Why You Should Learn to Play Golf
If you are wondering what the benefits are to learning how to play golf, then I'm willing to bet that you fall into one of the following categories:
1. Someone has suggested golf to you as a sport you might enjoy; or,
2. You are feeling some social pressure from others, e.g., colleagues at work.
In the first case, you just have to find out whether golf would be fun for you or not. In the second case, my guess is that you feel it necessary to learn golf so you can join in on the 'bonding' and 'networking' experience, even if golf doesn't excite you all that much.
So, if you need some 'convincing', then read on! There are plenty of good reasons to learn golf, and you'll find them here.
Reason #1: Mental Focus
Golf is a game of focus and strategy. You use your mind, your senses and your ability to time and coordinate movements at every step of the game.
Golf is not a game of brute physical strength the way some other sports are. In fact, the stronger you are, the more you'll probably have to work on containing and directing that strength when it comes time to hit the ball.
The best players are those who have learn to still their minds and visualize making that perfect swing. It may look easy from the outside, but there is actually a lot of 'multi-tasking' going in the mind of a golfer.
You learn to judge distances and correlate those distances with the amount of force to apply in your swing. At the same time, you must aim your swing and account for any factors that might change the direction of the ball.
Believe it or not, training yourself to focus in this way will have useful applications not just in other sport, but in other areas of your life. If nothing else, it teaches you to take a step back and calculate all of the variables standing between you and a goal.
Reason #2: Low-impact Exercise
You can actually get a great work-out by playing golf.
How?
First, consider the motion of a full-on golf swing. Even if you're in tip-top shape, you're probably going to feel sore in your arms, shoulders, lower back and maybe even your abdomen the day after your first round of swinging that club.
Next, consider that each hole on a given course can be separated by anywhere from 200 to over 700 yards, with varying types of terrain. Unless you rent a cart, you're going to be walking those yards and lugging around a bag full of clubs to boot!
All that walking is a great, low-impact work-out for your entire body.
Reason #3: Respect
Golf is also a game of respect -- for the rules as well as other players. Some would say that golf is the most 'civilized' or 'dignified' of sports. Even though you may want to 'best' your 'competitors', the person you're really playing against is yourself.
There are no 'tackles' in golf, and there is no 'stealing of plays'. Everyone takes his or her turn in an orderly fashion, and keeps an eye out on the location of other players at all times so as not to strike them with a club or bean them with a stray golf ball.
Reason #4: Business and networking
This is probably what many people think of when they think of golf: wealthy and/or connected individuals making sweetheart deals over 18 holes at the country club.
It's a stereotype, but one with a lot of truth to it.
Golf was once a sport strictly of the upper-classes in Scotland and England. Even in the United States, many of the best greens were connected to exclusive country clubs that the average person couldn't access without knowing someone on the inside.
Thankfully, in this day and age, golf is a much more inclusive and accessible past-time for the average person, as well as anyone else looking for an informal activity to share with friends, clients, partners, colleagues, etc.
You can hold relatively private conversations while playing golf, and you don't have to change into a uniform to play, either. In fact, you can play golf in a business suit if need be, although you'll probably want to take off your jacket!
Those are the four biggest reasons I can think of for why you should learn to play golf. If you still aren't convinced, then rent a set of clubs and do a few practice rounds on a local course. You just might enjoy it after all, once you get the 'swing' of it!
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