Golf is a popular pastime for many active seniors. This is a sport commonly associated with retirement. How often would you have heard someone say “when I retire, I’m going to learn how to play golf”? How often have you considered it? Well, your time is here. Now, you have time to do what you have always wished to be doing. Let’s play golf and enjoy the putting green, the fresh air, the companionship of your golf buddy and of course the mild but significant exercise your body will get from this sport.
Benefits of Playing Golf
Many people may not see golf as a healthy sport, but it certainly is. “What exercise do you get out of it?” you may ask… Well, guess what, golf is one of the best low-risk activities for seniors. There is no strenuous activity involved and the pace is not too stressful. In addition, golf means walking from one area of the course to the other. Walking is an excellent low-impact exercise, especially beneficial for active adults. Walking improves your blood circulation and strengthens the knees, a common area of weakness for many seniors. Furthermore, the twisting and swinging of the body when swinging the golf club and teeing off can also keep your body flexible and limber. Golf is also a good mental exercise and good to keep our brain cells stimulated. It is no secret that mental health begins decreasing with age. However, you can improve your mental sharpness and concentration powers with a regular game of golf. The best news of all, golf is fun and gives you an excuse to mingle and chat with others. Such social interactions will surely set your brain chemicals such as Serotonin and Dopamine flowing and improve your moods and wellbeing.
Where to Play Golf
Where you can play golf depends on where you live. For example, you can join your neighborhood, community club golf course or a private, exclusive club for golfing. There are some great public golf courses, which include Pebble Beach, California, Pacific Dunes, Oregon, Shadow Creek, North Las Vegas, Whistling Straits, Wisconsin and the Ocean Course in South Carolina. Some of the best private golf communities include the Boulders in Arizona, Yellowstone Club in Montana, Sandestin, Florida and Red Sky Ranch, Colorado. There are more than 15,000 golf courses open to you in most of the states. These also include resort-style courses and semi-private courses too.
Active Adult Communities and Golf Courses
The best way of playing golf and enjoying the company of people your age is to live in an active adult community. Many active adult communities feature golf courses. These are beautifully appointed by well-known designers with the right number of obstacle courses and links, a perfect green, waste areas and holes. The best news is that these golf courses are available to you at any time. Whenever you feel like teeing off, gather a few friends, and walk down to the clubhouse for your golf gear and you are good to go. If interested in moving into an active adult community that supports a golfing lifestyle, below are some of the best-golfing communities to choose from.
- Trilogy at Verde River by Shea Homes – Rio Verde, AZ
- Trilogy at Redmond Ridge – Redmond, WA
- Peninsula Lakes by Schell Brothers – Millsboro, DE
- Solera Chandler by Del Webb – Chandler, AZ
- Robson Ranch – Denton, TX
- Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation – Wilmington, NC
- Heritage Shores – Bridgeville, DE
- Heritage Ranch – Fairview, TX
- Heather Gardens – Aurora, CO
- Frisco Lakes – Frisco, TX
- Brunswick Forest – Wilmington, NC
- Bayside Fenwick Island by Schell Brothers – Selbyville, DE
Now, if we have convinced you of how good a game of golf is for you, many more golfing communities can be found by browsing our website ActiveAdultLiving.com where over 8,500 retirement communities are listed and 1,184 of them are good for a round of golf!
