6 reasons you may enjoy taking up golf as a hobby

With great weather and more free time available, now’s the perfect moment to check out golf

Golf is a wonderful activity to explore, especially in the warm summer weather. While the skill and focus required for golf can be intimidating at first, it remains a popular activity among people of all ages, genders and skill levels. Here are 6 reasons why you should pick up a club and hit the links.

It’s both fun and challenging

Golf may seem like a frustrating endeavor — you have no doubt seen golfers of all skill levels lose their cool and throw a club. However, instructors would be quick to tell you to breathe, relax and enjoy the game. You probably aren’t going to be good your first time out, so have fun driving the ball out of the tee box, aiming for a putt or laughing as you swing and miss.

Women's golf clubs

Men's golf clubs

It’s pretty good exercise

You’re bound to get your blood flowing and burn some calories — especially if you opt against using a golf cart. The standard golf course is around 4 miles of walking, and that’s if you’re really good at the game. More than likely, you’ll walk much farther than 4 miles if you’re chasing your ball around the greens. Of course, you also exert plenty of effort swinging the club.

Callaway Golf Bag

It’s a great way to spend time with friends

You don’t often see people golf 18 holes alone. Golf is typically a 4-person activity. Unlike other recreational sports like racquetball, basketball or softball, golf lets you converse with each other. You want to keep your voice down during someone’s backswing, but there is plenty of time for talking, enjoying a beverage and hanging out with friends.

Callaway Gloves

It may come in handy with business relationships

Depending on your career or industry, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find yourself on a golf course with colleagues or potential business partners someday. Many companies host annual tournaments, and many other businesses find the golf course a great place to close deals or build relationships. If you could see yourself in such a situation one day, it might be useful to have a working knowledge of the game and some basic skills.

While competitive, you are mostly playing against yourself

As a beginner, you’ll be paying less attention to your scorecard and more attention to learning the basics of the game and trying to improve each time out. While pros like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods can complete 18 holes in less than 70 strokes, you can probably expect a score of at least twice that when you start. While you can declare a winner from your foursome, your goal when starting is to do better on a personal level each time you play.

Putting gates

You get to spend time outdoors

When was the last time you were outside for 4 consecutive hours, soaking in the sights of nature? Even golf courses within a city have sprawling greens, trees, plants and water that offer some sense of peacefulness. If nothing else, golf is an excellent way to reconnect with the outdoors and get some fresh air.

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