Old is gold. When the grey hairs start to crown your head, and you have had your fair share of career and family life, the next step is to find ways to reinvent yourself and stay in shape as you reminisce about the good old days. It’s tough to tell a retiree to adopt a high-velocity game like hockey or soccer at an advanced age. Luckily, golf offers the perfect low-intensity way to keep in touch with your peers as you flex your muscles and celebrate every little victory on the course.
Hitting the green might look easy in movies, but it’s a high-concentration sport that engages your hands and upper torso as you swing and feet and as you walk from hole to hole, as well as your active mind. Golf takes unique creativity and laser-sharp focus that can give senior people a fun challenge worth looking up to every day and make your latter years quite a delight.
Below are some of the key reasons why senior people & retirees need to sprinkle some bit of golf onto their menu:
- Allows you to find renewed purpose
Most retirees encounter deteriorated health and quality of life after retirement because life as they knew it ceases to exist. You no longer head out to work every morning and spend the entire day interacting with your colleagues and dealing with work challenges like you used to. At that age, many seniors are hesitant to learn new things and venture into uncharted territories. Nonetheless, adopting golf in your golden years can quickly turn your life around and give you a new purpose. Instead of staying indoors and sinking into depression, you can hit the green and enjoy life.
- Boosts mental & cardiovascular health
Golf relies not just on your physical fitness but also on your mental alertness. Calculating every shot requires a keen mind which naturally improves brain functions like memory and concentration. In addition, as you go through a round of golf for 3-5 hours, your heart rate becomes intense, allowing blood to flow freely and consequently improving your cardiovascular health.
- Builds your core strength, stamina & fitness
One primary risk that senior people face is falling into a sedentary lifestyle of sleeping, sitting and watching TV, and engaging in unhealthy eating. Without constant movement, your joints start to tighten, and one is prone to conditions like obesity, anxiety, and other health disorders. Incorporating a round of golf every week into your schedule enables you to build your core strength, which improves your stability and mobility. Golf also engages most of your body muscles which helps you to build stamina, become more flexible and burn unwanted calories.
- It helps you to meet new friends and socialize
No man is an island. This fact becomes even more apparent in old age, where seniors and retirees should not be left to lead lonely lives that can tremendously deteriorate their health and happiness. Golf is the ultimate chill sport where you can crack jokes, make new friends as you compete, and then grab snacks and drinks at the lounge. Having amazing like-minded friends certainly makes life enjoyable.
- It gives you a new hobby to look forward to
Once you pick up golf, you’ll realize that you don’t just enjoy the time spent on the course but also the moments you spend thinking about the sport and looking forward to the next game. You’ll instantly find yourself watching golf matches on TV, checking out the dates for the next PGA Tour, and even traveling to watch your favorite pros in action. A new hobby can significantly revitalize your life and add more years to your lifespan.
- It releases endorphins into your brain and makes you happy
We all want to be happy. Retirees and seniors are significantly more prone to sinking into loneliness and depression and losing the meaning of life, and they need a suitable diversion to keep them occupied. A round of golf releases endorphins into your brain, giving you immense joy and a feeling of accomplishment, which helps to keep the negative emotions at bay and improves your quality of life.
- Fights diseases like Arthritis & Dementia
If we are not careful during our senior years, countless diseases like Alzheimer’s, Hypertension, Arthritis, Obesity, and Dementia are waiting for us. Golf is ideal for fighting most of them because it’s not a high-intensity sport, meaning you won’t strain much. Golf also engages most of your physical being, from your mind and heart to your arms, legs, hips, and joints. You gain physical, mental, and social benefits, effectively fighting most old-age ailments.
- It improves sleep which helps in body regeneration
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of life, especially regarding health and youthfulness. Most seniors may have trouble sleeping due to anxiety, problems like chronic joint pain, etc. When a retiree adopts golf, they can release all their accumulated physical & mental tension on the course and enjoy a relaxed night’s sleep. Great sleeping patterns allow the rebuilding of body tissues, muscles, and joints, resulting in a healthier you.
Conclusion
The benefits that golf offers senior people & retirees are too numerous to count. From offering them a renewed zeal and purpose for life to a healthier and fitter self, paying for a golf membership plan for your retired parent or guardian might be the best gift you ever give them.
