The many benefits of learning to play golf

It doesn’t show up on a resumé. You don’t even have to be good at it.

But if you know how to play golf, it can make a big difference in establishing a career.

Many college students are investing their time and money into learning the subtle sport of golf. They know businesses in the real world often promote golfing as a means to interact with clients and colleagues.

It’s certainly not a make-or-break factor in finding a job out of college, but golf can certainly provide opportunities to perform and network at a higher level than those competing with you.

“In business, golf is an essential tool,” said Brian Short, a golf instructor at Penn State University. “I have about 80 percent business students. I wouldn’t say it’s a disadvantage [not knowing how to golf], but it’s a great addition to what you’ve already learned.”

Michael Rosella, 54, is a corporate lawyer who graduated from Fordham School of Law. He works in New York City, and he often hits the course with his clients as a means of strengthening his relationship with them.

He also looks at golf as a way to enrich your life.

“It allows you to maintain a channel of activity to be passionate about,” Rosella said. “I believe personally that having passions in life outside your core profession is healthy. Golf provides a non-professional channel for me that I can be focused on that makes me happy, relaxed and a more balanced person.”

Some students start playing golf in their early childhood, which Short said better serves a golfer’s mechanics as they grow. He said the earlier you start, the easier it is to pick up.

However, he added that this should not deter prospective golfers in their 20s or older.

“Golf is a game you can play for the rest of your life,” Short said. “It’s a game of all ages.”

Short thinks golf’s target demographic has turned a corner in recent years. Younger players are taking center stage on the PGA Tour as well-known older players begin their decline. Six of the last eight major golf championship winners have been 30 or younger.

Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open in June 2011 at 22 -- millions of Americans his age were graduating around the same time.

McIlroy is a softspoken, confident golfer -- who also happens to be dating 21-year-old Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. His success on the golf course and his demeanor off it have helped to reclaim a younger audience.

But to become as good as McIlroy, it takes years of arduous training. And even then, there’s still room for improvement.

To become a capable golfer, Rosella said it doesn’t take nearly as long.

“And that doesn’t mean you have to belong to a country club,” he said. “You can go to a local driving range, where they also have putting areas and they offer lessons. You can even hone your swing and skills away from the golf course.”

Lessons with a professional are effective, but also expensive. There’s not much of a frugal solution to honing your mechanics other than to pile on the repetitions, meaning it's not unheard of to learn the sport without the help of a professional.

However, it is important to keep a realistic mindset in golf.

Most need months to attain the fundamentals and years to attain mediocrity, but proficiency isn’t a rule on the green when you’re with clients, co-workers or friends.

“It’s about patience,” Short said. “It’s one of the games you can never perfect.”

Dan Norton is a Summer 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.