The Golf Lifestyle: Gear, Style & Getting Started

The Short Answer

Getting into golf is a sequence, not a purchase: a few lessons, then the driving range, then a short course, then nine holes, then eighteen. You need a half set of clubs, shoes, and clothes that meet the course’s dress code; you do not need fourteen clubs or a membership to begin. Learn the etiquette that keeps rounds moving — the Rules of Golf recommend playing each stroke within 40 seconds — and get a handicap once you can complete rounds, because it is what lets you play fairly with anyone.

You will not be alone. The US National Golf Foundation reported more than 29 million people playing on courses in 2025, an eighth straight year of growth, and more than 48 million including off-course formats such as ranges and simulators. The sections below set out the route, the kit, the clothes, the etiquette and the handicap.

From the Range to Your First Round

The NGF’s finding that roughly two-thirds of new on-course golfers in the US had off-course experience first — ranges, simulators, entertainment venues — matches this route: most people learn to hit the ball somewhere forgiving before they take it onto a course. Stage 1 is the one most often skipped and most worth paying for; bad habits learned alone take far longer to undo.

The Kit You Actually Need

The Rules allow up to 14 clubs, but a beginner needs about six:

• A driver or a lofted fairway wood for tee shots
• A hybrid, which is far easier to hit than a long iron
• A mid iron, such as a 7-iron
• A pitching wedge
• A sand wedge
• A putter

Add golf shoes (or soft-soled trainers where the course allows them), a glove, balls you will not mind losing, tees and a pitch-mark repairer. Second-hand clubs in good condition are an efficient way to start; buy a full, fitted set once you know you will keep playing. Our beginner’s equipment guide goes club by club, and a GPS watch or rangefinder — Garmin’s Approach range is one widely used line — helps you learn your real distances.

What to Wear

Dress codes vary more than any other part of golf — from relaxed public courses to private clubs with strict rules — so check the course’s website before you go. The common ground: a collared shirt or golf polo; tailored trousers, chinos or tailored shorts; golf shoes or clean, soft-soled trainers; a light waterproof and a mid-layer for changeable weather. The items most often banned are denim, football or sports shirts, and metal spikes. In the clubhouse, some clubs have separate rules again, and many ask for caps to come off indoors.

Modern golf clothing is technical sportswear: moisture-wicking, stretch, packable waterproofs. You do not need much of it, but a proper waterproof and good shoes make a bigger difference to your round than any other purchase after the clubs.

Etiquette and Pace: A Worked Example

The Rules of Golf recommend making each stroke in no more than 40 seconds once you are able to play without interference, encourage groups to let faster groups play through, and allow “ready golf” in stroke play — whoever is ready plays, safely, rather than strictly in turn.

Why it matters: suppose a beginner takes 100 strokes in a round. At 40 seconds each, that is already over an hour of pre-shot time, before any walking. If the same golfer takes 70 seconds over each shot, the round grows by 50 minutes — and every group behind waits too. So prepare while others play, take one practice swing rather than several, pick up and move on when a hole is going badly in a casual round, and keep up with the group in front. Repair pitch marks, rake bunkers, replace divots, stay quiet and still while others play, and shout “fore” loudly if a ball heads towards anyone.

Getting a Handicap and Choosing Where to Play

A handicap lets golfers of different abilities play each other on equal terms. Under the World Handicap System your Handicap Index is built from your best eight of your last twenty score differentials, up to a maximum of 54.0, and you can get one through a club or, in some countries, through a scheme for golfers without one — in England, England Golf’s iGolf subscription, advertised at £47 a year. Our explainer on how a handicap index is calculated covers the maths.

Whether to join a club or pay per round is the next decision: our membership versus pay-and-play guide has a worked break-even calculation. And when you are ready to travel for golf, our guide to Europe’s best golf resorts is the place to start.

Sources

• randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-5
• randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-4
• clubandresortbusiness.com/ngfs-graffis-report-shows-golf-participation-surpassed-29m-for-eighth-consecutive-year-of-growth
• englandigolf.co.uk

Frequently Asked Questions