The mental health benefits of golf

[seedofjoy]

I was bitten by the golf bug again last July after not touching a club for about ten years

I quickly noticed that while I was on the golf course, my mind would forget about everything going on in my life. Kids stuff, work stuff, to do lists…etc.

Last week my wife received a breast cancer diagnosis. And while our days have been spent making our game plan. And my thoughts wrapped up in a million things, and stressing over all of them, I was able to play golf on Saturday and Sunday

And for those hours it was like it all went away. The worries. The stress. On Saturday I had the best 9 holes of my life while playing with my son. Then sunday the worst 18 I’ve had in months lol

But for those hours my biggest worry was my scoring

It really is amazing what it can do for stress relief

 

[Neilds]

Ture, agree totally with what you are saying. It is great to get away from 'real life' and just have a couple of hours in the fresh air, talking rubbish with mates but many (including a lot on here) seem to get caught up in WHS, ball types, shaft weight, etc and forget that golf to us is just a hobby and hobbies are meant to be enjoyed not endured.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

An article I wrote during Covid and why I needed my golf https://womenandgolf.com/news/women...nhs-frontline-worker-desperately-missing-golf

Think it echoes nicley with what the OP is feeling

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Whilst I agree on the main thought process here, I would say it's not just golf, but any hobby that takes you away from real life problems.
When I started mountain biking back in the very early 90's it gave the same mental effect that golf gives me now.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Golf is one of those sports that whilst it’s very individual you 90% of the time play it in the company of others that you can just enjoy 4 hours with

It’s the same with most hobby’s , they take you out of your normal and allow you to relax - and with golf there is always something that happens that keeps you coming back - a birdie , a drive smashed , a massive putt holed , you best round etc etc

It also helps that most of the time it’s fresh air and a nice view

 

[Orikoru]

Saw this exact post on r/golf last night - have you just posted it twice or are you a bot that copies posts?

Anyway, assuming you are real and just posted it twice... That's exactly what I like most about golf. When I'm on the course, the only thing I'm thinking about is the next shot. Golf is perfect for a mental reset.

Hope everything goes well for your wife. Maybe she'll want to take up golf to take her mind off things?

 

[Severof]

I remember seeing the lead singer of Keane, Tom Chaplin at our old club last Summer. As fans of his band, we had a very un-intrusive 1 minute chat with him on the range. Would never have pictured him as a golfer before so had a quick google search about his golf life later on when home. Turns out he credits golf as the main reason for keeping him sober this past 15-20 yrs, and that he was inspired by the same reasoning as Alice Cooper.
Suppose its one of the few sports that allows you to just get away from it all.

Keane's Tom Chaplin: 'Golf has helped me overcome drug problems'

Frontman reveals that Alice Cooper inspired him to take up the sport

www.nme.com

 

[Orikoru]

I remember seeing the lead singer of Keane, Tom Chaplin at our old club last Summer. As fans of his band, we had a very un-intrusive 1 minute chat with him on the range. Would never have pictured him as a golfer before so had a quick google search about his golf life later on when home. Turns out he credits golf as the main reason for keeping him sober this past 15-20 yrs, and that he was inspired by the same reasoning as Alice Cooper.
Suppose its one of the few sports that allows you to just get away from it all.

Keane's Tom Chaplin: 'Golf has helped me overcome drug problems'

Frontman reveals that Alice Cooper inspired him to take up the sport

www.nme.com

Tubes (from Soccer AM) said the same thing - he was an alcoholic, and he used golf to fill the days when he would have previously been in the pub all day, and he gets a 'buzz' from hitting a great shot. Now it's brought him a second career with his YouTube channel after Soccer AM bit the dust.

 

[Swango1980]

Golf is a sport in which I can get excited about all week, look forward to getting back out on the course at the weekend. Even during a bad week, you've golf to look forward to. Think about all the different things I'll do with my swing to suddenly add an extra 20mph onto my club head speed and become a pure ball striker.

You then get to Saturday, tee it up on the first, hook it into the trees, chip it out and then fat one 40 yards down the fairway to give yourself a 200 yard approach for par. You then have the most miserable 3/4 hours of your week, and hate everything about yourself, and can't wait until the round ends.

Finish the round, get a drink and a laugh with those you played with, and you are already talking about who you are playing with on Sunday, and looking forward to playing like McIlroy tomorrow. Then, just repeat the story on Sunday.

It seems to be a game I absolutely adore when I'm not playing and looking forward to my next round, and often a game I despise when I'm actually playing it.

