So you don't think golf is a real sport? Well, I have something to say about that! Non-golfers like to say that golf isn't a real sport. Maybe it’s because we are not running, getting tackled, doing backflips or scoring goals. Either way, they are very wrong. I happen to think that golf is the hardest sport in the world. You heard me. Golf is the hardest sport in the world. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Endurance. A Different Kind

OK, we might not be marathoners, but walking a round of golf is a feat of endurance and patience. Most sports matches are over in a matter of hours. Golf pros walk and play for close to 6 hours a day, for four days, with little food or rest, and a lot of waiting around. College golfers often play 36 holes in one day while carrying their bag. That’s a lot of non-stop swinging, walking and, most important, staying focused.

2. No Team To Rely On

As a kid, I always wished I played a team sport. It would have been nice to have a team to rely on when times got hard. Instead, I picked an individual sport. I had to deal with my worst rounds all on my own. I had no one to pick up my slack. Golfers do it all on their own!

3. No Positions. You Must Do It All

Very few sports require you to be good at so many very different skills. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just focus on perfecting your bunker shots and only your bunker shots? Unfortunately, that’s not how golf works. You need to be an expert in a dozen different shots to excel at this sport.

4. No Breaks. No Time Outs. No Replacements

OK, seriously? How nice would it be to take a time out on one of those days where nothing seems to be going your way. Or even better, wouldn't it be nice to send in a replacement to finish your round? In golf, no one will ever bail you out. You have to suck it up and keep playing.

5. Mental Strength.

Mental strength is the single most important task for any athlete. Being able to deal with the excitement of a great round, and the disappointment of a bad shot is crucial. Gathering the concentration to do this for 4 to 6 hours is exhausting!

6. Different course, every time

Even if you play the same exact 18 holes every day, you are never playing the same course. Even though having a standard field sounds tempting, the beauty of the sport falls largely on the variety of the beautiful courses we get to play and how different they play from day to day.

7. Accuracy Required

Let’s imagine you woke up one day and your aim was an inch off. Get ready for the worst day of your life. You will miss every fairway and green. In fact, you won’t even come close! Let’s not even talk about putting. If your aim is an inch off during putting, you are guaranteed to miss every single putt. Sounds like a fun round, right? Golf requires accuracy and you can’t get away with not having it.

8. $$$

Let’s be honest, golf is expensive! Tee-times, swing lessons, memberships, golf equipment, and golf balls are all very expensive. If you are committed to getting better at golf, get ready to spend a small fortune on this sport.

9. It Never Ends Early

How nice would it be if the length of the golf round depended on your performance. In some sports, the length of the match is determined by how competitive the match is. If one of you is getting completely destroyed by your opponent, your match won’t last very long. In golf, the round doesn't finish early if you or your opponent is playing badly.

and last, but not least…

10. You Will Be Playing This For Years to Come

Congratulations! If you are a golfer, you will be playing this sport for decades to come!

If you picked golf to be your sport, retirement is nowhere in sight. The end to the challenges and frustration is nowhere close. You can’t retire at the top of your career, because your golf career is never over. 

So next time you hear someone saying that golf is not a sport, go ahead and tell them the truth. Not only is Golf a sport, it is the hardest sport in the world!

Carolina Romero. Fit Golfer Girl (All Rights Reserved)