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I have played golf since I was a little girl. It started out as a much hated activity, (I’d much rather go riding my horse than go golfing with my grandparents) but it soon became a way of life, and a sole provider to my college education through a 100% scholarship and a degree from NCAA school in the U.S.
I guess I have to admit that my mom did a good thing forcing me out on the course when I was little, the game of golf has made me what I am today. Not bad for an activity that many won’t even call a real sport!

Sport or hobby?

Well, there are many different views on whether or not golf is a sport or just a hobby? I definitely think it’s a sport, but others say that since it takes no real athletic preparation to play, that you play against a course and not against other players, and since you don’t have to carry your own gear, it is not to be called a sport, but just a hobby. Whatever the answer to this question is, nobody can argue with the many great benefits the game of golf brings.

Let me talk about a few of them:

You play outdoors. That’s awesome. Golf courses stretch over large pieces of land, from 5 acres and up, often a lot more, and as the maintenance on a golf course is pretty strict, the setting and the landscape is pretty astonishing most of the time. You get great exercise (if you choose to walk around the course that is :) )and tons of fresh air, and what can be better than that?

You get to move all of your body. Even if you don’t need much of an athletic preparation you still need to get around the course on your own two feet, pulling, or carrying your golf bag. If you’re not a top notch player (most of us are not :)) you don’t get to walk around the course with a caddie (the assistant who carries the equipment), actually it’s not even allowed. And as a large majority of golfers tend to zig-zag their way from tee to green, the distances covered are pretty surprising! Even if you don’t have to run or anything, adding up weather condition and the duration of play, it’s still a pretty good work out.

Anyone can play the game, AND compete against each other. I’m pretty sure that in no other sport (and yes, I call it a sport) is it possible to compete on equal terms; men vs. women, young vs. old, even golfers of vastly different skill levels can compete against each other.  A “handicap”  is a numerical measure of a golfer’s potential ability, and with this, internationally established system, a less skilled golfer, with a higher number handicap, can play against a more experienced golfer, with a lower number handicap, on equal terms. The handicap system works the same way for all players, not depending on gender, age or other. In fact, when I first started out, I used to play against my granddad, and he was at the time a much better golfer than I, and it was always a fair game. We’d play for an ice cream or maybe a soft drink in the club house, and strangely enough, I always won! My granddad was a smart man, he still is to this day, he figured out pretty quickly what was needed to keep me playing.

Golfing in Emilia Romagna

In the year 2000 I was working as a teaching professional and I brought groups of Swedish golfers to Cervia/Milano Marittima. I fell in love, with the town, the people, and my future husband, and I moved here a few months after my first work season had ended.

I hardly ever play golf anymore. In fact, golf has returned to being an activity that I’m forced to do; my mother still greatly enjoys the game and she forces me to take her golfing at least once every time she visits. We’re lucky though, in the Romagna region there are several great golf courses within a short driving distance.

If you are one of the 70 million golfers in the world, you should come and visit the Adriatic coast and the Romagna Riviera. The Batani Select Hotels will be the perfect place for your stay, and you’ll get reduced greenfee on all of the courses, they will help you book tee times and plan your itinerary, always with a smile and with the well-known hospitality that we’re known for.

See you on 1st tee. Rip it and grip it!

Maria Eklof Borjesson
ex. Pro golfer and teaching pro from Sweden
Employee Batani Select Hotels