Whether you’re a long-time player or a newbie, there are a huge number of great things about the game. We can’t list them all, so add your personal favorites to the comments below.
The Challenge
Golf is as much mental as it is physical. It’s about physical practice—and practicing correctly—as well as training your mind to generate and sustain a successful mindset. Although playing against other people helps you hone your skills, the true satisfaction most golfers talk about is the challenge of constantly improving against yourself.
The Beauty of Nature
The very nature of the game forces you to slow down and appreciate the landscape around you. Studies show that those who spend more time outdoors breathing fresh air and appreciating beautiful scenery exhibit less anxiety and stress, including fewer episodes of depression. Furthermore, your skin converts sunshine into Vitamin D, an essential vitamin associated with many critical functions in the body, including mood control.
Driving the Golf Cart
Admit it: those things are fun.
Camaraderie
There are two things going on here: the benefits of friendship and the benefits of playing with a team or group. Both types of camaraderie produce big boosts to health and happiness, including feelings of confidence, a sense of connectedness, and the ability to develop self-control.
The Sense of Satisfaction
Closely related to the joy of the challenge the game provides, playing well brings with it a deep sense of satisfaction. While you won’t always play well, there are those moments when your drive puts the ball right in the middle of the fairway, or your long putt ends up smack in the middle of the cup. There are also those moments when you take a terrible shot and turn it into a winner. Those moments are why you practice and obsess and watch golf tutorials on YouTube, and nothing can replicate that particular feeling of having done something very well.