9 Reasons Why Everyone Should Play Golf Nearly 2.2 million people started golfing in 2023 alone. With that many people hitting the course for the first time, it should be no surprise that there are some benefits to playing. For those who are still on the fence about wanting to play golf, we've gathered this list of nine reasons everyone should grab a set of clubs and grab a tee time. As you'll soon see, there's something for everyone when it comes to the great game of golf, so get ready to find out how this sport can benefit you. Keep reading to find out more! 1. Good Exercise First and foremost, golf is good exercise. Not only do you spend a lot of time on your feet, but you also do a lot of walking. In fact, most courses will have you walking around 4 miles by the end, so you'll certainly get in your daily step goals. 2. Be in the Great Outdoors When you play a round of golf, you'll spend that time outside. That means bringing plenty of sunscreen, but it also means you'll get the benefits that come with spending time outside. Some benefits of being outdoors include: Sleep better Lower blood pressure Decreased depression Boost creative thinking Less anxiety Being in a beautiful location where you can take in nature like it's art certainly doesn't hurt, either! 3. Make New Friends While there's nothing wrong with playing golf with a friend, another benefit of playing golf is that you can make new friends. One of the easiest ways to do that is to head to the course alone. Let the clubhouse know you're willing to join others, and they'll be more than happy to set you up with other willing groups. Before you know it, you'll be heading out for a celebratory drink with a new friend or two. 4. Challenge Yourself Unlike many team sports, golf is personal. Most of the time, you play against yourself to try to beat your own previous record. This makes it a lot of fun to work hard and try to do better than the last time you played. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to improve your game, so you can keep learning and improving. As you get better, you can set new goals for yourself to knock more and more strokes off your score. 5. Build Character Part of the challenge of golf is that it can be frustrating at times. However, we see this as an opportunity to build character. When you miss a putt or land in the sand trap for the third time, you have a choice to make. You can get upset which will likely make your game even worse, or you can take a deep breath and recognize that sometimes, life doesn't go as planned. In those quiet moments out on the course, you also have the chance to see the bigger picture. Maybe you don't need to get so upset when your children make a mess in your home office or when your secretary forgets to make you copies. 6. Whole Family Activity Speaking of your kids, why not bring them along on your next golf outing? If they're old enough, they can get exercise with you by walking the course. If they're too young, then you can take a golf cart to help them out. You can get golf clubs in every size, shape, and color, so there's no reason to limit your kids' golf experiences to the putt-putt course. Let your whole family benefit from golfing and bond in the process. 7. Improve Business Relationships The best place to make that new business deal may be the golf course. Why? Simple. Golf is a game played by many businessmen. It should be no surprise since it's a great way to exercise and get out of the office for a while. If you're looking to improve your career, it might be time to take up golfing. There are a few ways you can use golf to improve your business relationships. First of all, you can take out colleagues or bosses out for a round. It's a great opportunity to enjoy each other's company and have a neutral location where it's easy to talk about anything. It can also help you make new business relationships. As you're making new friends on the course, you may end up finding other businessmen in similar industries that you can work with. 8. Relaxation We briefly mentioned that being outdoors can help you ease anxiety, but this needs repeating as the game itself can also help you relax. This is particularly true if you're playing by yourself. When it's just you, your club, and the ball, it's easy to allow the rest of your problems slip away. You can focus only on the problem at hand, which is getting that ball into the hole. Sometimes, it's taking that time away from your problems in the office or at home that allows you to put things into perspective. Then, you can return with a refreshed mind and renewed resolve to calmly resolve problems. 9. Better Health All of these things put together will help you improve your health out on the golf course. The exercise you'll get and the time spent outside are both huge parts of it, but even improved relationships have a positive impact on your health. One other specific way golf improves your health is by allowing you to get the sunlight needed to get enough vitamin D. This essential vitamin is made in your body but is triggered by exposure to sunlight. Getting enough vitamin D may help you: Lower your risk of cancer Boost your immune system Help body absorb calcium to prevent bone loss You only need about 15 minutes of sun exposure to gain these benefits, so a round of golf will give you plenty of vitamin D!

