Golf is an enjoyable sport and many consider it to be a hobby. While playing you get many opportunities to interact and socialize with other golfers and the game also helps alleviate stress and tension.
At the same time, the sport teaches us many lessons that can be practically applied in real life. Here are a few of them:
Let go. There are more to come
It can so happen that one day while golfing, you did not get the best shots, you did not achieve high scores and it was a day of failed shots. The thing to keep in mind here is that it is okay, for there are many more days and many more chances on the path ahead for you to give your best shot and that it was just one bad day.
This teaches us that life offers us a second chances if we fail at the first one.
Stay focused
You got to be in complete focus throughout the course of the game. It requires a high amount of mental and emotional concentration to be able to cover all 18 holes.
To stay committed to focused goals and having an unwavered attention to challenges at hand can take a person far in every aspect in life.
Some things are out of our control
You may hit a shot that was perfect but the result was very bad or you may have got kicked on the fairway and you might have faced many other mishaps, but the truth is that such things are just plain unfortunate.
This teaches us that there are some things which are out of your control and that we must learn to accept them.
Silence is golden
You will realize that during the game, you are silent and are only concerned with putting your undivided attention towards swinging shots, putting, teeing etc. And in this entire process, you realize that you are at peace and that silence is golden.
This makes you a quiet person and will help you earn the respect of the people around you.
Teaches to be patient
Golf is a tough sport and impatience in the game can cost a player deeply. You have to have a high level of patience in order to be able to cover all 18 holes, and also cannot expect shots to be perfect, for they can be unpredictable and it is better take one shot at a time.
Patience is a virtue, and being patient in the pursuit of our goals can help us get far ahead.
Quality beats quantity
To finish the same amount of work, you may have worked for 9 hrs with 50% focus and for 5 hrs with 100% focus. The latter speaks of more efficiency.
In the same way, you may hit 35 balls with 100% focus and may have also hit 70 balls with 50% focus.
If you take on a half-hearted approach to your work, the results will no doubt be abysmal and less efficient in comparison to when you give your one hundred percent.
Take time to reflect
You may have had several successes, a few hole-in-ones, great shots and a few other milestones. When you take time to reflect on each and every one of them, it lifts your heart up and puts you in a good mood.
In the same way, it helps to reminisce about past successes, happy moments and many other things that made you happy from time to time, for all of them are some of the things that you can be proud of in your life. Even when you are at your lowest moments, such events can make your heart leap.
It isn’t always luck
In sports, no one gets lucky and if you see golfers who stand at top positions across the globe, it is the result of persistent efforts, constant practice and their perseverance that has brought them to where they are today.
In the same way, we must never take luck for granted and keep pushing forward and work hard to achieve our goals.
Treat with respect
When playing golf, you not only learn to respect yourself but also your fellow golfers, the caddies and the golf course itself.
When you see fellow golfers playing, you learn not to step in their line, you maintain silence when they are hitting the ball, you wait for your turn to arrive, you fix your ball marks on the course, you don’t drive the golf cart on the green turf or the bunkers and follow the path etc.
The above are examples of sportsmanship. All of that teaches us to treat your rival or competitor with respect, to play fair and this would help you earn the respect of your rival in return and this can take us far in any profession that we choose to pursue, not just sports.
To take caution
Golf balls and clubs are hard and dangerous and it is advised to be careful while using such equipment. Golfers take extreme caution to not swing around in the presence of another person standing and also not when someone is walking close by.
This teaches to exercise safety and caution and not be reckless in situations that can cause somebody to get hurt.
To solve problems
Rain can play spoilsport, the wind can affect the flight of the ball, trees can cause obstruction, there can be many sand traps, you may have to hit from a deep rough on the golf course and there are many other obstacles that golfers will face while golfing.
This would allow for golfers to come up with ideas and innovative solutions on how to still be able to play in spite of the same problems and conditions.
This teaches us to solve problems and fight challenges and keep a positive attitude while still finding a way to a problem. And it also helps improve our problem solving ability.
Now that you have seen the various lessons learned during the game of golf, why don’t you start implementing the same lessons in your life and see what difference does it make
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