How I (accidentally) fell in love with golf

As it turned out, it was an inspired idea, and one that has turned into a passion she thoroughly enjoys, so we asked her to tell you all about it…

Why I started playing golf

On Mother’s Day 2022, I woke up to an array of homemade cards (genuinely my favourite). I had been hinting about some new sandals – I did not receive the sandals. Instead, a carefully wrapped voucher for a golf lesson. A GOLF lesson I thought? This really wasn’t what I had been dreaming of… BUT, I smiled and thanked the kids and my husband and put the voucher in a draw. My husband is a brave man.

Anyway, fast forward a few months and I started to hit a bit of a wall. My weekly routines involving the same exercise classes that I’d been going to for years had started to become dull. I always used to enjoy jumping around and feeling exhausted after a gym class, but the novelty had worn off. Work was busy and summer was here, the kids were soon to be off school, which can be stressful (as well as wonderful), and somewhere in all the juggling I had stopped finding time for myself. The things that brought me joy also changed; going out drinking with girlfriends was rare, while shopping and coffee dates had started to feel a bit empty.

I needed something new. While sorting out some cupboards at home I found the golf lesson voucher, and, worried about the expiry date, I thought I’d better book it in. Plus, even if golf wasn’t really my thing, I did want to drive a golf buggy, so that would be worth the lesson if nothing else.

My first golf lesson

I had my first lesson in beautiful sunshine on a Saturday morning. I went along fairly open-minded, quite excited to try something new but not expecting too much to be honest. I felt a bit awkward too, having never stepped onto a golf course in my life (what do I even wear?!). It was only an hour- but we covered lots; address (how you stand ready in front of the ball), my grip (how you hold the club), basic rules of the game (there are a lot!), and the beginnings of my swing.

The first thing I noticed when I got there was how happy everyone was. Everybody stopped to say hello out on the fairway, and they were smiling, welcoming, chatty and warm. The second thing I noticed was that nobody seemed to be a in a rush! I think that we are conditioned to ‘get stuff done’ and power through the day. That’s not the case when playing golf - you simply can’t rush due to waiting for each person to take their turn and waiting for the groups in front of you to move on. Plus, golfers take time over their shots - it's like an art form. They often stopped to talk to each other or to move out of the way for other golfer’s shots. It was the calm I realised I so badly needed in my life. Golfers are there to enjoy the round, not race to the finish line.

How I fell in love with golf

After enjoying the first lesson, I booked a couple more, and so it started. I realised that I was really looking forward to those Saturday morning lessons with my instructor Simon, any fog from the working week would disappear and we would be laughing about something completely random once we got out onto the course. Other golfers would stop by and we’d all chat (mainly about golf) and I was starting to meet different and interesting people from the club – from all walks of life and all ages.

I’m now about eight months into my golf journey, and I would say now that it’s one of my favourite things to do. I’m a long way from being any good – but I never set out to be the next Tiger Woods. This is my progress and as long as I am enjoying being on the course then I’ll continue. I’ve now got my own set of golf clubs, some golf clothes – which are essentially close to normal gym style sports kit these days apart from the shoes - it’s a much less strict dress code than it once was.

There are so many parallels with golf and life, this sounds a bit cliché I realise, but there are. It’s genuinely taught me so much about the way to approach all areas of life, mainly taking more time over things, getting outside more, not getting caught up when things go wrong – leave that behind and move forward… One of the first things I learned was that most good golfers don’t let themselves dwell on the previous hole as the game can completely change as you go across the course. Then there is learning to stay in the moment more - free of phones and distractions, you can’t be distracted out on the course or you’d likely end up hit by a ball! Stay consistent; having a consistent swing is your biggest challenge and once that is achieved you can literally take on any hole. Consistency in life is what makes us successful at things.

These are the fundamental reasons I love golf; I enjoy the time away from it all, with happy, positive people, fresh air and let’s be honest… I’ve never seen an ugly golf course; they are just lovely places to spend time. The last thing that I love about golf, is that all different levels can play together, because you all play to your own handicap. It’s very inclusive; everyone is welcome. Plus, the golf buggies, I still love the golf buggies.

Want to discover golf for yourself?