It seems crazy, but it is true that people will still argue whether or not golf is actually a sport. They call it a pastime because you can smoke and drink while you’re doing it, but if you play golf, you know that really is more than a pastime. Yes, you can smoke and drink out on the course, but you won’t play well if you do.
Over the past decade, there has been a significant change in the public’s perception of golf, thanks mostly to the incredible success of Tiger Woods. He captured the world’s imagination and gave everyone the hope that they, too, could play good golf. Whether you are poor or rich, black or white, male or female – it didn’t really matter. Tiger didn’t just break the color barrier in golf, but he gave us something to root for.
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Only in recent years have professional golfers admitted that there is more to golf than natural talent and a lot of practice. Many golfers on the professional tours – both men and women – are spending a lot of time in the weight room, jogging, or with physical trainers who are making them stick to a golf fitness program. The golfers who are doing this, like Tiger Woods, Camilo Villegas, and Phil Mickelson always seem to be at the top of the leaderboard, week after week.
Whether you play golf twice a week or twice a year, there is no doubt that an increased fitness level can help your game. Golf is no longer a game of drinking, cigar-smoking businessmen – people of all ages, all backgrounds, and all abilities are out on the courses any day of the week and in order to compete (or at least not embarrass yourself!), you need to have a certain level of fitness.
Imagine if you competed regularly in running races. Chances are, you would practice a lot. You would jog on the treadmill, you would jog out on the road, and you would spend time on your strength, flexibility, and even your nutrition. But, as a competitive golfer – and EVERY golfer is competitive on some level – you probably don’t really practice at all. You go out and compete on the golf course (even if you are just competing with yourself), without ever practicing at all.
Golf is an addiction and for many people it is more frustrating than alcohol or drugs. You can play good one day, then bad the next, but the promise of the feeling that one great putt or one awesome drive can bring is enough to bring you back, time and time again. You might swear you will never play again after you’ve lost three balls on one hole, but you know you’ll be back.