Why Women Should Golf?

How were you introduced to golf?  Did your parents drag you to the country club on the weekends when you were a child?  Did a friend take you to the driving range to hit a few balls for fun?  Did your boss tell you it’s important for your career and encourage you to take lessons.

Golfers do take time and effort to get others to get in the game, for any of the reasons above and more.  As for me, a great friend of mine Iwan – and an avid golfer – did take time to ride the train for two hours to take me to the driving range one weekend, introducing the game that I later totally fall in love with, one grip and one swing at a time. Difficult?  Yes.  Stressing?  Sure.  But here comes the kick: it’s so challenging and entertaining because in golf, you’re not competing against others, you’re competing against yourself.  It’s just you, the ball, and the green … a pretty awesome concept for a narcissistic person like me.

Enough about me.  Let’s talk about the main point here: should women really play golf?  What if the sun ruined my beautiful, clear, glowing skin?  And isn’t it a man’s sport anyway?  Let me tell you something, women or men, if you’re not using golf to drive your career, you’re definitely wasting a valuable asset.  I was also a skeptic at first, especially when I returned from my first 18-hole game with a burned face and hideous tan lines that won’t go away until I got a spa treatment that cost a lot more than the game itself!  But the rewards and benefits are so great that I still and will always have the love of the game, and here they are:

1. Respect – admit it, not many of us girls play golf, especially in our twenties.  The fact that we play or at least learn to play, really make men (boss, colleagues, friends, or spouse) respect us in a whole new way.

2. Network – my friends and I spent at least twice a week on the driving range, and being the only female golfers over there, we do attract attentions from other golfers, whether it’s fellow Mandiri-ers or our customers.  I recall meeting them later at a business event or just in the elevator or hallways and they’re always so friendly, asking me about my swings and such.  Always a great opener for more serious yet relaxed business talks later.

3. Serenity – combusting emotions can deliver a killer smash in tennis, but it can only slice or hook your swings in golf.  This isn’t like any game you’ve ever known.  You don’t get a rush when you hit perfectly, you get something better: serenity.  Standing there, looking down at the ball on the tee, concentrating, they all deliver this kind of feeling of calmness, peace, and control.  You might come to the driving range with something hanging over your head, but take my word for it, after a ball or two, the only thing hanging there is an angel’s halo.

4. Emotional Relief – malls and restos and Starbucks are so yesterday: driving range is the best new place to hang out with your girl friends, talking heart to heart in between the swings.  All the swings that you already took have released enough endorphins in your system that you’re smiling all the time, and sharing your problems with friends is a lot easier and fun that way.  Girls day out = shopping at the mall?  So last year, girls!  Now, it’s the driving range.

5. Fashion – it’s a woman’s natural instinct to always want to stand out everywhere they go, and golf course or the driving range is no exception.  And there’s nothing that can boost your confidentiality when taking your most important swing like a great golf outfit (with a matching bag if you can fork it).  From the high-end Lacoste polos to something that you find in your local factory outlets, golf does give you a great reason to go shopping more.  Something that every woman must love.

Dedicated to Iwan, who gave me my first golf club.  Looking forward to teeing off with you soon.