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Can You Really Be Addicted To Golf...
...and is that such a bad thing?

Golf was banned in Scotland in 1457. It seems that the King was disturbed that all of archers were spending too much time on the links and neglecting their archery. Golf was interfering with national security!

Any avid golfer can understand the problem.

Thinking of a day filled with challenges from that little white ball, the few times that it all comes together and you zone. The swing just flows, the contact is perfect and the ball flies...

How can anyone not want to spend as much time as possible getting healthy exercise on a field of green. Walking, talking with friends, enjoying the benefits of a day in the sun combined with a mental and physical challenge that is also a personal challenge. You may play with others, but the game of golf is all about perfecting what you do...and while not everyone can be an Arnold Palmer or Tiger Woods, watching your own technique get better is almost as satisfying as getting that hole-in-one. Almost...

Golf is a demanding sport. Learning about which clubs work in which situations, how the wind affects the flight of the ball, which parts of your body are not fitting into the perfect swing that you know you have in you... these are all part of being serious about the sport of golf.

Physically, golf demands a well toned body to command the control to swing a club at a small ball and make it land in, or at least near, a tiny hole hundreds of yards away. Anyone who scoffs at the amount of exercise it takes to drive around on golf carts has never spent 18 holes in an effort to make par.

Mental control is another aspect of golf that every golfer understands. Ready at the tee, you empty your mind of everything except the moves your body is about to execute. You focus on the ball and where you want it to land. No sounds or interuptions penetrate that perfect concentration. Then you clear your mind completely as your body performs that well practiced swing...and as the ball soars off, you return to normal reality to see how it all turned out. Yoga experts would recognize the state of meditation it takes to complete a golf swing!

And at the end of the day, you get to sit around with other golfers and talk about the events of the day. This is a type of bonding that few other sports emphasize. You don't just tuck away your gear, change in the locker room and take off. You sit down and relax to relive the great moments...

Is golf addicting? Perhaps. Unhealthy? Never!

More about golf "addiction" around the Web:

Relief for Golf Widows

Obsessed with Golf

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