Why Golf Should Be Your Next Sport

Since its development many hundreds of years ago, golf has become one of the world’s most popular sports, both to play and to watch. There are many benefits to playing golf, both physical and mental, and here we’ll explain six reasons why it should become your next sport.

Social

While it’s possible to play a round of golf by yourself and still have a great time, one of the best reasons for playing it is the social aspect. Many a friendship has been made and strengthened through a round of golf, and it’s a great way to catch up with friends and stay active. If you’re playing rounds of golf with others, a little healthy competition can also push you to try harder and improve your game. The positive advantages of social interaction are then amplified when coupled with the following other benefits of golf.

Fitness

Speaking of staying active, golf requires you to do lots of walking (provided you don’t rent a motorised cart, of course). After a round of 18 holes, you might find that you’ve just walked several kilometres, and if you couple that with pulling or pushing a golf buggy, it’s a great way to stay in shape.

Coordination

As all golfers know, golf requires a tremendous amount of coordination between different parts of one’s body. It can take years of practice in order to hit the ball properly so you don’t slice or hook, and a good golf teacher can get your body working as it should and help you improve your game.

Stress

Provided you don’t play a round resulting in a score of 50 over par, golf can be a great way to reduce your stress levels. Golf is useful for channelling your stress into something active and purposeful, while the release of endorphins from physical activity will help to improve your mood. Also, being outdoors in nature can have many restorative benefits, particularly for those whose job involves sitting at a desk for long periods.

Mind

Golf is a great way to not only exercise your body but also your mind. Looking at a green and its contours and assessing the best strategy for a putt involves lots of problem solving. By gaining more practice in golf you’ll learn become more adept at working out how best to get the ball from the tee to the hole.

Injury

Golf is a non-contact sport that usually involves lots of walking but very low impact on your joints and bones. This is one reason why golf is often played by people who are 70 years of age or older, as it helps them to stay active, focused and happy.