Golf is an Extremely Challenging Sport
As far as major professional sports go, golf is perhaps the most mentally challenging (NASCAR drivers might have something to say about that). 18 holes of golf might involve all of 5 minutes of actual club-in-hand, hitting the ball time, while the other 4 hours is devoted to pondering the mysteries of the universe, specifically, the mysterious and unpredictable flight of your golf ball coming off the tee. So why is golf so challenging? A golfer has all the time in the world to get there stance set. The ball is right there and it's not going anywhere. There is no opposition to you hitting the ball however you want to hit it, unless your golf partners are feeling a bit rambunctious. As such, why golf so hard? Consider the following.
The golf swing. Swinging a long club at a small ball is not easy. If you do not believe it, then go to a driving range and try to do it. Assuming you hit the ball, where did it go? Was it a groundball or did you slice it across the driving stalls? Professional golfers make it look easy but it is certainly not. Driving a golf ball 300+ yards down the center of a narrow fairway requires an exquisite mix of power, precision, and controlled focus. Sports management colleges can also teach you how to play golf and improve your golf swings.
Controlling frustration. Golf is a civil sport riddled with century-old etiquette; however, it is also the most frustrating sport known to man. True, every sport has a measure of frustration attached, but most sports allow for expression of that frustration, either through a bone-crunching block in the backfield or a hard slide into second base. In golf, you have hours upon hours to sit and stew, which may be better than having a partner around to talk to. Happy Gilmore or no, it's not acceptable to get in a fist-fight on the back nine. Sometimes it's better to be thankful that golf does not generally require a sports medicine specialist.
Cost. Not all sports cost as much as golf does. Take soccer for example. All you really need is a ball. In golf, you need MANY balls, a full set of clubs, nice clothes, golf shoes, and a club to play at. The cost of playing golf adds up quickly, and unless you have the disposable income to spend playing and practicing, your tax bracket could very well determine how good you get. This fact plays into the frustration aspect dealt with above: it's just not fair!
Good golf weather exists regularly in Arizona. Admittedly, golf does not require too much physical activity. This is good in some ways, but bad in others. Other sports are played in terrible weather. But these sports require lots of motion, which warms the athlete up. Golfers get colder as the round goes on. Being cold will either contribute to the golfer's mounting frustration, or quash the good mood resulting from great play. Beyond the tropical locales that the professionals get to play at, most golfers are stuck where they are. To all you Seattle golfers out there, good luck to you. Long underwear may not be a bad idea.
Practice, practice, practice. A former high-school quarterback will still be able to throw a spiral pass when he is 35 despite not picking up a football for 10 years. A basketball player will similarly be able to hit a jumper from the top of the key. With golf, if you have not picked up a driver for 10 years, and you decide to go play a round, do not expect such good results. In fact, warn your partners. If you want to be a good golfer, you are going to have to keep up with it.
The golf swing. Swinging a long club at a small ball is not easy. If you do not believe it, then go to a driving range and try to do it. Assuming you hit the ball, where did it go? Was it a groundball or did you slice it across the driving stalls? Professional golfers make it look easy but it is certainly not. Driving a golf ball 300+ yards down the center of a narrow fairway requires an exquisite mix of power, precision, and controlled focus. Sports management colleges can also teach you how to play golf and improve your golf swings.
Controlling frustration. Golf is a civil sport riddled with century-old etiquette; however, it is also the most frustrating sport known to man. True, every sport has a measure of frustration attached, but most sports allow for expression of that frustration, either through a bone-crunching block in the backfield or a hard slide into second base. In golf, you have hours upon hours to sit and stew, which may be better than having a partner around to talk to. Happy Gilmore or no, it's not acceptable to get in a fist-fight on the back nine. Sometimes it's better to be thankful that golf does not generally require a sports medicine specialist.
Cost. Not all sports cost as much as golf does. Take soccer for example. All you really need is a ball. In golf, you need MANY balls, a full set of clubs, nice clothes, golf shoes, and a club to play at. The cost of playing golf adds up quickly, and unless you have the disposable income to spend playing and practicing, your tax bracket could very well determine how good you get. This fact plays into the frustration aspect dealt with above: it's just not fair!
Good golf weather exists regularly in Arizona. Admittedly, golf does not require too much physical activity. This is good in some ways, but bad in others. Other sports are played in terrible weather. But these sports require lots of motion, which warms the athlete up. Golfers get colder as the round goes on. Being cold will either contribute to the golfer's mounting frustration, or quash the good mood resulting from great play. Beyond the tropical locales that the professionals get to play at, most golfers are stuck where they are. To all you Seattle golfers out there, good luck to you. Long underwear may not be a bad idea.
Practice, practice, practice. A former high-school quarterback will still be able to throw a spiral pass when he is 35 despite not picking up a football for 10 years. A basketball player will similarly be able to hit a jumper from the top of the key. With golf, if you have not picked up a driver for 10 years, and you decide to go play a round, do not expect such good results. In fact, warn your partners. If you want to be a good golfer, you are going to have to keep up with it.