Golf - A Lifestyle: Benefits & Life Lessons - Essay Sample

Introduction

Most people often have a misleading conception that golf is a game for annoying, elderly individuals without something better to do. To me, I believe that the game of golf is a lifestyle. Many people who are ignorant of the sport do not have the realization that golf has many benefits as well as life lessons. Bobby Jones, a renowned golfer, once said that "golf was the closest sport to the game we call life." I believe these words to be valid. In life, everyone encounters challenges as they go about their daily routines. People work hard to become better persons, be it mentally, socially, or physically. The best way to do that is to take up activities that will help them achieve these goals, and for me, golf is my passion. Each time I step into the green, I always feel a sense of improvement not only in the game but in other factors about my life.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

There is a reason that golf is also known as a gentleman's sport. Golf follows a strict set of virtues and etiquette that offer positive lessons on life. One such value is honesty. In golf and any other game, to be the best, one has to learn the importance of honesty by following the rules. There is no way a person can become better in life through dishonesty. Golf is an individual sport that requires a lot of self-discipline and patience. When a person makes a mistake, they take responsibility for it since that error can follow them up to the eighteenth-hole round. Just like in life, if a person wants to get ahead, they must learn honesty, patience and perseverance, one goal at a time.

When starting on the course, people often lose their patience and get upset after a bad round. As they get better and experienced, they learn to control their emotions and focus more on the next round. Like a game of strategy, golf has helped me improve my problem-solving skills. Golfing considers many factors before hitting the ball, such as wind speed, direction, and how to maneuver around the course. I have acquired these and other countless skills while enjoying a game of golf.

The other important thing about my love of the game is that it helps people to form relationships that would never have occurred. For instance, most of the people playing golf come from different backgrounds, have other various interests aside from golf, and would never have found each other under different circumstances. People get to talk about their lives and their families as well as situations with current affairs. For me, I feel that there is something exceptional about such an experience that one cannot get from other activities. Golfing produces a unique sense of friendship amongst the people brought by knowing the meaning of the game and sharing the joys and challenges on the course. In simpler terms, golf is a powerful tool that can help unify people.

For the many years that I have played golf, I think of it as a lifetime endeavor through which I can learn countless lessons. Golf allows people to learn from their experiences and from watching their peers. Golfing requires emotional control, critical thinking, perseverance, patience, among a plethora of other traits. Every round feels like it is a personal battle of my weaknesses and flaws. So every time I triumph, it is like I have conquered my fears and embraced my strengths. I have focused on what makes me a stronger individual in terms of positive virtues rather than the negative ones.