For many people, beginner golf swing instruction starts with unlearning everything you thought you knew about golf. For instance, your arms are not the source of power for your swing; the hips and center body mass are. The way you stand, the way you hold the club, even how you hit the ball are different from any other sport. Yet most beginners assume that it's an easy sport, that they can jump right in and start whacking away without seeking any instruction. This is how bad habits start, and why so many golf courses are populated by really bad golfers.

Instead of doing this to yourself and the people you'll be golfing with, seek out beginner golf swing instruction early, before you hit the courses. Don't spend a ton of money on it, either, at least not at first. You'll find that the best early golf swing help is cheap or even free.

The best basic beginner golf swing instruction can be found online as easily as in real life. Better, you can find free golf swing instruction on the Internet that includes videos, beginner golf tips, and links to more advanced or detailed information, which is often also free. Always start your self-guided learning in this way. Not only can you pace yourself, you don't sink a ton of money into a sport that can get very pricey, only to find that you don't have the interest in it you thought you had.

Stop by a pro shop - or by Amazon online - and pick up a good beginner golf swing instruction video when you're ready to spend a little money on your new sport. Many excellent golfing videos are put together by world-class trainers and PGA golfers, and they'll show you the best habits to develop, stretches to do, even good common-sense golf swing tips that will eradicate bad habits before they get a chance to start.

Between golf swing lessons online and a good video or two, you should be able to master the perfect golf swing for you fairly quickly. You'll spend years perfecting it, and if you're smart, you'll continue asking yourself, "How can I improve my golf swing?" The answer: discipline, ruthless self-criticism, and a love of golf. And, sometimes, a good golf swing trainer.

These trainers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, for many different functions. For instance, you can get trainers that simulate golf courses in your home on video screens. If you have a wide-screen television, an Xbox, and room to swing, beginner golf swing instruction developed by world-class pros may be as close as your living room. Or you can find trainers that help guide your club along a perfect single plane to develop the best possible swing. It all depends on your devotion, your budget, and your space requirements.

Never overlook a good golf instruction book, either. Though paper doesn't offer the degree of interactivity you can get with beginner golf swing instruction from a video, a computerized system, or even a mechanical trainer, it still offers the easiest way to look up solutions to your problems anyone has ever invented: a good index section.