Most people perceive golf as a leisurely activity played mostly by retirees with their friends or businesspeople while sealing deals.
However, this serene sport offers much more than just a pastime. It provides opportunities to enhance your overall health, improve focus, challenge yourself, and pursue unique professions.
If you’re still uncertain whether you, your family, or even your child must try this sport, here are the top benefits to give it a shot!
1. It improves your heart health
Golf is a great form of physical exercise. Walking, jogging, and other sports may not be as intense. However, the competitive nature of this game engages you long enough to positively affect your health.
In this game, you stand for long hours and walk long distances across the golf field, generally 4 miles. These activities lower the high risks of cardiovascular diseases, lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, and enhance overall heart health.
2. It may improve lifespan
The research was conducted on 5,900 participants around the age of 72. It was done for 10 years with one medical evaluation and two clinic visits yearly. The findings showed that the death rate was 15.1% among golfers and 24.6 % among non-golfers.
Note: The study didn’t consider whether golfers walked on the golf course or used golf carts.
3. You get more vitamin D
Golfing requires you to stay outdoors in the sun for extended periods. This boosts Vitamin D levels in your body, which has several health benefits, including:
- Better immune system
- Reduced cancer risk [Note: Wear sunscreen generously to avoid skin cancer.]
- Improved calcium-absorbing abilities of the body, preventing bone loss
4. It enhances mental health and concentration
Staying outdoors in a scenic location with fresh air also helps reduce anxiety and depression. This further improves concentration, accuracy, creative thinking, and self-esteem in outdoor activities.
It helps your foresight to understand how far and where your shot must go. As a result, it enhances your hand-eye coordination.
5. It’s a great career option
Learning to play golf offers a wide range of career opportunities in this industry. If your child is truly passionate about it, there’s scope for them to play professionally worldwide, become a golf instructor, or enter golf course management.
Consider enrolling them in a highly reputed golf high school. Select a school that offers mentorship from golf champions, experts, and legends to guide your budding champion.
6. It teaches you time management
Golf requires a lot of planning and organization, including tee time scheduling and managing time on the course. It helps you learn to manage time and balance your life on and off the golf course. This skill helps young golfers excel athletically and academically.
Often, parents hesitate to let children pursue golf lest they get distracted from their studies. However, you can be confident it will help your child’s academic performance.
You can also consider enrolling them in an online high school for athletes that will offer them an excellent education and guide your child to balance both golf and academics.
This ensures they have great career opportunities even after they retire from golfing.
7. It helps you challenge your limits
Compared to other sports, golf does not require teamwork. Instead, it needs you to challenge yourself and overcome your records. You don’t compete against other players but yourself!
Self-doubt doesn't creep into your thoughts since you don’t compare your skills and achievements with others. Thus, working hard is way more fun.
With time, you can set new goals compared to previous ones, slowly but steadily learn new skills, and improve!
8. It helps you relax
Sport can help you relax, especially if you play alone. As you focus on the game, you push your problems away.
Whether it’s issues in your academics, work, or home, you get a moment just for yourself. This refreshes your mind and helps you find solutions.
9. It’s great for weight loss
Since golf doesn’t involve high activity levels, people assume it’s not intense. However, walking through the 18-hole course, swinging, and putting ensure constant movement and burn many calories.
Conclusion
If these benefits have convinced you to give a shot to golfing, pick up a club and try it immediately. Let your passion for golf grow and bring great fulfillment for years!
