By Fred Altvater
Golf is a balm for the body and the soul………….Anonymous Golfaholic
With more and more people taking up golf for the first time, or returning to it, because they need to find a COVID-safe activity, what does golf provide that makes it so attractive to over 20 million golfers.
Physical Activity
The first obvious answer is that it is a physical activity that can be done outdoors in a pristine setting. What is more beautiful than an immaculately maintained golf course? A walk through the park, or nature trail is nice, but you can only look at so many trees and birds.
Playing even nine holes of golf and carrying your bag or pushing a cart involves two to three miles of strenuous walking up and down hills. Most golfers don’t break 100, so there is always the 50 or so golf swings that are involved that engage nearly every muscle in your body.
You MUST be a Golfaholic If: You have more than five old scorecards in your golf bag, save old golf balls from a particularly good round, still wear the same old dirty cap that you bought at the Masters in 1965 and have a set of hickory shafted golf clubs in a canvas bag in the corner of your office.
Golf is good for more than just the physical exercise it provides.
Spiritual
Practitioners of Yoga tout the spiritual connection and inner peace that can be achieved during a session.
Golf can provide that same feeling of oneness with the universe, especially while walking a verdant green fairway, observing nature’s creatures scurrying about their daily tasks and viewing the vistas normally surrounding a golf course.
Remember in the movie “Caddyshack,” the Dali Lama granted Karl the Greenskeeper, ‘eternal consciousness.’ I think the director, Harold Ramis and writer, Brian Coyle-Murray, were trying to tell everyone to take a minute to smell the roses when you are on the golf course. Don’t get tied up in Birdies, Bogeys, Doubles and Others. Instead, make it an enjoyable walk, while chasing a little white ball. 
You MUST be a Golfaholic If: You know who Danny Noonan, Al Czervik, Ty Webb, Judge Smails, Lacey Underall, and Carl Spackler are, plus you can hit it long like the ‘Dali Lama.’
Emotional
A round of golf involves a heavy dose of frustration, but occasionally, we hit that one shot. That shot that arcs through the atmosphere on the exact trajectory we imagined and sends tremors throughout our body.
That is why we play golf. To achieve that state of transcendent nirvana and accomplishment, while your inner voice screams, “I DID THAT!”
Just the mere act of getting out of the house, away from your job, or forgetting about other worldly problems for a couple of hours, will do wonders for your emotional attitude.
One more emotional benefit from golf is simply hanging with friends, family, or meeting someone new and interesting on a golf course. Humans are social creatures, and we need interaction with others. Golf encourages that social interface, while at the same time, satisfying the need for physical exercise and communing with nature.
You MUST be a Golfaholic If: You hear Jim Nantz’ lilting voice in your sleep, think David Feherity is a deity, Gary McCord is a comedic genius, Nick Faldo is a member of the British Royal Family and that Rich Lerner should win the Nobel Literary Award.
In addition to the many benefits of golf, there are several negatives. It takes time away from other endeavors. It can be expensive and if we allow, it can be very frustrating.
To those negatives I would answer, golf does not have to be that expensive. There are many wonderful inexpensive public courses available. Casual golfers do not need the latest, greatest and most costly equipment to enjoy being outdoors getting some exercise.
Finally, if you find the game becoming too exasperating, take a couple of lessons from a qualified teaching professional and don’t take the game too seriously. You are only trying to have fun and get some exercise. You aren’t playing for a million dollars like the guys on TV.
Always remember those prophetic words from Roy Hobbs in ‘Tin Cup,’
“Golf and Sex are the only two things in life that you can completely suck at and still enjoy.”
We hope you join the ever-growing congregation of Golfaholics and reap the rewards to your health and well-being simply by playing a round of golf.
You Are A Golfaholic If: You know what BIPSIC, ROB, YSA, DNLT and UBE stand for. (Ball In Pocket Sitting In Cart, Ran Outta Balls, You’re Still Away, Did Not Lose Turn, Ugly But Effective)
