Pull out those golf bags and get ready to putt because it’s finally spring! I’m not the most athletic person by any means, but I’ve been golfing since high school and it’s become one of my favorite sports. While I don’t watch golf often, playing is really different and here’s why I’ve found it to be so great.
It’s Challenging
Learning can be tough, but practicing and seeing improvement is so exciting. When I first started, I really struggled with my swing—I would wiff a lot because it was hard to train myself to keep my head down, but you have to keep your eye on the ball. It’s more rare for me to miss now, but occasionally it still happens. I think every golfer has a mental checklist they go through before each shot and after checking the distance to the hole and picking the right club mine looks like this: line up, check aim, figure out how hard to swing, keep head down, tighten grip, clench arm muscles, and finally swing. Of course putting is a little different, and reading the green takes time to learn. There’s a lot to think about and I love how golf is about strategy; it’s not fast paced and you have plenty of time to figure out what works best for you.
Playing Outdoors
Game time for 18 holes is about four hours so you get to spend a good amount of time outside. In the summer it’s so nice to get out and there’s some absolutely gorgeous courses near me. Walking the course can be a bit tiring which is why I mostly take a cart, but my friend and I walk 9 holes sometimes which is a lot of fun. My dad and I have even golfed in January when the lake on the course was frozen, which helped me out since my ball bounced off it instead of getting lost in the water!
It’s Versatile
Golf is great because you can play with other people or by yourself. I usually play with my dad who has been playing for a long time and gives great advice on how to improve. It’s fun to get out there and play the game with him, but we can also go to the driving range and just swing away. In recent years, it’s also become common to see high tech entertainment companies like TopGolf emulate a driving range to give people another way to practice.
Whether it’s going to the driving range, playing 9 holes, or playing 18, golf is a ton of fun and with summer coming up it’s the perfect time to learn! I’ll be grabbing my polo shirts and clubs as much as I can this year to play my favorite sport!