Women’s Golf
Bob Hope once joked, “Golf is a game that needlessly prolongs the lives of some of our most useless citizens.” Although this is simply just a joke, this is a stigma that enshrouds the sport of golf. You think of golf and you imagine old people wearing sunny colors mismatched with plaid, earth-toned knickerbockers, quiet mannerisms and stiff country clubs. But it’s becoming something more than that…its not grandma’s sport anymore.
With the likes of young women’s golf phenomena like Michelle Wie, Natalie Gulbis and Lorena Ochoa, golf is slowly becoming a sport that isn’t relegated to the non-physical. It is rare to see anyone on the LPGA that isn’t in track-runner shape. Physical strength is absolutely necessary, and the average driving distance of the LPGA show it, being almost twenty yards farther than those of only ten years ago.
Given, it is one of the last remaining non-contact sports, but with its new induction to the Olympics (beginning in 2012 at Rio de Janeiro), golf demands an entirely different set of skills in need of honing.
After winning the 2008 U.S Open at Torrey Pines, CA., Tiger Woods was asked why anyone should show any respect for golf? His response was startling. He had said that it is the only sport in which there is absolutely no element of reaction. Golf is one of the only sports where the player must exert energy onto an absolutely stationary object. This may sound simple, until you begin exploring the realm of mental toughness this requires. Golf is completely autonomous, in that the results are almost entirely dependent on the performer, not his opponents.
Furthermore, the benefits of golf are profound in the expectations of etiquette required throughout, and after rounds of golf. It is the only sport that is almost completely self-regulated, with every golfer being her referee. This demands qualities such as honesty, sincerity, and respect for the rules. There are also elements of respect for other players, patience in waiting for your turn, and good sportsmanship in both celebration and defeat.
These are just a couple of things that really no other sport offers other than golf. More so, these are all qualities that everyone can use a bit more of.
Not only do these things make golf a sport that young people ought to play and learn from, but it is also one of the few sports where parents and kids can often equally participate in, and compete against each other in. It is the only sport where I can take my mom and she can participate in it, not just watch me.
Golf is a sport that finally needs to overcome the cultural, gender, and financial barriers that have accrued over the years. There are several foundations out there that bring the sport to areas that otherwise could not afford it. Several non-profit organizations take old clubs so that they can teach kids how to golf. There are also foundations set up to support ladies golfers.
One of the best feelings is giving to someone, and what better ways than to give to someone something that you’re passionate about, like golf? Maybe then, it won’t be considered a grandma sport anymore.