The Benefits Of Golfing

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the question asked often by many adults of children and young people. Answers vary across the board for some children dreaming of becoming an astronaut to little girls aspiring to become a veterinarian; however, the overwhelming answer of children is to become a professional athlete. Many kids grow up envisioning themselves as the next Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, or even the next David Beckham or Mia Hamm. But how many times do you hear a child say they want to become the next Tiger Woods? The thought of golfing, especially as a child, puts many to sleep. It is uncommon for a young child to fall in love with the sport of golf. Most people take up golf later in life as a hobby, yet

There are tournaments held all across the nation where many children compete with ages ranging from eighteen year olds to as little as eight year olds, who are swinging golf clubs bigger than themselves. At age ten, Bryan started playing golf competitively. Realizing he was not the tallest, fastest, and not the most athletic, Bryan made golf his sport of choice. Bryan felt like he was not at a disadvantage just because he was not built like an athlete and believes “Success [in golf] is almost directly correlated to work ethic and attitude.” Deciding to put in the work by going to the golf course instead of the soccer field or basketball court, Bryan transitioned from playing in local tournaments to traveling the nation to play with the best in the

Going straight to the course without warming up and just swinging away at golf balls hoping not to nail someone in the neighboring fairway; however, there is a whole subculture of golf that many fail to realize that exists. The subculture of competitive golf is growing with more and more children joining the sport. There are many children across the nation that also followed the path that Bryan took. To be a future college golfer, and hopefully a professional, one needs to start early in childhood. The most shocking aspect of the subculture was the college recruitment. To my surprise colleges and coaches treat golfers as well as football players during the recruitment process. Coaches and their respective colleges go through great lengths to pursue and woo the best golfers for their team. Hearing this aspect really opened my eyes to the seriousness and scale of the competitive golf subculture. There will still be many people who will yawn at the mere mention of golf and personally cannot stand watching it on television. Golf will never be a mainstream sport like football because of this reason. However, it is still important to know that there are many people who devote their life and time every day to pursue their passion of golfing