9 Reason You Should Play Golf | GolfBit.com
Getting back into golf a few years ago, after years of not touching a club, was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Having benefited physically, mentally, and socially from the game, I thought it's about time I do my part to convince others to give it a shot.
If you're considering trying golf for the first time or someone needing encouragement to get back into the game, here are nine reasons you should get to the course.
1) Anyone Can Play
Just about anyone can play golf!
Parents can begin exposing their children to golf when they're as young as 18-months, though it's more common to start teaching kids how to play at 4-6 years old.
Once golf is picked up, many people stick with it for the rest of their lives. I've personally seen golfers in their 90s still holding their own on the course.
Golf is popular among both men and women, with women making up as much as 40% of the golfing population in some countries.
Lastly, now more than ever, golf is enjoyed by people worldwide who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
2) Spend Quality Time With Friends and Family
In an era where so much time is spent indoors staring at screens, golf provides an excellent outlet for spending real quality time with friends and family outside.
Since people of all ages can play golf, a round could conceivably include four generations of family.
Golf is also a great excuse to get together with friends regularly to maintain relationships.
3) Meet New People
Not only is golf a great way to spend time with the friends you already have, but it's also great for making new friends.
Both private golf clubs and public courses regularly host leagues, tournaments, and social events.
If you put yourself out there, you can even find new playing partners just chatting with others around the course, practice area, or clubhouse.
4) Business Relationships and Networking
Golf has long been a way to improve business relationships and network for new opportunities.
According to Forbes:
- 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf.
- 80% of executives say golf allows them to establish new business relationships.
- CEOs who regularly pay golf earn 17% more on average.
However, it's not just high-level execs whose careers can benefit.
- Golf events and simple after-work golfing are incredibly common in a wide variety of businesses.
- Golf is often used to foster relationships among salespeople and their customers.
- If your interviewer is a golfer and you can work golf into the conversation, they're more likely to see you as a good company fit.
5) Good Exercise (That Doesn't Feel Like Exercise)
While the number of calories burned varies significantly from person to person, the average golfer can burn 1,300 to 2,000 calories playing a round of golf if they're walking and carrying/pushing their bag.
Even when taking a cart, many golfers can burn 800-1,300 calories over an entire round.
Considering you'll probably be more focused on your game and socializing with your group, you'll burn all of these calories and get the cardiovascular benefits without really even noticing.
While practice sessions aren't always as fun as playing, you can burn 150-500+ calories in an hour at the range, depending on your body, health, and the intensity at which you practice.
One of the most surprising side effects since I got into golf is how it has helped motivate me to get to the gym. As I got more into improving my game, I realized how much I could benefit from getting stronger and more flexible. You'd think feeling better and living longer would be enough motivation, but striving to drive the ball further has reignited my passion for working out.
6) Get Outside
Like many people these days, I spend most of my time indoors. One of the biggest reasons I got back into golf was to get outside more.
- Improve Health
- Lessen Stress
- Improve Sleep
- Increase Self-Esteem
- Improve Focus
- Boost Creativity
Whether it's vitamin D from the sun, fresh air, or something else, I definitively have more energy and feel better mentally when regularly getting outdoors.
7) Get Passionate About Something
I've been fortunate enough to always enjoy my work and have good personal relationships, but over the years I quit doing the other things I was passionate about.
Golf has given me another reason to be excited each week and allows me to work on improving at something outside of what I do for a living. As a result, my life has more balance and I'm less stressed about work.
8) Compete
While there are undoubtedly mental benefits from competing against your personal bests, you may also want to compete with friends or enter tournaments/leagues/events.
The simplest way to compete is straight-up stroke play, but golf's handicapping system provides a way for people of various skill levels to better compete against each other in stroke play or other scoring formats like match play.
There are also unique team golf formats like scrambles, shambles, alternate shot, and best ball.
9) Travel
Golf can both be an excuse to take a vacation or just another activity to do when seeing different parts of the world.
There are tons of fantastic golf courses throughout the world. According to the R&A, there are at least 38,000 courses spread out across 208 countries
Get Out and Play
Does one or more of these reasons motivate you to give golf a shot for the first time or dust off your clubs? If so, what are you waiting for?
Get out and play some golf!
