So, you love golf. That’s not really surprising, as it’s a game that’s played all over the world. In the US alone, there were at least 24 million golfer players in 2019. It’s estimated that more than 60 million people play golf all over the world. 

If you love golf, then you probably hang around with other golf players too. But it’s inevitable that you’ll find people who object to golf, for one reason or another. That’s not saying these are good reasons, but you should know how to readily counter them, just to shut them up. 

Here are the most common complaints that regular come up against golf. 

It’s Elitist

It’s true that historically, it’s a game for white men. It’s only recently that many of the most famous golf club associations in the world allowed female or non-white members. That’s a problem, but at least it’s a problem that’s being addressed. It won’t be long before Tiger Woods won’t be the only black player that most people know about. 

But some people still say that it’s an expensive game, and thus only for ridiculously rich people. From a certain point of view, it’s true that the cost of playing golf can be much higher than playing another sport, like basketball. Basketball needs only a ball, and most towns have a park with a basketball court. 

With golf, you have green fees to consider, which may cost more than your average movie. If you purchase a membership, the costs get higher. Some people may not appreciate having to pay a couple of thousand dollars for a golf membership. 

Then when you consider buying your own golf clubs, you can add another thousand bucks. That is, if you’re going for a custom set. 

But in the end, plenty of people can afford to play golf regularly. They may play once a week, or even once a month. It does help that some golf courses are more expensive to play in. Bighorn, for example, requires an initiation fee of $110,000 and annual dues of $6,500. 

Other places do cost a lot less, and that’s true for most golf courses around the world. In fact, the median cost for a public golf course is $36—and that includes the cart. Now if you think $36 is too expensive for you, then you have more important problems than to gripe about golf. 

It’s Too Difficult

This is the favorite complaint of those who have tried to play golf and have failed spectacularly. Maybe they saw a golf tournament at a sports channel, and figured that they can do the same things. Or perhaps they excelled at golf—when playing video games. 

However, it literally is not as easy as it looks. It’s like any other skill. That means you need to practice in order to get better. You won’t be getting birdies for each hole, regardless of how well you played on your computer. 

If you hear some complain about the difficulty of golf, feel free to mock them for their ineptitude and lack of determination. It only shows that they don’t have the character to get better at it. 

The Game Goes for Too Long

Granted, it may take up to 5 hours to finish a round of 18 holes. That’s an interminably long time, but only if you hate the game. After all, if you’re doing something you hate, you want it over as quickly as possible. The same goes if you’re only watching the game on TV. 

But 5 hours is par for the course, if you’ll pardon the pun. And if you enjoy the game, it’s time well-spent. It’s loke going on a fantastic first date, starting at 8pm. If it goes well past midnight, then you both had fun. 

It’s Too Boring to Watch

Well, there’s a certain truth in this grip. Golf is a game that’s not really as much fun for spectators as it is for players. There’s not much exciting action going on, unlike basketball or football (both the American version and “soccer”). 

That’s why it’s hard to convince non-golf-fan buddies to come with me to watch golf tournaments on TV. They would rather just watch the tournament highlights after everything that’s said and done. Admittedly, a half-hour high light show does make more sense for non-golf fans. 

But if you’re a fan of golf? Well, it’s time well-spent. Just tell the gripers that it’s the same thing as watching ballet if you’re not a ballet fan. Different strokes for different folks. 

It’s Stupid

Some people find it foolish to chase after a ball for miles and try to get it into various holes. On the face of it, it does seem foolish. 

But you can hardly find another sport that won’t seem foolish, especially another ball game. These ball games usually involve getting the ball wherever you want to put it. By that POV, every ball game is stupid!