Golf: A Lifelong Sport

Golf is a game that can be as calming as it can be infuriating, and it’s a game that you can play from the time you’re a child to when you’re an adult. Novices and athletes alike are drawn to the game. For many, it is a passion.

For golf pro Jeff Swanson, he says that some of the draw is the competitive nature, and some of it is the social nature.

“Some of the greatest athletes are just full-blown addicted to golf – whether it’s Michael Jordan or Ken Griffey, Jr. – guys that retire and they still need that competitive thing,” he said. “It’s such the ultimate challenge. It’s you against the golf course and no matter how well you played, you know it could have been better. It’s so competitive. We’re never, ever, ever satisfied as a golfer. It’s imperfectible. No matter how good it is, we know that we’ve wasted shots somewhere. It’s sort of like an addiction.”

Speaking to the addiction, Swanson noted that no matter how hot or cold it is, if the course is open, there will be golfers there. He also said that oftentimes, there are players waiting for him when he opens the club at the crack of dawn.

As for the social aspect, Swanson encourages people to join a league or participate in a tournament or some other kind of golf outing.

“It is so much fun,” he said. “I think the social aspect of golf is just phenomenal. Having the ability to make friendships that often extend beyond golf, but would never have happened without golf. From a personal standpoint, everything from my wife to my friends came about because of golf. You make lifelong friends because of golf.”

He continued, “There’s so much more to it than just the competitive. To be honest, my favorite rounds of golf are playing golf with friends or family, even more so than the competition stuff. You meet some pretty incredible people on the golf course.”

Swanson noted how he loves seeing some of the young players who come to golf camps win tournaments or go on to play in college, but how he really loves to see them on the course on Father’s Day with their fathers or grandfathers.

“It’s just the coolest,” Swanson said.

And no matter where you are in the country, or the world, you can always find a golf course to play on.