Why play golf ?
I am often asked ” why play golf “ ? People often have the idea that playing golf is somehow different from taking part in football, table tennis or other popular games and sports. Golf used to be seen as a game for the older man who has retired and has lots of free time or for the wealthy who want to conduct business discussions on course while smoking a cigar and then drinking and eating fine foods in the clubhouse afterwards.
Fortunately, although a lot of older people do enjoy playing golf when they have retired, their grand kids and children all around the world have started playing golf more than ever over the past few decades. Part of this fast increase in younger golfers came about with the rise of Tiger Woods and the massive appeal he brought to the game by being absolutely dominant beyond belief for a very long time.
Reasons to play golf – It’s challenging
I first experienced the game of golf at the age of 7 or 8 when my granddad appeared with a set of junior golf clubs he’d bought at a charity shop. I saw him arriving and thought he had brought a guitar or some other kind of instrument, I knew nothing about golf. I took the small clubs out of the bag and tried to hit them at the park. I wasn’t much good but I was able to make contact and some went a reasonable distance. Over time and after having some lessons and spending hours playing with a sand wedge in the park and putting on the carpet in my living room, I started to improve.
Other Kids at the park would come and want to hit a ball, but often they couldn’t even make contact or topped the ball and it trickled a short distance. Like anything, the more you practice the better you get, but with golf it is certainly a challenge and that is what leads many people to love the game. Each round is unpredictable, even when you’ve got a lower handicap and some good skills, you never know quite how you’re going to perform.
Health benefits of playing golf
During a round of golf you are going to be walking at least 5 kilometres if not more. You’ll be walking mostly on soft grass which is lower impact on your joints. It takes some core strength and physical endurance to hit a golf ball between 70 and 120 times per round of golf. You’ll be surprised how physically demanding it can be and you’ll probably want to improve your core strength and it’ll certainly help tone some of your muscles. It requires your back. Shoulder, bottom, chest and arm muscles to swing a golf club and it’s quite a powerful movement.
Playing Golf Competitively
There are a massive number of different ways of scoring in the game of golf and these bring about unique and fun ways of playing the game. Whether you play with friends, join up with other golfers at the course or enter competitions you’ll be able to get competitive. Golf competitions use a handicap system because of the wide range of skill levels, ages and experience. Having a handicap means anyone can compete in club or open competitions and have a chance of win, even if your new to the game.
There is nothing more exciting then testing your skills against other players and hitting your final approach shot to the 18th green whilst people in the clubhouse watch. You’ll feel some pressure, but when you are able to trust in your ability and through lessons and practice you’ll become consistent enough to keep a reasonable level of accuracy and have a good idea where the ball will end up, if not precisely.
Beautiful scenery
There are a lot of golf courses around the world. You can visit courses in all different area of the country. It’s possible to play right beside the ocean and even have to hit balls across small sections of water. Sometimes there are lots of ponds or the greens you are hitting towards might be surrounded by desert or sand bunkers. In the mountains, you’ll find beautiful scenic courses with views for miles around and around towns they’ll be parkland courses with lovely trees that allow you to view the city whilst absorbing yourself in nature.
Travel
No matter where you travel you will be able to find a golf course somewhere nearby. If your job requires a lot of travelling you can still play golf or find the nearest driving range or putting green to practice on.
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