César Lázaro. Psicosol Marbella. 

Sports activity is essential for a balanced growth of both mental and physical capabilities. This is perhaps even more important for children as it is for adults. Does this make golf an ideal sport for children?

One of the things which makes golf a suitable sport for children and adolescents is the development of motor skills. A good swing involves learning a set of extremely precise, combined movements. By learning how to play golf, children acquire good motor skills, strengthen their muscles, improve muscle tone, enhance their hand-to-eye coordination, stretch their body, and much more.

Another interesting aspect for young people is more associated to attention, concentration, abstract thinking and orientation. All these abilities are essential to young people. If they are lacking in attention, concentration and abstract thinking, their shots will not be so precise. If they easily get distracted, they will not have a satisfactory round. The sense of direction required in golf also plays an important role. You need to be able to be aware of your position on the course, mentally measure distances and visualise slopes on the green. All in all, when playing golf, young people acquire and improve mental abilities which, not only allow them to play golf, but also help them in their personal and academic day-to-day lives. For example, attention, concentration and abstract thinking are fundamental for following school lessons, enhancing comprehension and memory – all of which lead to better marks. Orientation improves spatial awareness, which is useful in some subjects such as art and PE. Therefore, golf is a sport which improves abilities at school.

Golf is a sport which involves winning or losing. But the most wonderful thing about golf compared to other sports is that players compete against themselves as well as against other people. This is like other individual sports such as athletics or tennis. The desire to improve, push boundaries, and make an extra effort to achieve good results, while doing things correctly, are very important for personal growth. Despite its differences with athletics or tennis, golf requires a great ability to adapt. Every hole is different, and it is important to adopt the right strategy for each one. Patience and perceptive skills are very useful. Golf is better than other individual sports on many counts.

However, it also offers the possibility of creating teams, of competing and participating with other people, which makes it, in part, a team sport. This leads to enhancing an awareness of personal sacrifice for the good of others, and an ability to negotiate, together with good social skills such as assertiveness, understanding, and so on.

For children and young people, golf is a complete and balanced sport which develops physical, mental and social abilities. It’s a magnificent sport to take up.