Checked pants, salmon appetizers, champagne and fat cars in the parking lot. Hardly any other sport is as clichéd as golf. That's something you hear time and again from non-golfers - and there's bound to be one or two in your circle of acquaintances. What, you play golf? You don't even have a doctorate! No, you don't need to. Because for golf you just have to be addicted. Addicted to freedom. Addicted to nature. Addicted to the mountains. Golf Alpin debunks the most common prejudices.

Golf is not a sport after all!

There are people who do not see golf as a real sport. In a category with chess or dancing. Walking, perhaps, just an expensive pastime for the rich and retired. Nothing more. So much for the common prejudices. Now for the facts, all of which are medically proven: the average energy expenditure during a four-hour round is around 1800 calories. If we assume that a calorie consumption of about 2000 kcal per week through physical exertion is to be aimed for in order to prevent cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, we would therefore not even have to play 27 holes to stay healthy and fit. Oxygen intake is almost four times higher than normal, 124 of a total of 434 muscles are moved and coordinated during the swing, the pulse rate can reach up to 150 beats per minute, cholesterol levels are reduced (they drop by an average of 15 percent after a round of golf), and body weight is reduced. Any questions?

Golf is expensive!

One thinks so, yes. But it's not true. For children in particular, getting started in this sport is no more expensive than, say, horseback riding or field hockey. If, for example, you already have the comparatively more expensive initial equipment with rackets, shoes, bag and clothing at home, a year's membership and training costs less than 100 euros in many places. There are even clubs where children and young people play free of charge. Tennis, for example, which is also associated with many clichés, costs more than 700 euros a year on average. But even here, many clubs still have strict admission regulations. By the way, this is not only the case for children. Just add up the costs for a normal day on the ski slopes or on the glacier? A green fee of just under 70 euros is almost a bargain ...

Golf? That can't be healthy!

Oh, yes, it does! You notice that especially on really stressful days. Then, when after many hours in the office it begins to pull in the neck. How your shoulders get heavier and heavier and your mood gets greyer and greyer. And then comes that moment when you step onto a golf course. The moment when all your everyday worries are shaken off with the first practice swing and your soul screams "Yippie! Golf as anti-stress training. This is now also confirmed by doctors and psychologists. In addition to psychotherapeutic treatments, motor-physical activities can also promote the self-healing process in the case of an illness such as burnout syndrome. Psychosomatic clinics already work a lot with sports therapies. Golf is actually medicine. One for which you don't even need a prescription.

Golf is only for old people!

Of course, golf is also or especially suitable for older people. Because on the one hand, the pulse is in the moderate range and no one has to sprint on the course. On the other hand, because an 18-hole round naturally takes time - and seniors have time! But that doesn't make golf an old people's sport! To prove the opposite, just take a look at the professional tours of this world. There are predominantly well-trained, young athletes on the road. Golf courses are offered in schools, and teachers actually report that people who play golf learn more easily. Because concentration, coordination and discipline are already important during training.

Golfers are destroying nature! 

Who says something like that? On the contrary! Golf courses have long since ceased to be considered an environmental sin. Environmental protection and nature-conscious actions play important roles on the courses. Here wildflower meadows for the bees, there dead trees, nesting boxes and insect hotels. The wealth of ideas is impressive. Golf courses today are important ecosystems, sometimes even landscape conservation areas, where endangered animal and plant species find a new home. And here in the mountains of Tyrol and Salzburger Land, a golf course is one thing above all: real nature to enjoy!

Recommended posts