Does Golf Make You A Better Person? 

“Man may lie, cheat, and steal for gain. But, these will never gain the golf swing To gain the golf swing man must work.Yet it is work without toil It is exercise without the boredom. It is intoxication without the hangover. It is stimulation without the pills.It is failure yet its successes shine even more brightly. It is frustration yet it nourishes patience.It irritates yet its soothing is far greater. It is futility yet it nurtures hope.It is defeating yet it generates courage. It is humbling yet it ennobles the human spirit.It is dignity yet it rejects arrogance. Its price is high yet its rewards are richer. Some say it’s a boy’s pastime yet it builds men. It is a buffer for the stresses of today’s living.It cleanses the mind and rejuvenates the body. It is these things and many more.For those of us who know it and love it. Golf is truly happiness.”

- Moe Norman

Anyone who has ever set foot on a golf course with a set of clubs knows of the inevitable ebb and flow of a round of golf. Sometimes it gives us the complete and utter tranquility of a warm bath. Other times it gives us incomprehensible rage.

Though, this isn’t subject to only the high handicappers out there. The ups and downs of golf can be related to even the esoteric figures such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory Mcilroy’s of the golfing world.

“There is always stuff to work on you are never there” Tiger Woods

But what if golf was more than just a game? More than just four hours spent in sunlight with your buddies.

I don’t have any scientific studies to back up this hypothetical question nor do I care to. As the positive effects that golf has had for me on and off the course have been immensely profound.

So, with that said the answer is an overwhelming yes; golf is much more than just a game. Golf is a microcosm of life and has the uncanny ability to change lives.

Golf or rather the golf course is a place where everyone feels the same emotions regardless of skill. Adam Scott gets a little weary about the proverbial out of bounds on the left just as you or I would.

But its much more than just the emotions that we feel on the golf course that make playing golf improve as human beings. It is the values that we take away from playing a game such as golf that make us better people.

So what are these values that we take from playing golf? I think that ‘The First Tee’ sums it up best with their nine core values. Honesty, Integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgement.

I don’t think that the first tee could be more spot on. Everytime we play golf we enhance our ability to be honest , have integrity , be respectful, and confident. There is no doubt in my mind that these values transcend from the the golf course to the life of the person who is playing.

So much so that even schools in North America are taking the hint.

Throw away the text books? Perhaps

Golf has such a profound positive impact on our lives that even boards of education are taking into account their profound effects.

In fact, an organization by the name of ‘Golf Schools USA’ operates in schools in five different states across the United States.

An organization by the name of “National Golf In Schools” is spreading the word among schools in Canada.

It is clear that golf makes us not only better people on the golf course, but also better people off the golf course.