By the Numbers: USA Golfers and Golf Courses

What do You Want from the Game?

At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is what you want to get out of the game throughout the rest of your golfing life. While it might be interesting to look at golf statistics such as how many courses in USA, it really doesn’t matter much to you in the end. As long as there is a course near you open and ready for business, you can continue on enjoying the game.

So how do you make sure that the fire continues to burn and you stay passionate about golf for many years ahead? To start with, never settle for just good enough. No matter what your current handicap is, always strive to get better. There will always be things you can improve about your own game, and you can always work toward lowering your scores. Remember that you don’t have to make radical changes to your game to see improvement – even a slight adjustment to your putting technique could lead to a new personal best. As long as the motivation is there to play your best, golf will never get boring.
Another way to remain engaged with the game is to do exactly what was talked about above and find new courses to play. While taking a long golf vacation is certainly exciting, you could also just seek out new courses within your region that you haven’t yet tried. The game can get stale from time to time if you just play the same 18 holes over and over again, so break up the routine and take your group to a new course occasionally.

Speaking of your group, making sure you maintain a group of golfing friends so you can help keep each other motivated and excited to head out to the course. Even if you go through a period where you aren’t playing that well and the motivation is dipping, you will still want to head out to the course so you can spend some quality time with your friends and enjoy the outdoors. Golf is such a great game to play for a lifetime because it combines competitiveness and challenge with social fun and relaxing exercise. You would have to look long and hard to find another hobby that meets all of those criteria.
Finally, one last thing you can do to keep golf at the top of your mind for years to come is to make a sort of ‘bucket list’ as it relates to golf. On your list of things to accomplish in golf could be a variety of items – such as shooting a specific score, playing a certain course, playing ‘x’ amount of rounds per year, etc. Setting goals is great for motivation within any part of life, and playing golf is no different. Outline your goals for the game over the next few years and then get down to work checking things off one by one.

Golf is among the best games in the world, and we are all lucky to have the opportunity to play it on a regular basis. America is full of people who are passionate about the game, and we have some of the best golf courses in the world to enjoy as well. Don’t forget how much enjoyment the game has brought to you over the years, and keep your mind focused on the things that you have yet to do in golf. Here’s to many more years of great shots, great friends, and great memories on the course!