With over 16,000 golf facilities in the country in 2004, there is no arguing that golf is a popular sport. From its roots that trace back to the east coast of Scotland in 1457, golf has become a very popular sport in the United States. In 2004, there were over 16,000 golf facilities in the country, with over 26 million Americans participating in the game.
Health Benefits
An average 18-hole golf course is roughly 4 miles to 4 1/2 miles long, leaving plenty of opportunity for golfers to receive a cardiovascular workout by the end of game. In a study published in 2008 The World Scientific Congress of Golf researchers concluded that participating in golf while walking and carrying clubs or walking with a caddy raised the heart rate and caloric expenditure above the minimum guidelines suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine. Walking while carrying clubs brought the heart rate to 67.4 percent of maximum while walking with a caddy netted out at 61.8 percent of maximum. Although golfers who ride a cart while playing golf walk an average of one mile as they get to their ball, the study showed that these golfers only reach 49.4 percent of maximum heart rate, well below the 60 percent suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Environmental Impact
Like any other industry, the golf business works on the principles of supply and demand. As long as people continue to play golf, the industry will keep producing and maintaining golf courses. The United States Golf Association states that "70 percent of most golf courses are rough and non-play areas including natural grasses, trees and shrubs." The non-play areas, together with the open spaces offered by a course's fairways and greens. makes the average golf course a habitat attractive to all forms of wildlife.
A golf course's turf has a very dense root system that retains soil and rainwater and adds organic matter to the soil as it grows. Many communities have discovered that this turf can restore damaged areas, and have built golf courses in places where quarries, strip mines and landfills once operated.
Social and Professional Networking
Whether you play nine or 18 holes, a round of golf gives you the opportunity for sustained interaction with friends, family or business associates, particularly if you play with a foursome. Most demographic segments of society, including seniors, handicapped and young children, enjoy the sport. The game affords seniors and the handicapped the ability to get out of their homes and become more involved with the people in their community, while the younger set learns patience, focus and coordination.
For generations, business people have been making deals on the golf course. Today, many young business people take up the game because they feel at a disadvantage when colleagues leave the office to play golf, leaving the non-golfers behind. For some, it is a rite of passage in the business world, with opportunities to play at most multi-day meetings and conventions.
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