For most of us duffers, golfing is fun. Let’s explore some of the crazy things associated with the game we love, and sometimes think is a challenge. Enjoy these interesting fun facts and history.
Motivational Golf Quotes
“I tried real hard to play golf, and I was so bad at it they would have to check me for ticks at the end of the round because I’d spent half the day in the woods.”
-Jeff Foxworthy
“If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don’t have to waste energy going back to pick it up.”
-Tommy Bolt
Why Golfing Is Fun
What is it about the game of golf that makes it so enticing? If football were half as frustrating, the NFL would have disappeared long ago. We have presidents, movies stars, and heads of state who go out and hit the courses. It doesn’t matter if you’re as rich as Warren Buffett or as strong as the cigar-chewing Arnold Schwarzenegger, golf is the great equalizer.
So, this is when I ask myself, why are there so many golfers? Are we a country of masochists? Taking up a hobby is supposed to be relaxing. Golf seems to be anything but.
Still, millions hit the links every year with deep pockets, high expectations, and apparently an even higher pain threshold. What gives?
If you’ve decided to take a swing at this craziness, we call golf, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know I’m closer to being nuts than the average guy standing on the corner yelling at cars, but what’s your excuse?
Let’s find out what makes so many people happy to fork over golf carts full of cash to chase a tiny ball around in the woods. It’s madness, I say. Madness. But remember. Golfing is fun!
The Golf Scorecard
In order to better understand what makes a golfer tick, here are some statistics to chew on.
- There are nearly 15,000 golf courses in the USA. Doesn’t seem so excessive. That comes to 300 courses per state, on average. There are probably that many Starbuck’s in California alone. I honestly believe golf greens take up the oxygen slack for the disappearing rain forests.
- Canada, or mini-America as I like to call it, boasts as many as 5.7 million players. Huh? It must be hard to play with those big, puffy parkas on. And probably next to impossible to find the balls in the snow. Maybe they should stick to hockey.
- Due to the costs of golf play, 400,000 U.S. players hung up their putters for good in 2013. Miniature golf player numbers rose that year. Coincidence? I think not. But 1,019 mini-golfers also died on the tiny courses. I’ve always said those windmills were super dangerous. I wonder if they offer mini-golf insurance.
- Now 2018, on the other hand, had the lowest golf fatalities -737- since 2011. What the flop shot? I’m going to assume that the majority were heart attacks from the stress of the game and, perhaps, too much walking.
Golfing is fun, right? Florida has lots of golf courses and lots of alligators. Gives the adage water hazard a whole new meaning in the sunshine state. However, if you are a less than stellar golfer like me and you spend countless hours in the woods, my mind goes to woods equals spiders, snakes, bears, birds…
Wow, I never realized how dangerous golf could be. Having a propensity to talk to myself, I’d better start practicing zipping my lips, lest I piss someone off while I’m golfing. I for sure don’t want any crazed golfer going all Iron Byron on me.
- There are 23.8 million golfers in the U.S. Wait a minute. At last count, there were only 15,000 golf courses. So if my math is correct, that’s 1,586 golfers per course. Why aren’t there lines? Let’s all go golfing this weekend. That would be epic. The divots would reach China.
- According to research, $6 billion was spent on golf equipment, supplies, and apparel last year. Holy putting wedge, Batman, I’m in the wrong business. Who’d have thought there was even that much plaid material in the world.
- Dig this stat, 300 million balls are lost each year. I see a snorkel in my future. Do they have any things that bite in the water hazards in California?
More Fun Golf Facts
- Got balls? Nearly 125,000 balls a year splash down in the water at the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.
- Samuel L. Jackson, a fellow golf freak, has a golf-o-clause in his contract that stipulates he gets to hit the greens twice a week while filming.
- Ready to burn up your Benjamins? The Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas is the most expensive course in the United States; 18 holes is a mere $500. How’s that light your fire? Golf Digest ranks it among America’s 100 greatest public courses. Many celebs golf there, even Michael Jordan. Of course, he gets all that underwear money from Hanes to support (couldn’t help myself) his habit.
- A 33 ½ inch, 15 ½ ounce, hickory-shaft putter called Calamity Jane was considered golfer Bobby Jones’ secret weapon. It was used in his three consecutive major championship wins. In 1926, it was replicated exactly. With this replica he won ten more majors. This included a Grand Slam in 1930.
- The clone of the Calamity Jane is now valued at $750,000 – $1,000,000. That’s a lot of putter. If you bought that club and golfed 18 holes once a month for a year, that would be $1,068 a hole. Do the same for ten years and you can get it down to $106 a hole. That’s doable, if you’re Bill Gates.
- Wyatt Earp wasn’t the only bad dude to wield a six-iron. At the 1987 World One Club Championship, golfer Thad Daber shot an unbelievable two-under-par 70, with nothing but balls of steel and a six-iron. There has never been a verified score in a competitive tournament that was lower, using only a single club.
- The Tactu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru, ranks as the highest course in the world. Elevation, 14.335 feet above sea level, at its lowest point. At that altitude, the drives must be spectacular, unless your ball goes into a 1,000-foot-deep sand trap.
- Arnold Palmer is known as The King, but Tiger Woods has won over $100,000,000 in prize money. It’s good to be king, but DANG.
All kidding aside, golfing is fun. Go out and hit the links. It’s good exercise and cheaper than therapy. Besides, if you want to lay on a couch, you can always take a nap after 18 holes.
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