Who Actually Play Golf?

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions of golf. I always hear that the type of people that play golf are the wealthy, snobby people (business corporates, executives, etc.) Well, I'm not wealthy nor am I snobby, but I still play. When I'm with around my friends, someone brings up the topic of wealth, I will be pointed at. Golf can only get expensive if you do the wrong things. For me, the money that is being used is for my growth and development to possibly become a tour player. However, there are some people that buy things they don't need and join tournaments that are not meant for them.

The reason people probably think that is the amount of money golfers actually put into it. Now that I think about it, it seems like a logical reason. For example, a whole set of golf clubs can probably get you up to $1000, even more if you want the top of the line clubs. Playing a round of 18 can range from $45-$300 pending on what course you play at. Like I said before, people waste money when they get into the expensive part of golf and make bad choices. Maybe they can play at golf courses that aren't as good as Pebble Beach or Torrey Pines. Maybe they can buy clubs that are right for them and don't go straight to the nice clubs. When the time is right, maybe then they can move up the ladder and get things that is important to their game.

The average Joe doesn't have to buy a $400 driver of the bat. They also don't have to pay $300 to play Torrey Pines when they can play some where else at about $40. When you play golf, a person does not have to pay their monthly check to play. They can enjoy the game without having to spend all the money they have.

The Mission of Golf

One think that I see beginners try to do when they play golf is to try to hit the ball the farthest they can. Let me remind you that golfers try to do is to get the ball into the hole by using any of the 14 clubs you can use. The ultimate goal is to have the lowest amount of strokes in 18 holes. Some of you may actually think that golfers have to have long distances to get it closer to the hole on longer holes. That may be true, but what will you do when you get shots that are within 100 yards; a driver will be too way too much club. If a person is really thinking about succeeding in golf, they need to focus more on their short game than their long game. As they progress, they can slowly work their way to longer distances. The majority of the game is within the irons, wedges and putter. Most of your strokes come from that area and that is where golfers loose their good score and turn into a bad score.

Shows statistic of why pros tend to have better scores, picture from golf.com

 If a person where to practice more on this part of the game, they will see improvement in their game and lower their scores. Putting is also a strong part of the golf game and if a person has great putting, they tend to have a better game. I would rather be a short hitter with an amazing short game than a person with a beast- like strength but has a mediocre short game.

If you do want to continue to try to hit the ball far, that's fine. There are longest-drive contests in golf and has no become a popular thing. They are the tour players of sasquatch like driving in golf. They are not the best of players because they only try to hit it long and focus more on their power rather than control.

If you want to play the game and become good at it, focus on the important part of the game and don't make hitting it long that goal for playing golf.

These Guys are Good

Phrase that was put on after PGA commercials, from onlinesports.com

I think the title says it all. Golf is tough and takes a lot of skills. Pros and amateurs alike find golf to be rigorous or relentless during days where everything is off. The one question people might ask is, "why don't you just quit?" For some strange reason, not being able to find our swings or not making a putt is what brings us back to the golf course the next day.

With this in mind, playing any sport is going to take some sort of skill. There are two type of skills, physical and mental skills. Physical skill is the ability to do something that requires a special task for a specific body part. Those would include: strength, speed, balance, etc. For example, in soccer, you need to have high endurance, great foot-eye coordination and play recognition. Golf requires you to have certain skills that will make you a better player. Those would include: hand-eye coordination, flexibility, technique and form. A pro golfer or athlete cannot be made overnight. It takes years of work, perseverance and persistence to get better.

Skeptics of golf actually think that golf is easy to do and that anyone can be good. HA! Nice try, but that won't be happening anytime soon. People who try golf seem to think that there is no skill involved in it and try to swing as hard as they can to get the ball as far as possible. Technique is what allows you to hit the ball further, not speed. Much of the golf swing is centered around the lower body and core. Having proper lower body stability and body turn can create enough torque to hit the ball as far as you can. Now I said earlier that the faster you swing, the less chance you will hit it further, I was right and wrong. The wrong time to swing fast is at the beginning of the swing, and people tend to make that mistake. Now, the only way you can create speed is by using the lower body to swing through the ball. With proper form, the lower body can create more speed thus creating more distance.

Now the mental skills in sports are a little different. These would be psychological skills that help an athlete's performance. You can be the most physically-gifted athlete in the world, but if your don't have a good mentality toward the sport, you will not get anywhere. Having the right mental skills is key for an athlete's growth and maturity. An example would be to look at practice as a way of improving instead of as a drag. When a person can put time and effort into the sport, there is no telling how far that person will go.

Competitiveness

Little Gamesmanship, picture from Wall Street Journal

Whether it is buying lunch after losing the bet with your playing partner or cashing in a 1.5 million dollar check after a PGA tournament, there is going to be some sort of gamesmanship in golf. This leads to the next point of a sport which is the competitive aspect. In any sport, you always want to win and it drives you to become the most successful at what you do. In golf, you will always find yourself trying to compete with others or with yourself. You will want to play games with your friends to see who's better; You may also want to play against yourself and see if you can hit a shot better than the last one.

Like in other sports, golfers compete with each other and see who can shoot the best. For example, basketball teams play other teams to see who can get more baskets and the one which has the most, wins. In golf, there are two types of competitive games to see how has played the best of that day (not all days you will win) . The first one is stroke play in which you count all of the strokes it took you to make it into a hole and count up all the strokes you made one each hole. The person who has the lowest score is the winner, this is usually the type of game that pros play in PGA events. The next type of game is called match play in which two players play against each other and see who can earn more points. Scoring for this game is holes that are won, lost or halved (tied). A player who scores the lowest on a hole receives a point and becomes 1-up.  On a course of 18 holes, whoever has the most points wins the match.

Because golf is a mental game, you can get into the heads of other players and almost manipulate their game. It may not seem ethical, but hey, who wants to lose? Golf teaches you to become mentally strong and prepared for times when you have to deal with horrible days or if you have a little, competitive game with your friend who likes to talk thrash.

Skeptics believe golf is just a game where you just hit the ball into the hole. WRONG! You are always going to want to play to see who is better. Whether professional, amateur or weekend hack, each player wants to beat the other and win. It may get a little competitive and people can get a little heated, but there is still sportsmanship. That is the beauty of sports and makes it fun. Plus, having a little bit of bragging rights isn't too bad to have. =D