Why is Golf So Addicting? 7 Reasons to Love The Game
It doesn’t take much longer than a single round for someone to get hooked on the game of golf. So, why is golf so addicting?
Why Is Golf So Addicting?
The environment, the history, the camaraderie, and the competition all come together in this amazing sport beloved by the world makes golf so addictive.
Below, we shine a light on just a couple of things that make golf so addicting.
Let’s jump right in!
Golf Gets You Outdoors More
A big part of the addictive nature of golf is the game’s environment.
Some of the most beautiful places on the planet have golf courses on them, with every single part of the landscape carefully tuned to give golfers a challenge and make it as visually appealing as possible.
Just take a look at courses like Augusta National, Pinehurst, or Pebble Beach for examples of the perfect blend between nature and the game of golf.
It’s tough not to want to spend as much time as possible on these courses once you’ve walked them.
Golf is a Great Way to Get “Passive” Exercise
Golf may not look like the most strenuous game on the planet and certainly isn’t the same kind of workout you’d get in the gym, but it’s a workout all the same.
Walking the course – or even riding it – is going to give you quite a bit of passive exercise considering you walk so many steps in a golf round.
Your body is going to feel better, you’re going to look better, and you’re going to get hooked on the way golf makes you feel – even between your shots!
Best of all, it’s a great way to exercise for folks of all ages.
There’s plenty of older folks out there walking the course and knocking the ball around just like the younger ones!
Golf Is an Easy Way to Get the Competitive Juices Flowing
Legendary golfer Frank Shoemaker described the competitive side of golf perfectly when he said this:
“When you fall in love with the game of golf, you fall in love with the idea of trying to master a game that literally cannot be mastered”.
Golf – even when you’re playing against other people – is always a game that you are playing against yourself. It’s just you, the club, the ball, and the course. Every single shot (and its direct result) is because of something you did.
This game pushes you, challenges you, to be a better golf not just round to round but hole by hole, even swing by swing.
There’s something incredibly addicting about knowing that you’re always going to have another chance to be better next shot than you were the last one – even though you know you’ll never have a perfect card when you go into the clubhouse.
You’ll Always Walk Off the Course Feeling Like Next Time You’ll Score a Little Lower
There aren’t a lot of other games or sports on the planet that can hook you with a single shot the way that golf can. This is another reason why golf is so addicting!
Ask any old “hacker” why they keep coming back to the game time and time again, even after they hit bad shots or have their scores balloon because of a couple of mistakes.
Every single one of them (and every golfer on the planet, even) can tell you about a specific shot on a specific hole that keeps them coming back no matter what.
Even if you think you suck at golf, if you play long enough you will definitely have these feelings.
Maybe it was a perfect drive right off the tee, one that just seemed to punch into the sky, draw gently, and then hit the fairway before rolling out for a little extra yardage.
Maybe it was an approach shot with a longer iron, one that cut through the wind just right and then gave them a shot to save par.
Or maybe it was a beautiful wedge shot that skied into the air, dropped right where they wanted it to, and then checked up nicely so that they could win the hole or the match.
Every golfer – every single one – has a shot like this that we all keep chasing over and over and over. No amount of duffs, shanks, or bladed wedges will chase us off, either.
We all want to lower that handicap!
There’s Always New Gear and Clothing to Snap Up!
One of the most addicting things about golf (and something that a lot of golfers try to downplay for one reason or another) has to do with all the golf “stuff” you get to load up on before every season.
There’s not a player under the sun that hasn’t looked a new driver, a new set of irons, some wedges, cool golf balls (like Callaway Supersofts), or a “forgiving putter” and said – with total conviction – that if they scored that gear they KNOW they’d drop their score!
Next year (somehow), we all end up saying the exact same thing!
Golf equipment, bags, clothing, budget rangefinders, new balls, new hats, memberships to new courses – there’s always something new to help you scratch that itch as a golfer. Always something to grab (even used or second hand) that makes even the longest offseason tolerable.
The stuff you buy to play golf hooks you just as much as playing!
The Clubhouse is Always Welcoming
The community around the golf world is another big piece of the puzzle behind its popularity.
Nothing beats slipping into the clubhouse after a round, grabbing a drink and a snack with your friends – or even total strangers – and just talking about what went right, what went wrong, and how “next time you KNOW you’re gonna crack this code!”
Every clubhouse has its own atmosphere and its own personality almost, and it’s not hard to get sucked into everything right from the moment you cross the threshold. People of all ages and all walks of life come together to talk about the game they all love so much – and everything else – in a space just for themselves.
It’s no wonder that plenty of folks who love this game come down to the clubhouse to hang out, even when they don’t have clubs in their car.
There’s just something about this kind of community that makes you want to pull up a chair and visit, listen to some old-timers share their stories, or tell some of your own about what went wrong back on 13.
Golf Let’s You Get Away From It All
At the end of the day, a big part of why people love this game so much – and why it’s so addicting – is because golf is the ultimate escape.
We live incredibly rushed, busy, and overloaded lives these days. So much of our existence happens in the digital world, too.
Getting out on a golf course with our buddies (or even alone) is the perfect way to sort of escape from the nuttiness of modern life and just slow things down.
When you step up to the tee box, are firmly planted in the fairway (or the rough stuff) or are getting ready to putt the ball on the green, you have to focus entirely on what you’re about to do.
After your shot you can soak things in – the air, the breeze, the landscape, the people – before you have to center in on your next shot again.
The outside world almost doesn’t exist when you’re on a golf course. And it’s not hard to see why that’s so addicting.
