Golf is having a cultural moment. Golf used to be a male-only sport associated with exclusive environments, wealth, and serious rules. But the tide is changing. These days, golf is increasingly tied to wellness, diversity, fashion, and fun. Several industry surveys report that young people are taking up golf for stress relief, mental health, social connection, and a chance to unplug outdoors.
Since 2019, women, young people, and people of color have led the growth in golf participation, with each group reaching record or near-record levels. Participation has increased among men as well.
Golf and Well-Being
In a screen-dominated world, golf offers ongoing opportunities to do real things with real people, experience novelty and travel, and be physically active in the outdoors. Golf offers a fun and engaging opportunity to build resilience and personal growth. As an individual, precision sport, it’s you inside your own head. From a mental-game perspective, success rests on the ability to regulate your emotions, stay present in the moment, and be your own best coach – skills that serve us well in golf, life, and at work.
As summarized in Murray and colleagues (2017), empirical data have linked playing golf with enhanced social belonging, intergenerational interaction, confidence, self-worth, interpersonal skills, emotion regulation, and enjoyment.
The positive impact of physical activity on mental-health is well known. Research suggests that if you walk 18 holes, you’ll take between 11,000 and 16,600 steps, and if you take a cart, you’ll get about 6,200. Golf may also help support proprioception, balance, and muscle endurance in older adults (see Murray and colleagues, 2017).
A Sport Psychologist’s Perspective
As a Division 1 golfer turned sport psychologist, I think that the skills built in golf easily translate to life, work, and leadership. You need to change the unhelpful thoughts that pop into your head and tolerate frustration after mistakes. You can’t run it off or rely on a teammate. You practice being present in the moment over each shot. Being your own best coach – as opposed to your own worst critic – helps unlock better scores. You have to get off your phone and get outside for at least an hour and interact with real people — things that many of us crave in a screen-dominated world. In the workplace, golf is still often used for networking, so having some basic golf skills might unlock career opportunities.
Getting Started
Inclusive golf communities are popping up online and in-person, making it easier to find a place to belong in the game. Leagues, teams, regular playing partners, clubs, and off-course golf entertainment venues like simulators provide a place to connect. Foretheladies, No Bunkers No Bogeys, and Youth on Course are just a few examples of inclusive golf communities and initiatives. Golf instructors have taken to YouTube and other online platforms, offering low-fee or free instruction.
If you’re exploring ways to boost your mental well-being, golf might be just what you’ve been looking for.
