Keep It Fun! Beginners Guide to the Course: Gear, Dress Code, Pace of Play, Etiquette, and Your First Rounds, Without the Stress

By Rhonda Goodson, host of Live It. Love It. Play Golf. A LinksCoach Golf book.

New to golf? Start here.

The first tee can feel like a stage. Where do you check in? What do you wear? How do you keep up with your group, and what do you do when your ball disappears into the trees?

Keep It Fun! answers the questions new golfers are too nervous to ask. Short pages, plain English, and one simple Pro Tip on every page that keeps your round relaxed and your group moving.

Inside you'll find

• A five-club starter bag, and the gear you can skip
• What to wear at public courses and private clubs
• What to do at the pro shop, the cart, the warm-up, and the first tee
• Pace of play habits that get you invited back
• The etiquette every golfer expects, explained simply
• Your first five rules situations, with the Official Rule and the Fun Rule
• How to read a scorecard, and how to count your Personal Wins
• A Bag Check checklist and a beginner's glossary

Sample page: Ready Golf

The basics: The traditional rule says whoever is farthest from the hole plays first. In stroke play, the Rules of Golf actually encourage ready golf: if you are ready and it is safe, hit.

Pro Tip: Be ready when it is your turn, and if nobody else is ready, go. Just say "I'll hit" so everyone knows.

Buy the digital edition for $5.99, get both books for $9.99, or read it with Golfer Premium

The digital edition is $5.99 plus applicable sales tax. Bundle it with Keep It Fun! Keep It Moving, the golf rules book, for $9.99. Paid Golfer Premium members can read both books in the app and download personalized PDFs while their subscription is active. See Premium plans.

About the author

Rhonda Goodson is the founder of LinksCoach Golf, a golf coaching and playing-partner marketplace, and the host of Live It. Love It. Play Golf. She is also the driving force behind the Live it. Love it. Play it. Golf Foundation, Kids Growing Through Golf.

Common questions

Who is this book for?

Brand new golfers, and anyone who wants to feel at home on a golf course. It covers what to buy, what to wear, where to go when you arrive, pace of play, etiquette, and the first five rules situations every beginner meets.

Does it teach the golf swing?

No. Your coach can help with that. This book covers everything around the swing, so you feel confident and welcome from the parking lot to the eighteenth green.

How do I buy the digital edition?

Tap Buy the Digital Edition for $5.99. No account needed: check out with your email and we send your personalized PDF right away. If you have a free LinksCoach account (or create one later with the same email), the book also appears in My Golf. A purchase is yours to keep.

Is there a bundle?

Yes. Get both Keep It Fun! books, the Beginners Guide to the Course and Keep It Fun! Keep It Moving, the golf rules book, for $9.99.

Is it included with Golfer Premium?

Yes. Paid Golfer Premium members can read both books in My Golf and download personalized PDFs while their subscription is active. To keep a book after Premium ends, buy it.

Rule references are to the 2023 Rules of Golf. An independent guide, not affiliated with the USGA or The R&A.