Why Do You Love Golf?

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Many reasons!

It’s my therapists, any bad day can become good as soon as I step on the course.

It provides a challenge everyday. It can provide competition without a competitor.

There is no hiding from your game, it is, at the end of the day a number and it doesn’t matter how you get to it.

It plays no favorites and rewards mental and physical discipline.

You can play with anyone of any skill level and still enjoy it. It also has introduced me to some of my best friends and people I know. It can be played nearly your entire life and it cannot be mastered.

The game is perfectly beautiful and maddening all at the same time.

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22

When teeing off first and alone in the early morning, it provides a solitude where the only sounds you hear are nature and a well struck shot.

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My dad introduced me to the game. It was always the best part of the day taking the shag bag in the back yard and having chipping contests.

Now, I love golf because you can get away from everything in life for four hours. Those four hours may drive you crazy also, but every great shot, especially for a high handicapper like me, is invigorating and makes you never want to leave the course.

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24

I didn’t write this, but it hits home with me. This is how I feel about Golf.

Only 14 clubs.

Thats what they tell us a legal golf bag can hold.
And while that leaves a little room for balls and tees,
It doesn’t leave room for much else.
There’s no room left for deadlines or conference calls,
Not a single pockets to hold the stress of the day,
Or for tomorrow’s to do list.

Only 14 clubs.

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25

This game has provided me with an escape from it all. I have a tendency to work my self to death and this sport has given me a reason to just slow the hell down for a bit.

The golf community is one of the most amazing places to be.

Over all this sport is a part of me. No other way to put it.

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The challenges, the strive for greatness, the people you meet and the courses you play. The feel of a well struck iron, the heartbeat in your throat when under pressure, the sigh of relief after it’s all said and done. All of the experiences I have had in golf have reflected in my off-course life dramatically. I wouldn’t be who I am without golf.

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28

Every shot forces me to look at the ball, club face and target. Nothing else matters for that moment…time stops, all other thoughts no longer cloud my mind. I’m free for the moment to focus on only what I see, no work, politics, bosses, coworkers, bills, quotas, family, just what I see.
Then the result of my effort is in front of me, I hope, but if its not I’ll asses the situation and make the best of it.
Every shot is an adventure, a mini getaway and a challenge that will never be mastered.
No matter how much practice or play it will always humble me.

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29

You wouldn’t happen to be a fan of the Fast and the Furious, would you? Reminded me of the, “I live my life a quarter mile at a time” quote. But I agree with you. Something about that moment where its just you, the ball, your club, and the course.

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Not a bit Happy, I’m more Rick, Ilsa and Captain Louis AKA Casablanca.
Golf lets me focus. The moment before I begin my back swing is pure concentration. Mega rare in todays multi-tasking over-informed world we live in.
Cheers

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31

For me, it’s one of the few things in my life that I can slow down and enjoy. I played for years where I pushed myself too hard to be better than I was and tried to play for the wrong reasons. Now it’s a great way for me to go out and take a 3 hour stroll and relax. One of the few ways I can seem to get a group of guys together that our wives will allow to which helps

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•Only place I can seem to switch off and not think about work or current affairs
•Get to play courses all over and they are all different
•Golf holidays with age groups ranging from 22-85 and the banter that comes with it.
•Not knowing if I will play great or terrible that day
•Buying and selling golf clubs
•Knowing I can play this sport for the rest of my life

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33

I get to breath fresh air and relax is #1. But also get the competitive fire playing against friends that you can’t find at almost any job. Seeing new courses, new people, and new challenges on the course will never get old. I just really really love golf. The nice part of the Refuge is you people understand when I say I couldn’t live without it.

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Internally, it is the ultimate sport of self-mastery and control. Externally, there are so many variables that differ from every weather condition, course, pin position, lie etc. So…we will never be able to control or master the game. This is very analogous how we live our lives.

Going out and walking a course also allows plenty of time to think and reflect on it all.

Outside of that, It is pleasant to be in nature and have conversation with a close friend or a complete stranger in such a setting.

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35

I think I shared this with DJ once, but ultimately I could write paragraphs on why. I’ll lead with the shortest version that is wildly different than the good takes here already…then get to repeating you all.

Golf, particularly links golf and good GCA golf, is like a Live Dead Show. Unpredictable with limitless options. It’s different every single time, even the same holes / same songs. You never know what you’re going to get and you have to embrace it.

Forward looking, play the next shot.

(swear i’m not a hippy)

But you guys all cover it well here. The ability to do something special every time you address a ball. The wide dispersion of outcomes. The camaraderie. The endless journey to improve. The intertwining of physical & mental. Competition. Strategy.

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Why do I love golf?

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death." -Browning

It’s a game, and it’s a sport.
It’s a pastime, and it’s a job.
It’s man-made, and it’s natural.
It’s art, and it’s math.
It’s architecture, and it’s science.
It’s a hike through the hills, and it’s a stroll along the beach.
It’s a joyful social gathering, and it’s a personal self-deprecating battle.

As Mr. Palmer said, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”

This is why I, and so many people, love this game. It is this yin and yang that I mentally find fascinating, and spiritually am drawn to. Once it clicks, you’re hooked, and you forever find yourself swimming in the yin and yang cyclone. There are times that golf feels like an itch I can’t scratch. It’s an addiction.

There is no wrong answer to this question. You could randomly poll 10 golfers and get 10 different answers. When I see all the answers, I find myself agreeing with those answers, too.

Essentially, what I’m trying to say is I can’t pick one specific or even a few reasons for loving golf. I love golf for all the reasons I could ever list off the top of my head and that’s why it’s “the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”

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37

It is one of the few things that is left to do that you are accountable for yourself, nobody else. You pull the trigger on every shot, regardless if you have a caddie and he told you one thing, you are still required to put the work in. Every step you take while you’re out there on the course is you against yourself. If you want to go out and challenge yourself and play hard, you have the ability to do that and hold yourself to a certain standard. If you want to go and drink some beers and listen to music and just enjoy the game stress free then you can.
I love golf because I can go out and enjoy the course or I can push myself and see how much the course is going to push back.

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I enjoy the walk and being outside. If I’m in the mood to socialize then it’s fun to play with others, but a lot of the time it’s a 2-4 hour getaway for me to work through thoughts in my own head as I walk from hole to hole.

Also, for me golf is an area that allows me to focus on a task that I am 100% in control of. I find it very similar to cooking in a way. Whether I am on the golf course or in the kitchen the only person the result is dictated by is me.

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39

The personal challenge.
Knowing I have to hit a good shot under some pressure to get the job done
The beautiful scenery and fresh air
Meeting new people

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Thanks Mr Vinegar.
Well said

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