Golf has become a hugely popular sport over the last few decades and there are now accessible courses in many different countries around the world. If you’re not really familiar with the golfing world then you might tend to think that you’ll fall into one of two categories?

First there’s the type that just about everybody has a go at during their lives, and yes we’re talking about the so called "crazy golf." Crazy or fun golf as it is sometimes called can actually provide some good putting practice whilst still involving your family, but we really want to talk about getting started with traditional golf and that’s where the second category comes in.

If you’re not familiar with traditional golf then at first glance it can often seem quite elitist and possibly even intimidating? It really isn’t like that though, admittedly there can be those who have very little time for you when you’re new, but that’s really no different to life in general. So long as you approach it in the right way getting started with golf is usually easily accessible and you’ll find it easy to get plenty of help and support.

Another common mistake is assuming that it has to be very expensive to get involved with, and like almost any sport there is some very expensive and highly specialized equipment available. Starting with the golf balls and clubs, clothing, shoes, bags and accessories, these can all carry high priced brand logos and designer labels.

Golfing doesn’t have to very expensive right from the beginning though, you can easily find equipment that is good quality and affordable, particularly if you shop on the Internet. You don’t need the best clubs available just to make a start, and in reality they probably wouldn’t make much difference until you’ve at least got some of the basics right anyway.

Another thing to remember when you’re first starting out is that those super expensive courses where a round of golf can cost you into the hundreds are usually going to be quite difficult. They’re made to be testing for experienced golfers, so not usually the best place to play your first proper round!

So just kit yourself out with reasonable quality equipment that you can afford, and find yourself a local course or club with good practice facilities, and concentrate on learning the basics first. The only way to improve is with regular practice and some good guidance.

Then when you gain a bit of confidence and can regularly drive the ball roughly where you want it to be, followed a few hits later by a nice putting shot into the hole, you can go on to tackle those more attractive and elite courses with total confidence.