Golf is more than getting the perfect hole-in-one or having the best handicap out of your friends. Golf is a game that involves patience, honing your skillset, and finding an emotional balance between plays.
Yet golf also positively influences a player’s mental health, even indoor golf!
It goes beyond finally hitting the course after a long winter or trying a new green. In fact, you don’t have to wait for the season to start at all before calling up your friend and heading down to GolfZone in Red Deer to practice your swing. GolfZone is open year-round and the perfect place for golf enthusiasts to stay on top of their game!
#BellLetsTalk on January 26th gives us the chance to look closer at how the game of golf in Red Deer improves mental health.
Why Does Golf Make You So Happy?
Whether a seasoned golfer or newly picking up the sport, people find the game of golf to bolster the spirit and give them a chance to spend time with friends and colleagues.
While sunshine provides vitamin D, helping to improve seasonal depression, golf releases endorphins which are natural mood-boosting hormones that help lower stress and anxiety.
Combined with the social connection of friendly competition, golf provides a perfect blend of exercise, interaction, and relaxation that are all key components of mental wellbeing.
Golfing has even improved sleep quality, which is as essential to our health as eating, drinking, and exercising.
Golfing for a Mental Break
Playing 9 or 18 holes of golf, or even practicing at the driving and putting range, gets you out of the house for a decent chunk of time. It also provides you with a mental break from life’s challenges and the chance to focus on something healthy for yourself.
Anyone will tell you that you have to concentrate and watch the ball as you swing through the tee. When you don’t, things go sideways— literally, and your game takes a turn for the worse.
Golf focuses on the mind and forces the player to relax into the moment. Awareness shifts to your grip, the stance of your feet, arm position and set of your shoulders— all the elements lining up for the perfect swing or put.
Without realizing it, golfers practice a mindfulness technique that repeatedly brings them into the present moment through their game. Mindfulness lowers heart rate and helps lower stress and anxiety.
Plus, golfing in Central Alberta has fantastic scenery to add to the fresh air!
But What About When You Can’t be on the Green?
Golf courses are at the mercy of the elements and seasonal weather patterns, leaving golfers to travel great distances to satisfy their love of the game or wait through the winter months for the season to open.
Indoor Golf is the answer!
Indoor Golf facilities have been around for many years. Still, with new developments in technology, golfers can enjoy their game year-round.
Some of the benefits of Indoor Golf are:
- Controlled conditions
- Mirror the outdoor experience
- Improve swing mechanics
- Practice year-round
- Work on your handicap
- Get ready for the turf season
- Group and league play
While Indoor Golf in Red Deer has a different atmosphere than playing on a green, it still provides many of the same mental health benefits. For example, players can practice their swing solo or organize a group event or staff party while getting exercise and socializing.
In Between the Swing
Unlike other sports, golf allows players to socialize and network between plays and often meet new people along the way. In addition, playful or even more serious competition creates a team-like environment and invites supportive praise from other players.
It sometimes invites coaching, tips, or even lighthearted rivalries, too!
One overlooked element is that golf gives people the chance to talk when someone isn’t putting or up to the tee. Sure, you can chat about the last play, the score, general catching up or business opportunities, but golf also connects people regarding complex topics.
Giving and receiving support around meaningful conversations begins by sharing with someone you trust in a comfortable setting. Golf provides the perfect scenario for some to disclose a problem or difficult situation they need guidance on or simply need someone to share with.
When Talking During a Golf Game is a Good Thing!
Golf is an amazing sport for people of all ages and skill levels to participate in their mental, emotional, and physical health. It is also an excellent conduit to allow people to connect and talk.
On January 26th, Bell will give 5 cents for every text, call, tweet, or TikTok video along with the use of their Facebook Frame or Snapchat Lens using the #BellLetsTalk hashtag.
GolfZone believes in the power that sport has to improve people’s lives, including their mental health.
Red Deer’s GolfZone is your Indoor Golf destination with weekday multi-passes, groups, parties, and league play.
BOOK your Indoor Golf session by calling 587.273.1048 or using this contact form.
