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SO YOU WANT TO GOLF? FIVE REASONS TO TAKE UP GOLF

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1.) Golf is a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Golf is a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

There is no way I would be able to put a number on how many friends and interesting people I have met through the game of golf. Working for a golf course or joining a weekly league are great and easy ways to meet other like-minded individuals who love the sport. Your friend might invite an acquaintance to fill a foursome, or the golf club might pair up your twosome with another twosome, or you might have to bring a potential new client on a business golf outing. No matter what the case may be, the truth about golf is that it tends to bring strangers together. You are with them for at least four hours during your round, and four hours is a decent amount of time to get to know someone, just enough time to start the round as strangers and leave as friends. 

2.) Golf is an individual sport as much as a competitive one. 

Golf is a great way to get together and compete with each other in a little friendly competition. However, a unique aspect of golf is that it is a sport that can be played by yourself. You do not need a team or even an opponent to play the game. You are the opponent. You are competing against yourself. There is something beautiful about being able to go out on the golf course by yourself and be able to play without any distractions. Whether you are playing with other people or not, the game can still be individual because, in the end, you are not trying to beat your opponents. You are trying to beat your own personal best. 

3.) Golf is a sport anyone can play.

Father Daughter - River Oaks Golf Course - Cottage Grove

Golf is a sport anyone can play.

Golf is not a sport that requires a tremendous amount of athletic ability. Golf is a sport for people of all shapes, colors, sizes, sexes, and ages. That is what is unique about golf. It is a sport anyone can play. It is a game where retired and out of shape men and women with bad backs and arthritis can get together and compete on the same field as the young kids with power and athletic prowess. You do not have to be in great shape or have a terrible amount of skill to hit a decent golf shot or make a long putt. Sometimes you need a little luck and a desire to play. 

4.) Golf is a great excuse to get yourself outside.

Golf is a great excuse to get outside in nature and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It is also an awesome way to get a sense of nature and the natural landscape of the area. Something is amazing about the way a golf course transforms the natural land around it into something beautiful. If you like to walk when you golf, then golf is almost like a hike through a beautiful park and can be great exercise. The average golf course is around 4 miles in length, and walkers can expect to add over 7500 steps to their daily total, burning up to 300 calories. Even golfers who use carts still get to enjoy the sun rays on a bright day. And the sunshine is good for you!

5.) Golf can teach you life lessons.

Father Daughter - River Oaks Golf Course - Cottage Grove

Golf can teach you life lessons.

If you want to be a great golfer, there are many things you need to learn and to be taught. However, another interesting thing about golf is the number of different life lessons this sport can teach you. Just learning to play the game can teach you about sports etiquette and sportsmanship. It can teach you how to stay focused and think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving. It can also teach you the value of honesty and patience that is just as helpful off the course as it is on the course. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a veteran golfer, golf always has something new to teach you. 

Snow at River Oaks Golf Course - Cottage Grove

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR GOLF GAME THIS WINTER

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It can be difficult working on your golf game when you live in a northern state like Minnesota! If you live in the Twin Cities metro area, you are lucky to get six months of solid golf play before the long Minnesota winter shuts down like the white lid of a box. Even though most Minnesotians are acclimated to the cold weather, nobody wants to golf in a foot of snow with a windchill of – 20 degrees. Whatever the reason, it’s during the winter months that we need to find creative ways to keep improving our game. I mean, we’re not gonna stop golfing just because of a little cold weather, are we?

Here are 5 ways for you to improve your golf game this winter. 

1. Chip and Putt at Home

Chipping and putting is an easy thing that everyone can do to work on their golf game from home (provided that you have space and carpet). You can keep it as simple as putting into a coffee mug at the end of your hallway or you can invest a little money into some indoor equipment.

They make indoor putting mats and cups with automatic ball-return that are relatively inexpensive. If you are looking to improve your short game from home, consider purchasing a chipping net. If you plan on chipping inside, I would suggest using practice balls! These practice balls feel, spin, and react like a real golf ball but are much softer and have less distance. They can be used indoors and won’t damage drywall, furniture or other property. 

2. Find an Indoor Driving Range

Practicing your drives at home proves to be a little more challenging than chipping and putting. Of course, hitting into a net from short distances allows you to get a feel for your swing, but finding the indoor space to swing a driver (the longest club in your bag) can be difficult. 

However, there are heated indoor driving ranges you can go to that will allow you to take a full swing at a real ball and watch it fly off the tee! The Midwest Golf Dome is a local favorite for the Twin Cities area with 33 stalls and indoor chipping and putting green.

Topgolf in Brooklyn Center is also a place you can go in the winter months to practice your swing. Even though it technically isn’t an indoor range, Topgolf has over 100 climate-controlled hitting bays that will allow you to comfortably work on your swing in a T-Shirt, even in the dead of winter. 

3. Play Golf on a Simulator

Golf simulating technology has really come a long way over the last decade! Early golf simulators felt more like playing an archaic video game with many bugs and glitches that didn’t really allow you to gauge your actual state of play, but now there are simulators that make it feel like you are playing an actual round of golf. Simulators give you the chance to play at famous courses like Pebble Beach or TPC Sawgrass, giving you a pretty realistic score in the process.

If you are looking to try out one of these state-of-the-art simulators, indoor golf and entertainment facilities have begun to pop up in recent years. X-Golf and Birdi Golf are two new businesses that have opened up the city of Woodbury that are as realistic and accurate as simulated golf can be. Both offer golf events, leagues, and lessons that will allow you to play golf all year round! 

4. Watch Golf Tips and Tricks on TV or Youtube

This is a rather simple suggestion, but taking some time to listen to professionals can be very beneficial. Watching the Golf Channel can often reveal some informative tips. There are also hundreds of Youtube channels dedicated to teaching you tips, tricks, and techniques that you can watch from the comfort of your own home!

Content can range from how to fix your slice to different grips for holding your putter. Some of the more popular Youtube channels include Me and My Golf, AskGolfGuru, and Buzza Golf. Whether you decide to take their advice or not, just listening to others’ opinions and techniques can further your knowledge of the game. 

5. Take a Trip Down South for a Golf Weekend

This option might be a little out of your price range because traveling and golf aren’t cheap, but southern states like Florida, Arizona, and Nevada are popular destinations for year-round golf. Depending on what destination you pick and what weekend you decide to go, one can find some deals on airfare.

However, lugging your clubs through the airport can be a major hassle. Sure you can rent clubs at the golf course, but you don’t often get the choice of what kind of clubs you get to use. Yet thanks to new technology and business ventures there are ways to get around this. Websites like Ship Sticks will allow you to easily ship your own golf clubs to your destination for a reasonable price. Or the website Club Hub will let you rent the clubs of your choice and have them waiting for you at your hotel when you arrive. Traveling for golf has never been easier!

Don’t let the cold weather and snow deter you from working on your game.