are just the tip of the iceberg as you take up the game of golf. Remember that as in life, you never stop learning new things about the game of golf.