Golf is a game designed to be described in beautiful, flowing sentences that inspire more than just simple reactions from those who have developed a passionate love for the game – they elicit feelings if not sentiments. Whether it’s the natural beauty of a well-kept golf course at sunset or the ringing sensation that runs through your hands after hitting the perfect golf shot, there’s something about the game that keeps us coming back for more. As a result, it can turn even the most indifferent soul into a poetic speaker. If you go to Google and type in “golf quotes,” you’ll be greeted with a seemingly endless sea of fantastic phrases and sayings about the game of golf from some of the game’s biggest stars and the world’s brightest minds. Here’s our selection of 20 funny golf quotes, one for each hole to get you through the next round and a couple for the clubhouse after you complete the round. 1. “I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone’s game: it’s called an eraser.” — Arnold Palmer, the King of golf and comedy too, from the looks of it. 2. “If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron, not even God can hit a 1-iron.” — Lee Trevino, who should know a thing or two about lightning strikes after being struck by one while on the course. 3. “If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.” — Jack Lemmon, a bonafide comedian on and off the course. 4. “It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. It took one afternoon on the golf course.” — Hank Aaron, record-holder of the 2nd-most home runs of all time at 755 and one amazing golf quote for the ages. 5. I’d like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everybody would have to play from the rough, not just me – Seve Ballesteros, former #1 golfer in the world 6. “Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps.” — Tiger Woods, 15-time Majors champion and PGA Tour wins record holder 7. “I know I am getting better at golf because I’m hitting fewer spectators.” — Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States 8. “I’m hitting the woods just great, but I’m having a terrible time getting out of them.” — Harry Toscano, American professional golfer 9. “The reason a pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing. — Phyllis Ada Diller, American actress 10. “If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.” — Dean Martin, American singer, actor, and comedian. 11. “Man blames fate for all other accidents but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one.” — Bishop Sheen, American religious leader and radio & television personality. 12. “If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they’d starve to death.” — Sam Snead, 82-time PGA Tour winner 13. “While playing golf today, I hit two good balls. I stepped on a rake”. — Henny Youngman, American Comedian 14. “The difference in golf and government is that in golf, you can’t improve your lie.” — George Deukmejian, 35th Governor of California 15. “Golf is a game in which you yell ‘fore,’ shoot six, and write down five.” — Paul Harvey, American Radio Broadcaster. 16. “The place of the father in the modern suburban family is a very small one, particularly if he plays golf.” — Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and logician. 17. “Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.” — Harry Vardon, 6-time Open Championship winner 18. “To play golf is to spoil an otherwise enjoyable walk.” — said no one, everyone. 19. “A golfer’s diet: live on greens as much as possible.” — Anonymous 20. “The best wood in most amateurs’ bags is a pencil.” — Unknown It doesn’t matter if you play golf for recreation or to win major tournaments; one thing is certain: if you want to be a top golfer, you must learn the sport by heart and put in a lot of effort to practice and acquire the skills of a top golfer. The best golfers understand the game and understand how to keep their emotions in check while playing a round. They know when they’re pleased when they’re sad, and their weak and strong points. They use all this knowledge to play every shot as close to perfection as possible. The bottom line is: you must find your own ways to laugh while on the course. Hopefully, these funny golf quotes will come to mind. Always remember, have fun!

by Ben Johnson “Golf is an exercise which is much used by a gentleman in Scotland……A man would live 10 years the longer for using this exercise once or twice a week.” Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745 – 1813) Golf originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland, in an area close to the royal capital of Edinburgh. In those early days players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around tracks using a bent stick or club. During the 15th century, Scotland prepared to defend itself, yet again, against an invasion by the ‘Auld Enemy’. The nation’s enthusiastic pursuit of golf however, led many to neglect their military training, so much so that the Scottish parliament of King James II banned the sport in 1457. Although people largely ignored the ban, it was only in 1502 that the game gained the royal seal of approval when King James IV of Scotland (1473 -1513) became the world’s first golfing monarch. The popularity of the game quickly spread throughout 16th century Europe thanks to this royal endorsement. King Charles I brought the game to England and Mary Queen of Scots (pictured to the right) introduced the game to France when she studied there; the term ‘caddie’ derives from the name for her French military aides, known as cadets. One of the premier golf courses of the day was at Leith near Edinburgh which hosted the first international golf match in 1682, when the Duke of York and George Patterson representing Scotland, beat two English noblemen. The game of golf officially became a sport when the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith formed the first club in 1744 and set up an annual competition with silverware prizes. The rules for this new competition were drafted by Duncan Forbes. Rules that even now sound so familiar to many; …’If your ball comes among water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your ball and bringing it behind the hazard and teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your adversary a stroke for so getting out your ball.’ The first reference to golf at its now recognised historic home town of St Andrews, was in 1552. It was not until 1754 however that the St Andrews Society of Golfers was formed to compete in its own annual competition using Leith’s rules. The first ever 18-hole course was constructed at St Andrews in 1764, establishing the now recognised standard for the game. King William IV honoured the club with the title ‘Royal & Ancient’ in 1834, with that recognition and its fine course the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews was established as the world’s premier golf club. At this time golfers were using hand-crafted wooden clubs usually made from beech with shafts of ash or hazel, and balls were made from compressed feathers wrapped in a stitched horse hide. During the 19th century as the might of the British Empire expanded to encompass the globe, so golf followed closely behind. The first golf club formed outside Scotland was the Royal Blackheath (near London) in 1766. The first golf club outside Britain was the Bangalore, India (1820). Others quickly followed included the Royal Curragh, Ireland (1856), the Adelaide (1870), Royal Montreal (1873), Cape Town (1885), St Andrew’s of New York (1888) and Royal Hong Kong (1889). The Industrial Revolution of the Victorian era brought with it many changes. The birth of the railways allowed ordinary people to explore outside of their towns and cities for the first time, and as a consequence golf clubs began to appear all over the countryside. Mass production methods were adopted to manufacture the clubs and balls, making the game more affordable to the average person. The game’s popularity exploded! The forerunner to the British Open was played at the Prestwick Golf Club in 1860 with Willie Park victorious. After this other legendary names of the game were born such as Tom Morris, his son, Young Tom Morris, went on to be the first great champion, winning the event a record four consecutive times from 1869. The United States Golf Association (USGA) was established in 1894 to regulate the game there, by 1900 more than 1000 golf clubs had been formed throughout the USA. With the availability of serious funding through commercial sponsorship, the USA quickly established itself as the centre of the professional game. Today, it is the golf courses themselves that reflect the history of the game, with the US courses presented as beautifully sculptured and manicured landscaped parklands, unlike those in Britain, which are typically rough links courses with bunkers you can hide London Double Decker buses in! Some of the most famous golf courses in the world are still to be found in Scotland: their names evoke the passion and tradition of the game of golf. Gleneagles, The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Prestwick, to name but a few… Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

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