By learning …show more content…
to play golf, one is able to become physically active and maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle. According to the University of Edinburgh, golf can help those who suffer from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon/breast cancer and stroke (Colman). Since golf has been proven to help people with these diseases, it can help increase life expectancy, making one feel physically fit. The study also found that golfing helped with balance and muscle endurance in older people. Making golf a great sport and exercise for anyone of any age. By learning to golf, one is able to take advantage of these great opportunities that it offers.
When learning to golf, one is able to be mentally challenged, causing them to have a open strong mind. “Every hole — especially a thoughtfully-designed one — is a puzzle” (San Diego Golf Academy). Golf is not just a physical sport, it also challenges one mentally because one must think through every shot, using key concepts like wind, ball speed, club speed, slope, and distance. To be able to figure out how all these factors play a part in one’s game is a very good mental workout. By learning to play golf, one is able to keep their mind sharp because they are always thinking and using different problem solving techniques.
Learning to play golf gives one the ability to cope with stress in a more effective and safe manner. The pleasure of walking in fresh air and socializing releases endorphins in the brain, which are mood-enhancing chemicals that makes one feel happy and relaxed (Roald). Being in this kind of environment helps one reduce stress. According to a study from the University of Maryland, mild exercise such as walking and swinging a club during golf helps one decrease anxiety rather than resting in a quiet place. It goes on to say that the key to well-being is fresh air, friendship, and fitness; all factors that golf has to offer (Nemisys). By focusing on the game at hand, one is able to forget about the stresses occurring in their life, which ultimately reduces stress.
By learning to play golf, one is able to feel happier during and after the round has been played.
In view of the fact that golfing lowers stress levels, this gives people the illusion that they are happier, and therefore live a life filled with happiness. By entering what psychologists call the “flow”, which is where humans get so entangled in something, they feel positive and energized. The more flow one has in his or her life, the happier they are likely to feel (Nemisys). By golfing, one is able to increase the “flow” in their life which increases happiness. By being socially active, which golf offers, one is able to become happier due to the fact that conversation triggers positive emotions, making one feel and express the sensation of happiness.
Although many people do not play golf for various reasons, the positive characteristics outweigh the negative ones by far. Many people say that golf is too expensive to play, but there are cheap, used clubs available on the internet along with affordable courses to golf at. People also say that golf is too time consuming, but that can be the perfect thing that the mind needs in order to reduce stress and increase happiness. Golf is also known for being too hard to play, but actually golf is just like any other sport where it takes time for one to improve on
it.
By learning to golf, one is able to take advantage of all the great aspects that come with it, like mental and physical health, stress relief, and happiness. Golf can forever effect the decisions one makes at the present time or far into the future. The sport can affect all aspects of one’s life from their relationships, to their job, even to their spiritual life; this is what makes golf such a special sport to learn to play.