Student Opinion by Elizabeth Hoffman.
“April showers bring May flowers” just as Spring brings golfing!
Launch the media gallery 1 playerWith the beginning of Spring and the reopening of the golf course, I’m sure many of us have been interested in what hitting the links might hold for us seasoned golfers; however, this is a sport I would encourage anyone and everyone to try out. This past year as a high school junior, I decided to take on a new endeavor: competitive girls’ golf. I, like many others, was almost completely new to this, but through the experience of summer leagues and the fall NSAA sport, I grew to love the game and the people I played it with.
Among dozens of recreational and competitive activities, golf stands out as one of the best of the best. This lifelong sport is not only a fun self-paced pastime with many variations but also a strategic game to get the lowest score.
Compared to other sports, such as volleyball or football, golf’s longevity is impressive. Whereas these other sports with taxing physical activity like running or jumping may eventually take their toll on the body, golf is less demanding, with only a few simple motions used consistently throughout the game: swinging, chipping, and putting. These motions are completely safe for anyone of any age using proper technique. Golf is widely considered one of the few “lifelong” sports as it can be intense exercise with all the swinging for the youngins while also being a self-paced pastime for golfers later in life. One word of advice, though: if you are interested in continuing golf long-term, I would not recommend taking a tumble or two off the back of a moving golfcart.
Even for those not interested in fierce competition, golf can be a fun outing sport—not just in its normal 9 or 18-hole format—played at the golfer’s own pace. Many golfers are familiar with playing the game stroke by stroke; however, there is a whole other world of possibilities: mini golf, scramble, best ball, and many others.
For the more casual, and sometimes younger, golfers, mini golf, or “putt-putt golf”, is a fun-sized game, as the name suggests, that can be enjoyed by all age groups. For more traditional golfers, exciting variations may include scramble or best ball play, which are similar in many aspects. Whereas a team of scramblers choose the best ball position and all play from that chosen spot each stroke, best ball players play the hole individually and choose the best score for that hole. Regardless, the possibilities are endless as golf may be modified in any way that the player chooses to have their fun!
When it comes to serious competition, though, those rules set by the hosting organization, be it the NSAA or otherwise, are unwavering. I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Northeast Nebraska Junior Golf Tour, or NENJGT, in the summer of 2024. It was a grueling introduction to competitive golf as I sort of jumped into the deep end of 18 holes with little to no prior practice. I had only played golf a handful of times with my amazing family and grandparents before—walking 18 holes was certainly not something I was accustomed to. Despite that, I persisted and gained some more experience and a newfound love that carried me through the fall NSAA season with the Clarkson-Leigh lady golfers, where I had the chance to make memories with some new buddies, some old buddies, and some wonderful coaches. Competition-wise, I was nothing special. Still, I tried my best everyday out on the course to get my lowest score and shared some great moments along the way. It was a great beginning to the sport, though anyone young or old is welcome to hit some links whenever and at whatever pace they please.