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Why Golf is Such a Special Game – An Important Reminder

why golf is special

I started Practical Golf for two reasons – I want to help you all improve as golfers, but more importantly, I want you to enjoy the game more.

Improvement comes in many different forms – technique, the mental game, strategy, playing the right equipment, and a few other topics. However, I don’t think you will make much progress in any of those areas if you are not enjoying your time on the course or on the practice range.

I wanted to write this article as a reminder to everyone (and myself) that golf is a truly special game. It is really a privilege to get to play it, and there are so many reasons why it can be a positive influence in your life. Despite that, many of us get stuck in negative cycles because this game is difficult, and our expectations get out of control sometimes.

Let this article serve as a small reminder for why you play this game.

Golf is the Tie That Binds

I have absolutely nothing in common with most of the people I play golf with. Some of them are more than twice my age, have a completely different set of interests outside of golf, and we would never meet under any other circumstances. Despite that, we are able to bond over our common love of the game during the 4-5 hours we play together.

We talk about our families, current events, sports, and most of all golf. After our time is up we go our separate ways, and sometimes we’ll never meet again. To me, there is something special about that experience that I don’t think you can get from many other activities.

There is a unique camaraderie amongst golfers because we know what the game means to us, and we also know the special set of challenges and joys that the game can deliver. In a recent tournament, my playing partner and I likened it to a miniature battle against ourselves and the course, and that there was nothing else like it out there.

Simply put, golf can be a powerful way to unify people. In a time where that seems to be in short supply, I believe that is one of the single most important things about this game, and we should all try to take a step back once in a while to cherish that.

It is a Lifetime Pursuit, and There Are Plenty of Lessons to Learn

When I was ten years old I took some old golf clubs out of my grandmother’s garage and headed across the street to a schoolyard. For about an hour I tried to figure out how to get the ball into the air, and eventually, I connected one of my swings. That feeling of perfect contact was so powerful and amazing – I didn’t know it at the moment but it started a lifelong pursuit of golf.

Fast forward 25 years later, and my love and devotion for this game are deeper than they’ve ever been. There have been times where I’ve wanted to quit and hated my time on the course. I’ve been around plenty of golfers who have gone through the same spells.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot from my own experiences and watching others. I have shared a lot of those lessons with you on this site, and it’s been wonderful to hear from many of you who have taken that new perspective and improved your game. I could write an entire book about how golf has taught me important lessons about life, but if you are willing to pay attention there is plenty to pick up from the course.

Golf requires patience, control of your emotions, critical thinking, grit, determination, and a host of other traits.

I’ve always felt that I was battling my own flaws as a human during a round. When I conquered them and played well, it felt great. When I succumbed to my temper, impatience, and other negative emotions it was the opposite.

It has been hard work, but I have tried my best to conquer that side of me. While you never completely win the battle, I can look back at the golfer that I used to be compared to the golfer that I am now. I have made serious progress on those flaws.

The little extra bonus is that I strongly believe that has made me a better father, husband, son, and friend. That’s because golf is an amazing reflection of life, and I think that’s pretty cool. You never conquer it, but you can certainly spend your whole lifetime trying to be better.

There are so Many Ways to Enjoy This Game

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that there is one way to enjoy this game. Most of us play because we want to lower that score at the end of the round, and we spend thousands of hours chasing our own tails to make that happen. That’s all well and good, but that’s not the only way to play golf.

At my course, I see many different types of golfers. There are ultra competitors playing pressure-packed matches. There are the husband and wife enjoying a late afternoon nine while the sun is setting. There is a 93-year-old man who is still able to walk the course almost every day. There are juniors starting to learn the game.

These are all different kinds of people getting something different out of the game. For some, it’s a leisurely pursuit just to enjoy time outdoors with their friends or spouse. For others, it is an intensely competitive game that demands deep devotion on and off the course.

That’s the great thing about golf – if you can find a way to truly enjoy it on your own terms then you’ve got it made for the rest of your life. I encourage you to think about what that is going to be for you.

This is a Great Game

I’m going to tie the knot on this sappy love letter to golf now. If you are someone who has lost their way in this game, I hope this little essay will remind you of a few things and hopefully alter your perspective for the better.

Some people worry about the future of golf, but to be honest I believe this game will always have a place in certain people’s hearts. That’s because when it latches on to you, it is very hard to let it go because of everything I have written about here. Golf is a lifelong pursuit that connects us to one another and can have deep meaning in our lives. It certainly has for me, and I hope everyone reading this will have the same experience.

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About the Author

Jon Sherman is the owner of Practical Golf, a website dedicated to being an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, as well as improve. He is the author of the bestselling book 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them). You can find him on Twitter here - @practicalgolf, where he is happy to chat about golf with anyone.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Felix Scardino says

    May 1, 2018 at 4:44 am

    What timely reflections for me. I am a psychotherapist and for many years have taught a course about how to maintain your life from an emotional and psychological point of view. We maintain our cars, lawnmowers, gadgets because otherwise they won’t work. Alexander Solzhenitsyn said that if in the western world a man gives as much attention to his soul as he does his grooming people look at him like he’s crazy.
    Since reading Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis I have regarded it as not only one of the best books about how to play tennis, but also about how to live life. I my course I have included a section on how the games of sports and the game of life are not simply related but are one and the same.
    More personally, I just turned eighty. I am a young eighty and still work full time. I have had a set of golf clubs that for over twenty years have been gathering dust. My wife and I recently moved into a condo in Houston overlooking Hermann Park and the golf course. The driving range and club house are walking distance. When I thought of keeping my clubs I noticed a pissant excuse – something to do with “men my age.” Then I recalled a cousin of mine who would love to be playing golf at age eighty-eight but can’t because of nephropathy in his feet. That did it. Long story short, I have updated my clubs, go to the driving range twice a week, plan to meet with a pro, I love it and your article on why golf is such a special game will spur me on.
    A footnote about why I ever had a set of clubs. My brother, now deceased, bought the clubs for me and arranged instructions when I was so depressed he didn’t know what to do with me. That’s when I experienced the feeling you write about of really contacting with the ball. Unfortunately driving ranges in our neighborhood disappeared, and so did practice. Hopefully that is changing. Many thanks for your thoughts.

    Reply
    • Jon says

      May 1, 2018 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks for sharing your story Felix! I’m happy to hear that golf can be a positive force in your life 🙂

      Reply
  2. Russell Leboff says

    October 4, 2018 at 3:32 am

    Great article! New to the game (3 years), but I agree that golf teaches so many life lessons. I have introduced a few friends to the sport, and it is so rewarding to see them catch that “bug” when they make perfect contact the first time, make their first GIR, etc. Keep up the good work! – Russell

    Reply
    • Jon says

      October 4, 2018 at 1:38 pm

      thanks, Russell!

      Reply
  3. Caroline says

    March 6, 2021 at 11:30 am

    This is a very fantastic golf course. like the place. Thank you for the post.

    Reply
  4. Md. Nur-E-Alam says

    March 14, 2021 at 6:20 am

    Excellent! I’m a huge golf fan. As crazy as this may sound I don’t play golf. I would love to start though and I’m glad I found your website. Hopefully what I’ve read here on your website will improve my golfing skills. I am pleased to have found the site that can tell me such a good things about the driver.

    Reply

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