How has golf impacted your life? Positives vs negatives
- Thread starter Bamberdele2.0
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2020
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- 810
I never believe it's as high as that. When I used to use My Fitness Pal it made some outlandish claims of that ilk, haha. I'd estimate if you're in reasonable shape already it can't really be higher than 800-900 calories burnt. Don't get me wrong, I still go takeaway every Saturday night and feel justified in doing so. 
However, to put it in perspective I burn about 900 calories an hour when I go on my bike.
Getting back on track.
The positives of golf for me have nearly all been social. I’ve met some great people, some of whom have become good and lifelong friends. I’m very lucky where I’m based as we’ve got a huge range of clubs and courses on offer. I don’t know any other pasttime where you might meet such a great range of characters from all walks of life, from road sweepers to film stars, in which together you can enjoy being terrible and brilliant in equal measure. Golf is an angry walk in good company, that’s what I love about it.
The only true negative of golf for me is just the time investment it requires. I don’t find a quick 9 holes satisfying and a full round and time in the clubhouse is most of the useful part of a day gone. So I just tend to play less frequently than I’d like to, and that lack of practice and playtime makes the walks ever angrier.
The positives of golf for me have nearly all been social. I’ve met some great people, some of whom have become good and lifelong friends. I’m very lucky where I’m based as we’ve got a huge range of clubs and courses on offer. I don’t know any other pasttime where you might meet such a great range of characters from all walks of life, from road sweepers to film stars, in which together you can enjoy being terrible and brilliant in equal measure. Golf is an angry walk in good company, that’s what I love about it.
The only true negative of golf for me is just the time investment it requires. I don’t find a quick 9 holes satisfying and a full round and time in the clubhouse is most of the useful part of a day gone. So I just tend to play less frequently than I’d like to, and that lack of practice and playtime makes the walks ever angrier.
Third year at Primary School (Year 5 in today's speak) sometime in the late 1960s...
"Now then children, I want you to write 2 pages in your writing books about something you like doing out of school."
Mine begins, "I like playing golf with my dad and brothers."
Now that I don't have to go to work, football and running finished long ago, I would have to write a similar story in my exercise book, if asked.
Now I'll let you into a little secret. Sometimes, on my practice swings, I recite a litany.
"I love this game!"
The "I" is drawn-out for the whole backswing, the "love" is timed for downswing with emphasis at impact position and "this game" is for the follow through.
I've done it so many times that it helps me keep to the same swing speed and rhythm.
Golf has given me a lifetime of enjoyment and pleasure and continues to do so. I've had many successes at club level. The countless poor rounds are easily forgotten.
Made loads of friends and still making new ones. Still have games with plenty of chaps who were my golfing friends in my teenage years.
Negatives - too few and too small to be worth mentioning. Or at least I like to think so.
"Now then children, I want you to write 2 pages in your writing books about something you like doing out of school."
Mine begins, "I like playing golf with my dad and brothers."
Now that I don't have to go to work, football and running finished long ago, I would have to write a similar story in my exercise book, if asked.
Now I'll let you into a little secret. Sometimes, on my practice swings, I recite a litany.
"I love this game!"
The "I" is drawn-out for the whole backswing, the "love" is timed for downswing with emphasis at impact position and "this game" is for the follow through.
I've done it so many times that it helps me keep to the same swing speed and rhythm.
Golf has given me a lifetime of enjoyment and pleasure and continues to do so. I've had many successes at club level. The countless poor rounds are easily forgotten.
Made loads of friends and still making new ones. Still have games with plenty of chaps who were my golfing friends in my teenage years.
Negatives - too few and too small to be worth mentioning. Or at least I like to think so.
I've never met any film stars on the golf course.
[1967ish and he was minus his syrup.]
Positives
I changed my profession so I could play golf midweek and it was one of the best decisions I made in my life.
Through late 30s to mid 50s I had a very stressful family life and it was my major source of relief.
In my mid 50s to present being on my own it has given me a good reason to get out of the house and be with other people.
Being on the club for committee for over a decade it gave me something to to fill a lot of the time.
Negatives
I never made it to scratch.
I changed my profession so I could play golf midweek and it was one of the best decisions I made in my life.
Through late 30s to mid 50s I had a very stressful family life and it was my major source of relief.
In my mid 50s to present being on my own it has given me a good reason to get out of the house and be with other people.
Being on the club for committee for over a decade it gave me something to to fill a lot of the time.
Negatives
I never made it to scratch.
Since I’ve taken to golf, all running, swimming and cycling has stopped 🤪😂
Personally I’m nowhere near as fit as I was before the addiction set in..but I can see how it has helped me feeling ‘relaxed’ (esp in those midsummer, twilight, ‘millionaires golf’ evenings) and I have committed to it because it can be played to a high level until your 70s..so walking-fitness can be maintained throughout life
Personally I’m nowhere near as fit as I was before the addiction set in..but I can see how it has helped me feeling ‘relaxed’ (esp in those midsummer, twilight, ‘millionaires golf’ evenings) and I have committed to it because it can be played to a high level until your 70s..so walking-fitness can be maintained throughout life
I am someone who since his teenage years has suffer a lot of muscle, ligament etc injuries. I used to play lots of spots but had to give them up one by as they just made things worse. One of my physios once said to "you cannot give up golf as you have given up everything else". Golf has certainly enabled me to maintain some sort of physical fitness in to my 70s (albeit with the aid of a golf buggy).
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2012
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Negatives…too much ‘money talk’… around equipment; top courses played; and betting…by those with more money than humility and who seem to lack any appreciation that money and what money can buy aren’t everything.
I've never met any film stars on the golf course.
*Jamie Dornan - he had a pretty good swing.
He has some good whips and chains in his play room too
Golf has been the source of the majority of my pleasure and the majority of my anguish for the last 30 years.......
Well I don’t drink.
I don’t smoke
And I don’t go around with other women.!
So the wife is ok with me being on the golf course, or I would have lots of time to do the other three.
Seriously I did shifts for 40 yrs so played golf when the kids were in school and hid at work.
I made sure I treated them all to a day out somewhere at the weekend.
My social life is 80% at the club and I like being there even to argue about footy / rugby.
So time wasn’t a barrier for me.
Downside there aren’t any for me.( Except poor golf that’s not nice!)
Maybe when you win a society day out and come home with a three foot plastic trophy.
“ your not putting that in my house “ was common.
I don’t smoke
And I don’t go around with other women.!
So the wife is ok with me being on the golf course, or I would have lots of time to do the other three.
Seriously I did shifts for 40 yrs so played golf when the kids were in school and hid at work.
I made sure I treated them all to a day out somewhere at the weekend.
My social life is 80% at the club and I like being there even to argue about footy / rugby.
So time wasn’t a barrier for me.
Downside there aren’t any for me.( Except poor golf that’s not nice!)
Maybe when you win a society day out and come home with a three foot plastic trophy.
“ your not putting that in my house “ was common.