Which sport is the best sport?
Is it golf?
Is golf even a sport? To some, golf is not a sport. What do you think?
In this article we look at the advantages and the disadvantages of playing golf.
Advantages of Playing Golf
1 Playing on a beautiful golf course when the weather is good makes for a wonderful and very memorable experience.
2 Golf is a particularly versatile game.
If you prefer to go solo, golf is ideal. If you prefer to play in a group, again, golf is ideal.
3 There’s a high level of etiquette in golf.
There are plenty of unwritten rules: At the conclusion of a round of golf, you shake your opponent’s hand; you don’t walk on the putting lines of your playing partners; if you lose your ball, everyone looks for it not just you.
In golf, it’s very much about respecting your partners’ and maintaining good manners throughout.
4 While you’re playing golf you can eat and drink.
Want to have a coffee while you’re having a round of golf? Fine, go ahead. Or, how about a beer? Glass of wine, anyone?
If you wish to eat an apple while playing, that’s cool. You can eat whatever you like.
Is there any other sport that you’re able to do that?
5 You can play golf at almost any age.
Some people, including Tiger Woods, start out real early – as early as two years of age.
Some people keep playing golf until they are relatively old – the oldest golfer in the world is said to be 103.
Again, golf is unique as a sport in this respect.
6 If you want to practice golf, you can do it almost anywhere you like.
You don’t have to go to a golf club to practice golf, though you can if you wish. You can practice golf at the range; you can practice at the beach; you can practice golf in your back yard; you can even practice in your living room
7 As a professional, your career can be very lengthy.
In football (soccer), for example, most careers are done by the age of around 34.
In golf, let’s take Gary Player, for example. He’s still playing at the professional level. He’s 73.
8 Golf never needs to be boring.
There are a number of different formats in golf.
You can play stable ford, foursomes, Texas-scramble, medal, greensomes, and more.
Further, you can play your golf as a team member. Play in pairs, play three-balls, play four balls, play as part of a 12-man team like they do in the Ryder Cup.
You’ll never get bored playing golf.
9 You can play 1,000 rounds of golf at the same course and none of them will ever be the same.
The question is often asked of golfers – “You always go to the same course to play golf. Doesn’t it get boring?“
Perhaps you play your rounds with a different group of fellow golfers.
But even if not, the weather conditions are going to vary quite a bit from one round to the next.
Then, your actual game is going to vary, too. One day, you’re on your game, the next day, and you’re not quite there.
Each and every round of golf is different in some way. Again, golf is never boring.
10 Regardless of a great contrast in ability, you can still compete against the best.
In golf, there’s something called the handicap system.
The handicap system allows golfers with varying abilities to compete fairly against one another.
11 Physical exercise.
Golf is regarded as a highly sedentary-type sport.
However, for the average 18-hole course, a golfer walks more than six miles. That equates to around 12,000 steps.
Most courses include some hills. All courses have sand and rough.
You have to cross different terrains to complete a round.
Disadvantages of Playing Golf
1 Money is the name of the game.
The equipment – the clubs are a costly business.
Golf club membership is a costly business.
And, if you have golf lessons, that too can be a costly business.
2 As a sport, golf is not exactly the most taxing.
Hence, some would argue that golf is not a sport because of the lack of physical activity involved.
Nevertheless, as stated in the list of advantages, the average 18-hole golf course calls for over six miles of walking.
3 No real regard for Mother Nature.
Golf courses are not renowned for being a haven for wildlife.
Furthermore, many thousands of liters of water are utilized to maintain the physical beauty of the course.
Photo by Renato Abati from Pexels