 

[pokerjoke]

I think when you are playing regularly maybe sometimes golf can be very frustrating and actually become quite stressful at times,certainly not to the point where it has a massive effect on your wellbeing,however when you’re not playing you certainly realise quickly how important golf is for your mental health.
You realise that you just want to be out playing enjoying the walk, the company and your surroundings.
I would suggest everyone is a bit different but do what is best for yourself,whatever playing golf gives you,there’s definitely more positives than negatives.

 

[hambugerpete]

I think it's well accepted that being out in the countryside is beneficial to wellbeing ,golf adds an extra dimension to that. Hopefully you're with people you like and can have a craic with too.

 

[Orikoru]

Golf is a sport in which I can get excited about all week, look forward to getting back out on the course at the weekend. Even during a bad week, you've golf to look forward to. Think about all the different things I'll do with my swing to suddenly add an extra 20mph onto my club head speed and become a pure ball striker.

You then get to Saturday, tee it up on the first, hook it into the trees, chip it out and then fat one 40 yards down the fairway to give yourself a 200 yard approach for par. You then have the most miserable 3/4 hours of your week, and hate everything about yourself, and can't wait until the round ends.

Finish the round, get a drink and a laugh with those you played with, and you are already talking about who you are playing with on Sunday, and looking forward to playing like McIlroy tomorrow. Then, just repeat the story on Sunday.

It seems to be a game I absolutely adore when I'm not playing and looking forward to my next round, and often a game I despise when I'm actually playing it.

So true. The minute I sit down to work on Monday morning I'm looking forward to my round of golf the next weekend. It gets me through the week. It's lucky I don't have to concentrate too hard in my job at times, because I'm sit here contemplating what's the next thing I can do to sort my driving out most days.

I think when you are playing regularly maybe sometimes golf can be very frustrating and actually become quite stressful at times,certainly not to the point where it has a massive effect on your wellbeing,however when you’re not playing you certainly realise quickly how important golf is for your mental health.
You realise that you just want to be out playing enjoying the walk, the company and your surroundings.
I would suggest everyone is a bit different but do what is best for yourself,whatever playing golf gives you,there’s definitely more positives than negatives.

I think it's true that golf can stress us out, but I usually thing afterwards that stressing about my golf game is far preferable over stressing about things that are actually important.

 

[jim8flog]

My wife was chroniclly ill for many years before her death.

I think that golf was the one thing that stopped me from having a second massive breakdown. (the first was when I was looking after her, bringing up two infants and trying to hold down a very stressful job).

 

[cliveb]

One thing about golf that's good for long term mental health is that - being a game that often kicks you in the nuts - it teaches you to become accepting of bad luck.
Too many people these days seem unable to deal with adversity. They should take up golf (although I suppose that might tip them over the edge).

 

[Blakey]

I took up golf after being made redundant from my job about 20 years ago, along with another fried who was also out of work, it was a great escape from the constant online searching and ignored emails while trying to find gainful employment, those few hours and a couple of beers afterwards definitely help keep me sane!

 

[RichA]

Ture, agree totally with what you are saying. It is great to get away from 'real life' and just have a couple of hours in the fresh air, talking rubbish with mates but many (including a lot on here) seem to get caught up in WHS, ball types, shaft weight, etc and forget that golf to us is just a hobby and hobbies are meant to be enjoyed not endured.

Yep.
I've had conversations with real people and folks on here who can't fathom that some of us just play golf for the hell of it. But I was the same with football and cricket; all in the moment - didn't care about other teams' performances or the league position.

 

[Bazz]

Four hours out with friends and family doing something I absolutely love, can't beat it. Especially if the sun's out.

 

[The Squirrel]

I was at a workplace course where "mindfullness" came up yesterday. It is commonly assumed to be sitting round with candles and joss sticks chanting and meditating. What it actually is is being able to focus on one (hopefully enjoyable) task alone without all the other distractions and worries from other aspects of life crowding within your brain. I suspect a lot of golfers have been unintentionally practicing mindfullness for long before it even became a thing. The benefits of fresh air, nature, exercise, application-and-reward and social interaction on top make it almost the perfect activity if you were wanting to design something from scratch that was beneficial for mental health. I accept it may not feel this way when a banana shaped slice sends your first tee shot sailing out of view sideways, never to be seen again

 

[Orikoru]

Four hours out with friends and family doing something I absolutely love, can't beat it. Especially if the sun's out.

If the what?

 

[Backache]

If the what?

Celestial body rumoured to come into existence around about June .