Five Reasons You Should Take Up Golf Now

I confess, although I starting golfing as a young teen, and continued sporadically as my kids grew up, I am JUST coming back from a hiatus from the golf course. My recent new love for the game is compelling me to share five reasons you should take up golf now!

My golf “career” started as a teen, when my dad would take me out with my brother to golf when we were on summer holidays. I was pretty awful, and my favourite part of the game was hitting the snack shack after nine holes. There, I could get the most delicious smokie covered in mustard and sauerkraut and all was right with the world. I persisted with the game, (as an attempt to find the best hotdog maybe?) eventually playing with boyfriends and eventually my husband.

Prior to having kids, we enjoyed quite a few golf holidays – playing 7 games in 7 days and trying courses all over North America. Let me reiterate, I was pretty terrible but golf had grown on me and I loved it.

When we had our children, I kept up with golf, joining a ladies league at our golf course, and using the time as a much needed break during those pre-school / toddler years. But, gradually – as the kids grew – so did my discomfort with golf. Not the playing it so much, but the time it took to play.

I no longer could justify 5 hours away – nor could I find 5 hours in a row where I wasn’t needed driving here and there to various activities and / or prepping meals etc. to get the kids ready for said activities. Those years – when your kids are really busy with sports or music or dance – and don’t yet have their driver’s license, are some of the busiest. I didn’t even work outside the home! I bow down to those of you that maintained a full time job as well.

So golf took a backseat – a very backseat. In fact, there were years I didn’t pick up a club even once. Oddly, even on holidays, I would bow out and let the”guys” go – always finding an excuse or a reason I couldn’t golf.

And to be quite honest – I really had no desire or urge to either. Golf became something my husband did, not something I did. Looking back, I really can’t explain it.

This year though, I had an epiphany. It was time to take those 4 1/2 hours and get myself out of the house. Boy, am I glad I did! Now, I can share with you my five reasons you should take up golf now!

1. Time with your Partner

We’ve made it ! Our kids are (almost) grown and driving them to their activities, playdates, and the mall is slowly trickling off. It’s now somewhat “easy” to get a long stretch of time to ourselves. What better way to use the time than out on the golf course.

Taking time to reconnect with your partner is essential to maintaining your relationship “sans kids.” Having a long stretch of time to chat as you walk to your ball, enjoy another couple’s company or zoom along the fairway in your cart is pretty great. Also, it is a great time to analyze, speculate, ponder and muse about your children when they can’t overhear 🙂

This year hubby and I committed to playing together at least once a week without the kids. A late afternoon round of nine holes is great – but add in a casual dinner in the clubhouse and you’ve got yourself a midweek date night. We can catch up on work, issues with the kids, and throw ideas off each other in a relaxed setting. If things get intense, you can re-direct to the game you are playing and vice versa. Nobody can stay too mad at their last shot, when you are halfway through filling each other in on the latest office gossip. 🙂

The added bonus of playing golf, is that it is perfect for a double date! Invite a couple you haven’t seen in awhile and you get 5 hours of uninterrupted chat time. This is a serious way to reconnect.

If you are a competitor, turn your time together into a challenge – there are so many fun games you can play on the golf course – and still be smiling at the end of it.

2. Spend time with your friends

This year, both Danni and I are participating in different ladies evenings. It seems the golf courses have all gotten on board with making golf fun, and social by creating evenings that are satisfying for those just picking up the game as well as seasoned players. I recently joined fitness phenom Amy Johnston (check out her fab fitness q & a post HERE) for an amazing evening at Kananaskis Golf Course. We signed up for a package of 3 ladies evenings on Monday nights through the summer months. The evening included a clinic of our choosing – putting, pitching, drives or etiquette, 9 holes, a free beverage and a gift cert for the clubhouse for dinner. Nothing like a bunch of ladies getting together in a beautiful setting to play golf. Making new friends and enjoying a night out is a great reason to play.

Golf gives you at minimum a couple of hours to spend with your gal pals – and be rewarded with a great glass of wine and a casual meal. The bonus is vitamin D and maybe some partner venting?

How can that be wrong?

3. Time with your Kids

The teen years are no joke. Adolescence is tough – and I’m not sure if it’s harder on us – or them?

The biggest struggle when dealing with teens and young adults is getting them to open up – about their feelings, about what is going on at school, about all the changes they are experiencing. A very wise friend once told me that kids like to talk in the “in betweens” – which in essence means – they like to talk when they are doing something else. In other words, when the focus is not solely on them, they tend to open up.

Take them golfing! Don’t worry – if they don’t want to play, they can drive the cart. I haven’t met a teen yet that doesn’t want to practice their driving skills. Driving a golf cart takes the stress away for both of you! If you sense something is off with your teen – this might be the perfect opportunity to tease it out of them.

Often these hours bring about cool conversation too – you might find out something new about your teen, or their friends, you didn’t know. The relaxed, no pressure atmosphere of a golf course is the perfect place to chill and let your guard down. Give it a try.

4. Get your exercise and get some air

Did you know, when you walk 18 holes, you average between 12 – 16 thousand steps? Gawd, I love when I’ve got a golf game scheduled later in the day. My workout is planned for me! Walking improves heart health, alleviates depression and fatigue, improves mood, creates less stress on the joints, improves endurance, circulation, and the list goes on…

With golf, not only do you reap the benefits of getting in a great walk, you also get to take in scenary you can ONLY see from the golf course. Beautiful vistas, gorgeous curated holes – just for the pleasure of the person hitting the ball.

Getting outside also has such amazing benefits – especially as we head through perimenopause. Time Magazine reports that spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces (like the golf course!), is one of the fastest ways to improve general mood and happiness. It’s been shown to lower stress, blood pressure and heart rate, while encouraging physical activity and buoying  mood and mental health. 

Whew – all that walking and a mood boost too? I’m IN.

AND – its not often that you can complete your workout while enjoying a beverage… just sayin’ 😉

5. Longevity

Let’s face it – we all know of someone who has a relative that is long past the age of 90 still playing the game.

I love the idea of having a reason to get up in the morning as I age. Having something I can do with my partner later in life is also enticing me to continue to play golf. I love having a sport that we can connect with and play together into old age.

Did you know – the death rate for golfers is 40 per cent lower than for non-golfers of the same age, sex and socio-economic status, according to a study of 300,000 golfers by Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. That equates to a five-year increase in life expectancy for regular golfers.

So – there you have it – 5 reasons you should play golf NOW.

But guess what?

I’ve thought of two fun bonus reasons…

1. An excuse to shop: Yes!! Why not look the part if you are just taking up the game? Have you seen all the cute golf wear available for women these days? And you know we’ve got you covered in “sport underwear” department – check out our post on our fav SPEAX
2. An excuse to travel: Ladies golf trips? Couples trips all over the world? Yes and Yes! Getting a chance to see some of the most amazing courses in the world is just one more reason to take up golf. The added bonus is experiencing amazing cities and cultures along with it.

So if you haven’t noticed, my love for golf has been ignited again this year – possibly spurred by the threat of corona virus leaving me cooped up in my house. But I strongly encourage you to give it a try! Do you love golf? Or do you have a love / hate relationship with it?

Let us know your thoughts below!!

xx

C