We’ve been playing golf for a long time, both of us started when we were young with our families. We grew up on the golf course! Because we’ve spent so much time on the course during our lives we’ve learned a lot of life lessons. Lessons that we think have been extremely valuable to us.
1. Being Honest
In golf, you are your own rules official. There isn’t someone watching your every shot. Even in tournament golf, unless you’re on TV, the only people watching you are your playing partners. You learn the rules early and there is an expectation to follow them when you’re playing. There have been times when we’ve each had to call a penalty on ourselves. Why? Because those are the rules, and in order to be the best, you can’t cheat your way there.
2. Learning to Accept the Uncontrollable
We can’t even count how many times things or situations occur in golf that makes playing extremely difficult. Have you ever hit a shot that you felt was so perfect but the result was awful? Did you end up with a bad kick in the fairway that puts you in the water? Or it hits a sprinkler head and puts you 30 yards over the green? It happens! Unfortunately. But one of the things you start to learn is that you must start to accept the things that are out of your control.
3. Creating and Holding Focus
You must be a focused person to improve in the game of golf. You can’t multitask. Golf takes an extreme amount of mental and emotional concentration for 18 holes. This is a great thing to learn when you play golf but take into the world. Focusing on your goals or keeping your attention on the task at hand however long you need to is a very positive skill.
4. Problem Solving
Who would’ve thought that problem solving is a skill learned in golf? Well, get ready! Whether you have to manipulate your way around the course on a windy day. Or maybe the course is riddled with bunkers and you need to plot out your strategy.
5. Quiet
It may seem like a weird life skill, quiet, but it’s very useful. When you’re a kid playing golf you learn that there is a respectful volume you can have on the golf course. This creates a certain amount of respect for the people around you and the kind of concentration it requires to play golf.
6. Patience
Golf is an extremely hard sport and if you don’t have patience it will make it even more difficult. Golf teaches you to have patience, which is a virtue in life. You can’t score by getting ahead of yourself you have to be patient and take one shot at a time.
7. Respect
Etiquette is very important in golf. By playing this amazing sport you learn how to not only respect yourself but others and the golf course. For example, not stepping in someone’s line, being quiet while someone else is hitting, waiting your turn, fixing your ball marks, not driving the golf cart on the tee boxes and greens. You also learn the respect of your fellow competitor and sportsmanship and that will help with any profession your life leads you.
8. Communication
Golf has taught us how to interact with others. At times, you don’t always have a 4-some and you are put in a group with random people. With golf taking about 3 1/2 to 5 hours to play, there is pressure to communicate with others in your group. It’s a great tool to have in life being able to interact with others on a whim.
9. To Never Stop Learning
Golf has taught us that there is always room for improvement. No matter what you are doing in life you can always be better, you can always continue to work and grow to becomes the best version possible.
10. Quality vs Quantity
When it comes to golf practice is extremely important but knowing the difference between quality and quantity is more important. If you hit 30 balls with 100% focus and you are 100% committed to every shot you hit, that is more beneficial for you than hitting 100 balls with 40-65% focus. Tackle your tasks with quality vs quantity.
Anna and Armana are two friends who met while playing professional golf on a mini-tour in Arizona. Read about their journey on their Graceful Golfer Blog and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Armana Chanel Christianson is from Nebraska originally. She started playing golf when she was 12 years old with her family, where it eventually grew to a love for the game. She competed in high school winning state and then played college golf at Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Armana decided to continue her golf career and moved to Arizona. In January 2016, she turned pro and is working her way through the mini-tour circuit and the Symetra Tour.
Anna DePalma was born and raised in San Clemente, Ca. She found her passion for golf in Rancho Mirage, California at Mission Hills Country Club. She still dreams about jumping into Poppies Pond next to the 18th green on the Dinah Shore Course after one day winning the LPGA Major. She is currently competing on the Cactus and Symetra Tour.
