Golf always seems like such an easy game to play and many people think of it as a hobby or pastime rather than as a serious sport. However, if they were to give it a try they would find out that it is a lot harder than it looks.
If you have never tried it then believe me when I say that golf is one of the most rewarding and pleasurable sports you could possibly choose. You get to unwind and play in the company of friends while enjoying the sunshine and wondering at Mother Nature in all her glory.
however there is just one problem. Although golf may look easy, as any knowledgeable player will tell you, it is not quite as easy as it looks and the majority of beginners take a considerable time to get to grips with the basics of the game.
Although golf is quite correctly classed as being a sport it is very different from the majority of the other sports which we normally all play or watch. Take, for instance, a sport such as football. In this case the game is largely physical in nature and your function as a player is very much to react to what is happening around you, often with a great deal of physical exertion. Of course there is some mental activity involved in a game of football, but your main focus of attention is very much on applying your physical skill and strength.
Golf however is one game in which, while you are of course competing against other players, you are in addition competing against yourself and, more than this, it is a game where you have total control over the action. You set your ball up on the tee but absolutely nothing is going to happen until you make it happen. You are not reacting to whatever is occurring around you but are making all of the play yourself.
This is an extremely significant difference as it means that golf calls for a degree of focus and level of concentration as you control everything in your game which is something which you do not find in other sports.
Golf is a difficult game to master because as well as coming to grips with the physical facets of the game like the mechanics of the golf swing, you also have to learn to produce the state of relaxed concentration needed to control that swing in the right manner to achieve the shot you want.
The simple fact is that it is your ability to master not only the physical but also the mental aspects of golf which dictates exactly how good a golfer you will be.
