By James Stones
Have you found the perfect gift for Father's day just yet? In a recent post on Proozy, we compiled a short list of gift ideas that won't force you to spend too much. Knowing that the U.S. Open concludes on the same day as Father's Day each year, we thought we'd talk about what golf might mean for the man in our lives.
Much is said about how being a father limits a lot of the activities that men used to enjoy before they started a family. An article by Forbes magazine even claims that fatherhood is "killing" the sport.
Fathers and golf
The relationship between family and golf, however, may not be as bad as it might appear. After all, we're looking forward to the U.S. Open this year on the same day as Father's Day.
The tournament isn't alone in celebrating fatherhood. Another golf event, the PNC Father-Son Challenge, which takes place in Orlando towards the end of each year, shines the spotlight on this important aspiration for men.
Golf website Play Your Course states that this event, held annually at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Resort, gathers former players of the PGA Tour who have won a Major or a Players Championship.
And while not a lot of people can play at the level that they witness in this event (not to mention the luxury of playing such a beautiful course!), one thing they can and do is enjoy the way it underscores the more universal pleasures of golf, along with the rewards of fatherhood.
Finding the balance
As this article on Golfwrx emphasizes, beyond making shots or putts, golf is about making the time—especially after men start their own families.
This fact makes the game even more rewarding. Rather than being held back by family obligations, the occasional Saturday or Sunday at the local course becomes a way for dad to keep fit and sane. Furthermore, rather than seeing it as a sacrifice or just another goal or task to accomplish, golf becomes a chance to reconnect with friends and with nature.
“If I never played golf,” the insightful Golfwrx piece quotes a family man, “my wife would probably be happier. Would definitely be happier. But I wouldn’t be."
Golf and children
As children grow up, golf can be a way to mix things up in terms of ways to bond. This doesn't mean that parents have to set their sights on training their children to be future champions, (although there's nothing wrong with that!).
There simply is so much to gain from exploring beautiful environments with the little ones, especially when work eats up so much time and even valuable weekends are spent watching television screens.
The sport may not be the cheapest way to go about doing this, but it might just be an investment that's worth making, as this New York Times piece emphasizes. Considering how perceptive children can be, having the kids around your golf club when they're old enough can bridge gaps in their understanding about what their folks are up to during their time away from the home.
And if the father's lucky, the kids might get into the game, too.