These were the words I was told the other day as I was leaving to go play a quick 9 holes. It was cold, the breeze had a deep chill, the sun was nowhere to be found, and I was dressed in about 5 layers.

“No, I’m not,” I argued. “It keeps me sane, calm, and happy.”

I pondered this label of obsessed for a few days. I thought about my relationship with golf and what that means to me. Sure, it is something I do a lot and it is something I enjoy immensely, even if it frustrates me. But, obsessed? Then it hit me. It hit me when I said these words when making my next hair appointment: “I’ll take the 1:00 p.m. appointment because I am playing golf that morning and I will be done by then.” I has just based an appointment around my golf schedule.

Ok, so maybe that was a fluke. But, then I started seeing other things around me which caught my attention. I logged on to my class to start grading and I saw the banner image which greets me and my students every time we log on. It is a picture of a pristine white golf ball. My profile picture on that same class is of me on the course. The short video I post every semester to introduce myself to my students was filmed on my golf course. Then, I received a text. My text tone is the sound of a ball falling in the hole. (What a beautiful, melodious sound that is.) The next email I received gave me the familiar tone of a golf ball being hit. Whack! Such a clean sound. I can see it arching perfectly. Later, I checked the weather which is set to “golfing outlook.” One has to know if it is a toboggan day or a hat day, right?

My next grocery pickup was scheduled according to my golf schedule. Some of the items in that pickup were specifically for golfing, like bananas, granola bars, etc. You know, the things easy to eat while walking along the fairway. That’s just smart shopping, I justified to myself.

I heard myself say, “I don’t have long nails because my glove won’t fit right and I’m not a fan of fingerless gloves.” “Don’t make me lift that heavy box. I need to be able to swing.” “I bought this streaming service because they show many of the LPGA events.” “That’s a classy looking golf towel. It will match the golf-themed bathroom at my house.” And as I was in the process of looking for a new car recently, the words, “It has to fit my clubs in the back” came out of my mouth.

Obsession? I’m still not convinced. All of these things are just who I am and what’s so bad about that? I knew there had to be more to this than a simple label called obsession. This was more complex. When your rationale for buying a new top is that you can also wear it to golf, then there is more to the story.

I found my answer in the Journal of Leisure Research. This study’s purpose was to understand the inner workings and progressive nature of participation in golf. The authors proposed that people, in relation to golf, fall into one of four categories: Awareness, Attraction, Attachment, or Allegiance.

Awareness in this study was someone who knows about golf. They may know someone who plays, but they do not engage in it much themselves. Attraction was defined as someone who may state, “I like golf.” This person may play due to the physical/mental benefits of the game such as exercise and being outside. The Attachment golfer is more likely to say, “I am a golfer.” In other words, they have linked their self-concept and core values to the game. They have made symbolic and emotional connections to playing. Finally, Allegiance is the person who will most likely say, “I live to golf.” These persons have highly formed and complex attitudes about the game and playing it. They are resistant to change and the game guides their behavior. It’s not just what they think or feel about the game. It is how golf influences their everyday behavior.

This study was conducted in Australia with 1,224 participants (mostly male). The participants answered a survey where they rated behavioral, psychological, and attitudinal statements about golf. Some example statements were, “It would be difficult for me to change my beliefs about playing golf.” Another example was, “I wear clothing related to golf,” “Golf says a lot about who I am” and “A lot of my time is organized around playing golf.”

The results of the study showed, as people progress through the stages, the behavioral, psychological, and attitudinal elements become stronger. Motivations to play increased and an enduring devotion to the game increased, as well. Also, as the person moves up through the stages, they consume more media, play more and spend more money on clothing/equipment. (But, did they drive by the course on their way home from getting food takeout “just to see how the course is doing today”? I would like to think so. Not that I do that.)

This study certainly confirms the levels of engagement people can have to golf. It shows how self-concept and golf collide, and it even gives a clue into the golfer lifestyle. The study also got me thinking about when we lose players/potential players. At what stage do we lose them? We hear often about programs to “grow the game.” But, are those marketing campaigns targeting the player in the stage which they currently reside? Do we really need to tell the Allegiance (I live to golf) stagers that golf is a great way to get exercise? According to this study, no. We hear how women are coming to the game in record numbers, but that record numbers leave the game almost as quickly. Therefore, telling an Awareness (I know about golf) stager about the rules of golf would do no good. She hasn’t even tried the game extensively yet. It is my opinion we don’t lose many women in the Attraction or Allegiance stages. We lose them earlier. We lose them before they ever say, “I am a golfer.”

Obsession isn’t the right way to describe my relationship with golf. I will admit I am fully, and whole-heartedly in the Allegiance stage, though. Anyone who tries to figure out a way to put a small putting green in her backyard has to be. But, this isn’t a bad thing. It is who I am and it is the essence of my being. I’m actually quite unapologetic about it.

And yes, my clubs fit in the new car. With room to spare.

Reference:
Funk, D., Beaton, A., and Pritchard, M. (2011). The stage-based development of physically active leisure: A recreational golf context. Journal of Leisure Research, 43(2) 268-289.

Source of photos used in this article – The Women’s Golf Member’s Social Group