Is Golf Fun? 11 Things That Make It A Super Enjoyable Sport

If you’re thinking of taking up golf, then let me assure you – you’re making a great decision.

Golf is one of the best, if not the best, sports to play in the world, with children as young a five-years-old able to compete against people in their 80s and even 90s regardless of their skill level.

For this reason, golf is universally loved by people all across the world and played in dozens of countries.

But is golf fun? That’s the question we’re going to answer in this article.

Yes, golf is heaps of fun! Some of the key things that make golf such a fun sport is:

• It’s social
• Anyone can play it
• It’s relaxing and relieves stress
• It’s challenging
• It’s competitive
• It involves strategy
• It’s rewarding
• It’s good exercise
• It’s low impact
• It’s outdoors
• Every round is different

I played golf every now and then growing up, but only in the past five years have I properly committed to it – and it’s fair to say, I’m hooked!

What I love most about golf is it’s you versus the course – yes, you can compete against other players, but at the end of the day, how well you perform is entirely on you.

Not only that, but golf is incredibly social.

Few other sports allow you to chat with your opponents during competition – which I do regularly when walking down the fairway after me and my playing partners have hit our tee shots – which helps you build lasting friendships and relationships.

In this article, I’m going to expand on the 11 reasons listed above as to why golf is an incredibly fun sport to play (and hopefully convince you to take the game up if you’re still undecided).

The reasons why golf is an incredibly fun sport

1. It’s social

Golf is one of the most social sports in the world.

Unlike football or tennis where you often don’t speak much to your opponent on the field or court, golf is often the opposite – especially at a club or amateur level.

There can be plenty of banter shared by you and your playing partners in between shots while you’re walking the fairways or lining up putts, which can help you build lasting friendships.

There’s nothing more fun than celebrating chipping in for birdie or personal bests with your mates, or stirring them up after they miss a one-footer.

Also, golf can be played on any day of the week, at just about any time you like, which is different to other organised or team sports and means you can tee it up at your leisure.

2. Anyone can play it

This is one of the most unique and appealing aspects of golf.

The handicapping system – where players are given extra strokes to par depending on their ability – means people of all skill levels can compete against one another.

In essence, you could have a 36-handicapper compete against Tiger Woods on a level playing field.

Because golf is a non-contact, low impact sport, it also means you can play from childhood right through until your later years, with participation ages ranging anywhere from 5 to 85 years of age.

3. It’s relaxing and relieves stress

Some players (especially those prone to blow-ups on the course) may disagree with this, but I’ve always found golf to be a huge stress reliever.

I used to work a high-pressure job and after meeting all my weekly deadlines each Tuesday afternoon, I would pack my clubs into the back of my car and head to the course.

Any stress I had would quickly evaporate the more I walked up and down the lush, green fairways, surrounded by trees and the occasional wildlife.

If you’re someone who has lots of stress in your life, try playing golf – you won’t regret it.

4. It’s challenging

Golf is fun because it’s challenging.

A lot of people become addicted to golf – often referred to as ‘’being bitten by the golf bug” – because of their desire to constantly improve.

Golf is such an incredibly hard game to play that when you hit a great drive or sink a huge putt, you want to experience that rush of adrenaline over and over again.

For this reason, people will challenge themselves to practice more in their pursuit of getting better and may even find themselves heading to the course or driving range more than once a week to hone their skills.

5. It’s competitive

Golf is great because it allows you to be as competitive as you want to be.

Some people will happily play it socially, while others – particularly those who have transitioned from a contact sport to golf – will treat it far more seriously.

For men and women who no longer play contact sport due to their age or physical conditions, golf offers an outlet through which they can let their competitiveness out of the cage.

And the handicapping system means players can pit themselves against opponents of any age or skill level, which you don’t see in many other sports around the world.

6. It involves strategy

The best golfers, especially those who break 80 often, think their way around the course better than the rest – in a way, it becomes a game within a game, which can be great fun.

Do you try and drive the short Par 4 and make eagle? Or do you take the safe option and lay up with an iron?

Do you try and carry the water hazard to reach the Par 5 in two? Or do you play the hole as a three-shotter?

All of these decisions are what makes golf such an intriguing game, where strategy and course management can be the difference between shooting a low score or blowing up your round completely.

7. It’s rewarding

As I mentioned earlier, there’s something supremely satisfying about seeing a booming drive split the middle of the fairway, or a long putt curl into the centre of the hole for birdie.

It’s these little moments that make golf incredibly fun.

Now, golf isn’t always rewarding – you could spend three hours at the range mid-week, only to play terribly on the weekend – but even when things don’t go your way, it always motivates you to try and get better.

And when your hard work finally does pay off and translates into a good score, there is nothing more satisfying.

8. It’s good exercise

The average 18-hole round of golf takes around four hours and can see you walking anywhere between six and eight kilometres.

Depending on how undulating the terrain is, and whether you’re carrying your clubs on your back or pushing them in a cart, you can burn up to 800 calories every time you tee it up.

Not bad at all!

9. It’s low impact

The other huge advantage golf has when it comes to fitness and physical exertion is it’s low impact.

Unlike long distance running or contact sports, golf is in most cases gentle on your joints.

While professional golfers put a lot of torque through their back and lead leg/knee (which was Tiger Woods’ eventual undoing), for most amateur players, golf is extremely unlikely to cause serious injury.

It’s a reason why so many people are able to play well into their 70s and 80s.

10. It’s played outdoors

If you’re an outdoors type of person, then you’ll love golf.

There is nothing better than playing an early morning round when the sun is still rising, the overnight dew is still on the greens and you can smell the freshly-cut fairway grass.

It’s pure bliss. A lot of courses – like my home course – also have local wildlife that show their faces from time-to-time.

Golf is a fantastic way to connect with nature, relax and enjoy some picturesque surroundings, all the while playing a super enjoyable game.

11. Every round is different

The last reason why golf is so fun is that no two rounds are the same.

One day you might shoot the lights out and score four birdies, the next day you’ll hack around and barely break 100.

If you’re thinking of playing golf, be aware it’s a sport that involves big ups and downs (especially when you’re learning as a beginner).

But, the highs far outweigh the lows and the unpredictability is what makes the game so intriguing and addictive.

Golf is certainly never boring!

Why do people enjoy golf?

People enjoy golf because it can be social or competitive; it is low impact and a great way to improve your fitness; it is unpredictable and different every time you play; it’s a sport for people of all ages and abilities; it relieves stress by being outdoors; and it’s challenging and rewarding.

Golf is a huge part of my life, personally. I try to play at least once a week and I certainly notice my mood being more relaxed after getting my weekly round in.

Sometimes it can be frustrating – especially when I play badly – but most of the time I appreciate being outdoors, enjoying the lush green surroundings and socialising with my mates.

This is something that no doubt resonates with other golfers, too.

Final message

So, in summary, yes, golf is fun!

It’s an incredibly enjoyable sport for people of all ages, abilities and sizes due to all the reasons I’ve listed above.

If you are sitting on the fence and unsure about whether golf is for you or not, I implore you to give it a try.

You may find it difficult to begin with, but it won’t be long until you flush a drive or sink a long putt and become bitten by the golf bug – just like I was.