GOLF
Fore-get STRESS
BY BYRON LUKAS
YOU ARRIVE FOR RELAXATION, MISS YOUR FIRST SHOT, AND SUDDENLY GOLF FEELS LIKE A MENTAL WORKOUT. THESE SERENE SOUTH AFRICAN COURSES HELP BEGINNERS BREATHE, RESET AND ENJOY THE GAME’ S QUIRKS.
You’ ve swapped your yoga mat for a nine-iron, expecting a calming activity. After your first tee shot almost hit a duck, you realised golf demands more focus than yoga.
Golf challenges your inner peace. The course doesn’ t care about your new gloves, careful setup, or hopeful thoughts. It always finds a way to humble you. That’ s its appeal.
When you’ re standing on the first tee, it’ s not just you versus the ball; it’ s you versus yourself. Every poor swing teaches patience. Every bunker demands surrender. And every perfect putt feels like a celestial reward for not hurling your club into the nearest dam.
Golf also teaches humility. Every mis-hit is an opportunity to laugh at oneself, enjoy a drink, and try again.
And the social side? Golf is oddly bonding. There’ s something about collectively losing balls, counting strokes, and apologising to sand traps that makes strangers feel like lifelong friends. By the end of the round, you may not have a low score, but you’ ll have mastered the art of patience – or at least the art of pretending you did.
SOUTH AFRICA’ S SERENE BEGINNER COURSES
• Arabella Country Estate( Western Cape) – Where the Kogelberg Mountains and Bot River Lagoon remind you that even when you’ re + 12 over par, life remains beautiful.
• Leopard Creek( Mpumalanga) – Bordering Kruger National Park, you might spot elephants mid-swing. That’ s nature’ s way of saying“ calm down.”
• Highland Gate( Dullstroom) – Thin air, wide fairways, and no city noise. It’ s the essence of golf therapy.
Next time you step onto the green, treat golf as your moving meditation or with a touch of swearing. Because in golf, just like in life, the true victory is maintaining calm amidst the chaos. IB
BEGINNER’ S ZEN GOLF TIPS
Don’ t rush your swing: golf isn’ t a race; it’ s a slow dance. Keep snacks in your bag: A hanger ruins focus. Play with patient people( or those with noisecancelling earpods). Remember every golfer once flopped it in front of someone important. Smile, breathe, and blame the wind.
42 INBOUND SA / DECEMBER 2025