Men & Women   

 
Those of you who are just getting started with golf in your adult life may find it a bit daunting to figure out the best way to learn.   Many facilities and their instructors will offer group lessons or  clinics which might provide a more comfortable and casual setting for you to learn this great game with a friend!  Click on the PGA Aloha Section link to the right to find a certified PGA Professional near you!

 

 
5 Mental Health Benefits You Get From Golf 
By Keely Levins, Golf Digest March 2020

 In light of the uncertainty and tense times surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we're more grateful for moments of mental clarity and calm than usual. We looked into some of the science that supports what we golfers can already feel: Golf is good for your mental health.
1. Reduces anxiety: In 2018, we wrote about a European study that cited golf as a means to better overall health—mental health included. “Social interaction is the risk factor which has been undervalued,” Roger Hawkes, the former chief medical officer of the European Tour and one of the authors of the study, told CNN. “Mental health is a big thing in this day and age, and moderate physical activity is associated with a reduction in anxiety and a reduction in depression.” That report echoed some of the findings from a 2009 Swedish study that found golfers have an "increase in life expectancy of about five years."
2. Offers beneficial social interaction: A Medical News Today study cites about the positive effects of social interaction. Psychologist Susan Pinker explains the physical benefit from interacting in a setting such as golf: “dopamine is [also] generated, which gives us a little high and it kills pain, it’s like a naturally produced morphine." The study expands on the importance of handshakes and physical interaction, so we'll skip that part given the coronavirus pandemic. But it's pretty cool to think that each social interaction on the golf course can help your mental health.
3. Reduces the effects of depression: You've probably read studies about exercise producing endorphins and making people happier—runner's high, anyone? But there are studies that show even non-rigorous exercise, like golf, can help your mental state. An Australian study by Kristiann Heesch, which was covered by Scientific American, found that women battling depression who averaged two and a half hours of 'moderate exercise' (including golf) were less affected by their depression than they were when the study began three years prior.
4. Lowers stress: Getting exercise is great, but getting exercise outdoors, also known as "green exercise," is better, according to this 2015 study. "Experiences in contact with nature have been shown to provide stress-reduction and restoration from mental fatigue," the study said. Researchers focused on relieving stress at the workplace and concluded that, "Green-exercise at the workplace could be a profitable way to manage stress and induce restoration among employees." Golf checks both boxes, being exercise and happening outdoors. And now you have a scientific reason to use golf as a way to manage your work-related stress.
5. Provides a form of therapy: Golf's ability to improve mental health is strong enough that it was used as a means of therapy for people either with mental-health problems or substance abuse in this 12-person study. "The findings revealed a positive influence on health and social well-being in addition to positive changes in daily activities," the study says.

Click here for the full article in Golf Digest and other related articles

                              Want to Establish a Hanidcap Index? Join the Club!         
                                                                                                                                     
USGA ARTICLE JULY 8, 2020
                                       
You have purchased your first set of clubs, and you have been hitting balls on the practice range or perhaps on a golf simulator.  Now, you are eager to join your friends on the course and have a fair game.  This is a common pathway for new golfers.  However, to make it fair, you will need to get a Handicap Index, which allows for adjustment based upon each player's ability.  Click here to read the full article on establishing your Handicap Index.



                                                The Rules of Golf
Learning the rules can seem like a tall task, especially since the game of golf inherently contains many variable and nuances.  Fortunately, like most sports you generally just need to know a handful of the most commonly applied rules to get you through a round of golf.  Think of other sports like football, tennis, and basketball...there are defined boundaries,  penalties for incorrect actions, and a defined manner in which points are scored and a winner is declared.  Golf is much the same way.  Check out a couple of these videos on the Rules of Golf from the United States Golf Association's (USGA) official Youtube page to get you caught up on the most commonly applied rules during a round of golf.

USGA Rules of Golf Explained (Full Playlist)


 

 



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