Starting golf can feel daunting. There is the kit, the jargon, and the nagging worry that everyone else already knows what they are doing. The good news is that golf is one of the few sports you can genuinely take up at any age, and a handful of well-structured lessons will save you months of frustration. This guide covers everything a complete beginner needs to know about taking golf lessons in Exeter, from your very first session to walking onto the course for your opening nine holes.
Why take golf lessons at all?
Plenty of people try to teach themselves from videos online and end up grooving habits that take years to undo. A qualified coach does the opposite: they give you a simple, repeatable foundation, so every ball you hit in practice builds the right movement rather than reinforcing the wrong one.
For a beginner, lessons typically deliver three things quickly:
- A reliable set-up — grip, posture, aim and ball position. Most early faults start here, not in the swing itself.
- Consistent contact — striking the ball cleanly is the single biggest confidence boost in golf.
- Etiquette and confidence — knowing where to stand, how to behave and how to keep pace means you never feel out of place on the course.
At Exminster Golf Centre, coaching is led by PGA Head Professional James Taverner, with one-to-one lessons from £50 per hour. The PGA qualification matters: your coach has been formally trained in technique, teaching and player development, not simply in playing well themselves.
What to expect from your first PGA lesson
If you have never had a lesson, here is roughly how a first session unfolds. Your coach starts with a relaxed chat about your goals and any experience you have, then watches you hit a few balls. There is no need to “warm up” your technique beforehand — seeing your natural movement is exactly what helps them coach you.
From there, expect to work on one or two simple ideas rather than a long checklist. Good beginner coaching is deliberately uncluttered: fix the grip and aim, find clean contact, and let everything else follow. You will likely spend most of the hour with a wedge or short iron, because shorter clubs are far easier to control while you learn.
You do not need your own clubs for a first lesson. Exminster’s pro shop offers club hire, so you can borrow everything you need and decide what suits you before spending a penny on equipment.
Group lessons vs individual coaching
One of the first decisions you will face is whether to learn one-to-one or in a group. Both work; they simply suit different people.
| Individual (1-2-1) | Group / clinic | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Tailored entirely to you | Shared across the group |
| Cost per hour | Higher | Lower per person |
| Best for | Fast progress, specific goals | Social learning, trying golf out |
| Feedback | Constant and personal | Periodic |
A common path is to begin with one or two private lessons to build solid fundamentals, then keep momentum with a regular group session. Exminster runs a Wednesday Ladies Refresher from 10:30 to 11:30am at just £8 — a friendly, low-pressure way for women to brush up or get started without committing to a full course.
The kit a beginner actually needs
It is easy to overspend before you have hit a ball in anger. In reality, a beginner needs very little:
- A few clubs — a 7-iron, a wedge, a hybrid and a putter cover most situations. A full set can wait.
- Comfortable clothes and trainers or soft-spiked golf shoes.
- A glove for your lead hand, plus a handful of balls and tees.
When you are ready to invest, the pro shop carries clubs, bags, trolleys, gloves, balls, shoes and Under Armour clothing, and offers TaylorMade custom fitting so your equipment matches your size and swing. There is no rush — get fitted once your action has settled after a few lessons, not before.
The driving range: where progress happens
Lessons teach you what to do; the range is where you turn it into a habit. Repetition in a relaxed setting is how new movements become automatic, and it is far cheaper than learning out on the course.
Exminster’s driving range has 16 floodlit bays (14 covered), so you can practise comfortably whatever the Devon weather is doing, even on dark winter evenings. A simple routine works well for beginners: pick one thing from your last lesson, hit a small bucket focusing only on that, and resist the urge to swing harder. Quality beats quantity every time.
Looking ahead, Exminster’s new Golf Garage Swing Room, an indoor coaching studio, opens in March 2026 — ideal for technical work, video analysis and year-round practice in any conditions.
Progressing to your first nine holes
There comes a point where the range stops being enough and you simply want to play. A good marker is being able to get the ball airborne fairly consistently with a couple of clubs, and knowing the basics of etiquette and scoring.
Exminster is an ideal first course. It is a 9-hole layout with 18 tee positions and a par of 66 to 67 — shorter and friendlier than a championship 18, yet with enough variety to test you, including a pretty signature par-3 4th played over a pond. Because the course sits on free-draining soil above the Exe Estuary, it stays playable all year when other courses flood.
As a beginner you can simply pay and play with no membership — £24 for 9 holes or £48 for 18 — and you can book a tee time online or by phone. A few tips for a smooth first round:
- Play from the forward tees and do not keep a strict score at first.
- Pick the ball up once you have had a few goes at a hole; keeping pace matters more than finishing every hole.
- Go out at a quieter time, perhaps a weekday morning, so you can take your time.
Many golfers play those first rounds, get hooked, and only then look at membership options once they know they will play regularly.
A simple plan to get started
- Book a single 1-2-1 lesson to nail your set-up and contact.
- Practise that one focus at the driving range once or twice a week.
- Add the Ladies Refresher or a follow-up lesson to keep improving.
- Hire or buy a few clubs, then play your first relaxed nine holes.
If you would like to take the first step, get in touch via our contact page or call the team on 01392 833 838 to book a lesson with James. Everyone who plays golf was a beginner once — and Exeter is a lovely place to start.