GUEST POST: 5 Reasons to take up golf
(Oscar Waterworth is a freelance golf writer, amateur golfer and a father of two golf- loving kids from Sydney. He loves contemplating about the game and ways in which he can improve it.) I’ll bet that you have heard a lot about golf being a passive and dull sport, right? What’s it all about, hitting a ball and walking hundreds of meters just to hit it again? I even heard famous comedians making jokes about it. Well, I am here to smash those beliefs into smithereens and give you some pretty solid reasons for you to pick up a golf club and head straight towards the nearest golf course.
1) Exercise and stress relief. Spending time in the sun and having long walks from one hole to another is always a great exercise for me, because I don’t like exercising in a sweaty gym. One of the leading problems in people’s lives is obesity, with all the junk food and great amounts of sugar we consume every day. You walk extensively and burn a lot of calories by playing golf.
After a long week of everyday work and stress, nothing calms me down better and refills me with positive energy than an 18-hole game.
2) Nature. One reason more for you to get out of the overcrowded city streets and enjoy in a healthier and “greener” environment. This one time I wanted to play golf and enjoy some sea air, so we picked one of the many golf clubs in Sydney that had beach golf courses. Golf is a sport which enables you to enjoy great views, unlike football or baseball which are played in closed fields. I had a great game that day with fresh sea air and sea gulls flying around, and that is something that you just have to experience by yourself. You can choose a course which is near a forest or a mountain, and get in touch with nature with a rich plant and animal life surrounding you on a 200 acre golf course. I just have to warn you that there are possibilities of squirrels snatching your golf balls.
3) Socializing. It’s another great aspect I can add up. I usually play with a few of my closest friends, but I also like to bring my family to the golf course. It doesn’t matter who’s a better player, golf is a sport that can be played equitably by everyone, male or female, young or old. But what I like the most about this part is that you can develop new friendships.
It happened numerous times that I arrived in a golf club wanting to have an individual game, but instead I joined another group of golfers and had a magnificent game. I unexpectedly met new people and a couple of them became my good friends. It reveals the humble nature of the sport and that might also seduce you.
4) Concentration and discipline. You have to be concentrated and learn to manage your emotions in order to play a nice, quality game. It makes you to get to know yourself better, to train your patience and responsibility. I found a parallel between golf and life, because I can’t blame anybody else but myself if I make a bad shot and send the ball to a cat box. The golf ball course can be unpredictable so I need to change and adapt me strategy and perspectives. I commit to the game and have set goals, just like in real life.
5) Personal challenge. Golf can be an addictive game and while you play it your brain releases endorphins. But, unlike gambling or other forms of addictive activities, golfers don’t play it just for the win or the perfect shot, because it is a game which requires skill and that is where these types of addictiveness diverge. I’ve been playing golf for quite a long time, and I always found away to improve my skills and get better at it through years. I constantly learn and that is what keeps me not wanting to put the golf club away.
Of course, besides all the mentioned benefits of golf, there’s something that thrills every golfer and makes him go back to the golf course and improve his game, and that is a chance of a hole in one. I don’t think I need to explain that. So, get your golf cap, shoes, and some nice clubs and go enjoy this great and noble sport!
