As a beginner golfer, one of the most frustrating parts of playing, is getting to the green then pitching "over" the green.  Sometimes I would miss the green a few times.   This has got to be one of the most frustrating parts of the game.   I took a few lessons a while back, and my teacher was adamant about the importance of the short game in golf. 
I really believe he is right.  You can either have a lot of frustration or a lot of fun, depending on how well you can use a sand wedge!.   I found some videos that have helped me.  Steven Bann has made some videos on pitching and this one in particular makes a lot of sense.   If all we know how to do is a "full swing", we will be overshooting the green often. 
The next time you are at the driving range, put away your driver and try a few short shots.   You will find that your game will improve greatly, if you improve your ability to hit the shots that are 50 yards and less.

Steve does a great job in this video explaining the backswing and the follow through for some short shots.

I know it may seem obvious, but I see so many people not doing just the basic stretches before hitting off the first tee.  If you want to play golf for a very long time, why not stretch a little before that first tee swing.  Starting out cold can lead to many back strains or worse.  That could sideline you from playing golf.  If you are a beginner, start out right by stretching.

If you have ever had any back problems, you already know how painful and downright depressing it can be.  It is no fun playing golf when it hurts to swing the club.  I think many back strains could be avoided if we just stretch it out a little before even hitting the driving range.  It is always a good idea to hit a few balls at the range, before going out if you have time.  But before doing any 'swinging", we need to stretch, at a minimum. I expect to write a more comprehensive article about the importance of stretching in the future.  For now, a simple back stretch before hitting the first tee may save you from days of back pain. 

A lot of twisting goes on when you swing that driver, so give your back a chance to warm up first.  Begin by holding one of your irons out in front of you parallel to the ground.  Place your hands on it about 2-3 feet apart and rotate your waist.  Start slow, then gradually rotate farther and farther.  Really stretch your back.  This is the absolute minimum you should do before swinging the club.  You can research many other stretching techniques on the web.  The important thing is to do something.

Okay , go hit some balls!

How many times have I stood on the first tee with a bunch of gawking onlookers, and I said to myself, 'this is gonna be ugly'.  Too many times to count.  For some reason, I imagine the onlookers are perfect golfers who will just bust out in laughter when my ball dribbles down the hill, a few yards, after a massive swing by me.
How do you get over the first tee jitters?

Well, the obvious thing is to relax. But that is no small thing. I'm not sure how we all get wired like we are, but for some reason we are built with this desire to "impress" complete strangers. All I can say is , it does get better with time. I think this may be more isolated to older people learning to play. It seems like the older you are, the more fear a person has of "doing something dumb" in public.

One piece of advice that has helped me some, is to just use a 3 wood or something that you can hit fairly consistently. You have to resign yourself to the fact that if you are playing with others that have a handicap of 30 or less, you are not likely to hit as far or as straight as they do off the tee. Add in the "first Tee Jitters" and you get what I mean.

Have some fun right now looking at all the great drivers and clubs on Ebay below.