Top 10 Lessons Your Child Can Learn from Playing Golf
In the last few years, I have watched my son and his friends play golf and participate in Junior Golf tournaments and have noticed some amazing qualities develop in him.
The true essence of this sport has taught these young kids some valuable life lessons. Following are the 10 qualities that I have seen in my son which are getting better over time.
Humility and Respect:
Golf teaches respectful communication and acts of courtesy towards others.
During each game of Junior Golf tournaments, players are instructed to exhibit sportsman spirit and the game ends with an exchange of handshakes.
Punctuality:
In a golf tournament, when a schedule is set no one is allowed to break it.
For example, if the tee is scheduled at 9:00 am, anyone not reaching the tee box at 8:55 am gets disqualified automatically. This tough rule has made my son respect time not only in golf but also in his day-to-day events.
Confession:
Golf, being a game of honor, has instilled in my son the importance of fair play.
If any sort of transgression occurs, he has learned to accept it, take full responsibility for it and correct his behavior in future.
Safety:
As golf balls and clubs can be dangerous when not used carefully, my son has been directed repeatedly to not practice swings when someone is passing by and not to swing clubs and hit in the direction of others.
These rules have made him take care of his own safety and that of others in all aspects of his life.
Quiet:
Golf is a quiet game and requires silence on the golf course to help the players to concentrate on the game. In young kids, this develops a habit of staying quiet as well as respecting others.
Visioning:
Before every tournament, I see my son sitting quietly and envisioning the golf course and its conditions and practicing swings visually.
This sort of imagination makes the mind strong and improves creativity, both of which are required to achieve any goal in life.
Problem Solving:
While my son envisions the golf course and practices swings, he also keeps in mind the weather conditions, trees and sand traps that can easily make any tournament unpredictable and challenging.
Foreseeing these challenges makes him come up with solutions to overcome them, hence making him a better problem solver.
Focus:
Golf requires immense mental and emotional concentration and therefore, my son has learned ways to not let any failure or victory get the best of him in his next games.
This practice of not letting your emotions digress you from the situation at hand can take you to places in life.
Practice and Persistence:
In golf, you must listen to your mentors and implement the techniques in a persistent manner.
Like in life, the only key to success in golf is perseverance. You have to keep on practicing and improving your techniques over time to achieve your goal.
Graciousness:
No matter who wins, at the end of each golf tournament, players thank and shake hands with the tournament chairmen.
This has taught my son to respect elders and keep sportsmanship in high regard all the time.
