the benefits of golf

Golf has historically been seen as a sport for the older generations as it does not have the same fast paced action that many ball sports have. Golf around the world, including Australia has been gaining popularity amongst the younger generation over the past decade however. Tiger Woods almost single handedly made golf cool. Since his arrival on the world golf scene 13 years ago, young people have been discovering the benefits of getting involved in the ‘gentlemen’s game’.

It is common to see athletes play golf in their down time to get away from the rigours of their own sport, whilst still getting some light exercise. The beauty of golf however is that once you start playing, all you need is one good shot and you are already looking forward to the next time in the hope of playing better. This period between games normally gets increasingly shorter and before you know it you are hooked and now a golf addict!

Although ideals about the sport are beginning to slowly change, golf is still very popular with older generations. This is due to one of the benefits of golf. It can be played by any shape and size person of almost any age. One must only look at some of the greatest golfers of all time to prove this. John Daly is one who springs to mind of not being in the mould of your traditional athlete, whereas the Freddy Couples and Tom Watsons of the world show age need not be any barrier to being competitive.

Although golf can be played by any shape person, it does require a decent level of physical fitness to play 18 holes. The average golf course is approximately 6km long, so on any one round a person can be expected to walk any amount further than this, depending on how straight they are hitting it! The golf swing is a complex movement, which requires good flexibility especially of the shoulder girdle and the upper and lower back muscles. A strong core, legs, chest and back muscles are also beneficial in creating power and stability throughout the golf swing.