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Golf: A Practical Look At The Game And Why It Sticks

Golf is one of those activities that looks ridiculous from outside and becomes obsessive from inside. The basic action is simple — hit a small ball into a small hole using progressively shorter clubs. The reason golfers play eighteen holes and then immediately want to play eighteen more is that the game punishes and rewards in roughly equal measure on every single shot.

What the game actually is

A round of golf is eighteen holes, each rated by a par number — the number of strokes a skilled player would expect to need. Par 3 holes are short, par 5 holes are long, and par 4 holes are the middle. Eighteen holes typically add up to a par of 70 to 72. A round of golf takes three and a half to five hours depending on the course and the group.

The shorter form, nine holes in about two hours, is what most working adults actually play. It is also where most learners should start. A full eighteen for a beginner is too much golf — physically tiring and demoralizing if the score balloons in the back nine.

The gear you actually need

A used starter set of seven or eight clubs from Goodwill or Facebook Marketplace. Sixty to a hundred dollars. Most beginners do not need a full fourteen-club bag.
Cheap golf balls. You will lose them. A dozen recycled balls for ten dollars is fine.
A glove for the lead hand (left hand for right-handed players). Twelve to twenty dollars.
Soft-spike golf shoes are nice but not strictly required at most public courses. Cross-trainers are usually fine.

Where to play affordably

Almost every region has municipal courses that charge twenty to forty dollars for nine holes. Twilight rates after 3pm are often half-price. Many courses also have par-3 or executive courses that take half the time and cost much less. Driving ranges and short-game practice areas charge five to ten dollars and are where almost all of the actual improvement in your game happens. There is a useful primer on practice routines next.

Why people keep playing

Golf is one of the only sports that lets you compete against people of very different skill levels in a meaningful way, because of the handicap system. A 25-handicap and a 5-handicap can play a real match because the weaker player gets strokes on certain holes. That makes golf a social game in a way most adult sports are not.

It is also a walking activity. Eighteen holes is about five miles of walking, often through nicely manicured terrain. The activity itself is gentle. The frustration is not.