If you are wondering what the benefits are to learning how to play golf, then I'm willing to bet that you fall into one of the following categories:

1. Someone has suggested golf to you as a sport you might enjoy; or,

2. You are feeling some social pressure from others, e.g., colleagues at work.

In the first case, you just have to find out whether golf would be fun for you or not. In the second case, my guess is that you feel it necessary to learn golf so you can join in on the 'bonding' and 'networking' experience, even if golf doesn't excite you all that much.

So, if you need some 'convincing', then read on! There are plenty of good reasons to learn golf, and you'll find them here.

Reason #1: Mental Focus

Golf is a game of focus and strategy. You use your mind, your senses and your ability to time and coordinate movements at every step of the game.

Golf is not a game of brute physical strength the way some other sports are. In fact, the stronger you are, the more you'll probably have to work on containing and directing that strength when it comes time to hit the ball.

The best players are those who have learn to still their minds and visualize making that perfect swing. It may look easy from the outside, but there is actually a lot of 'multi-tasking' going in the mind of a golfer.

You learn to judge distances and correlate those distances with the amount of force to apply in your swing. At the same time, you must aim your swing and account for any factors that might change the direction of the ball.

Believe it or not, training yourself to focus in this way will have useful applications not just in other sport, but in other areas of your life. If nothing else, it teaches you to take a step back and calculate all of the variables standing between you and a goal.

Reason #2: Low-impact Exercise

You can actually get a great work-out by playing golf.

How?

First, consider the motion of a full-on golf swing. Even if you're in tip-top shape, you're probably going to feel sore in your arms, shoulders, lower back and maybe even your abdomen the day after your first round of swinging that club.

Next, consider that each hole on a given course can be separated by anywhere from 200 to over 700 yards, with varying types of terrain. Unless you rent a cart, you're going to be walking those yards and lugging around a bag full of clubs to boot!

All that walking is a great, low-impact work-out for your entire body.


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