The one thing I can say without any hesitation…Out of Town Golf Vacations are worth every dime! It is not just the getting away to play golf it is the…Getting Away…that makes golf vacation worth taking.
Air Travel Sucks!
First of all, getting away from the drudgery of solving business problems…including my own… is a good thing to do anytime, but when golf is added to the mix it provides reason for going through the madness associated travelling across the country.
Yes, the current TSA issues are a hassle to air travel..especially if you are lugging a full set of golf clubs…make that two sets of golf clubs since my wife plays golf as well. However, knowing you are going to take 6 days away from sitting in front of a computer 12 hours each day and then meeting with clients around the clock discussing how the dark side of today’s economy is whittling away at their viable business plans, can get the excitement flowing towards tolerating the demeaning security hassles at airports. I’ll take a TSA gang bang pubic pat-down anytime if it would keep me from sitting with a client in his attorney’s office going through his bankruptcy proceedings.
Mental Health of Golfers
But enough of all the rationalization for taking a week long golf vacation out of town. I want to talk about how playing golf away from home is the best mental health program. Bar none, golf is the best therapy anyone can take. Yes, even those of us who really suck at playing golf can benefit from golf’s therapeutic values since the first thing golf does is takes your mind off other things.
Yes, there is that temptation of when you are out of town to take along the smart devices that keep you in touch with the working world. However, I suggest that you take the opportunity to forget the working world for the 4 hours each day you are on the golf course. Yes, try it! It really works to clear your head. Of course, if you ran away from an unresolved problem in the workplace to go on a golf vacation you probably use that extra four hours away from it before you have to face it down again after golf. Nonetheless, that four hours of chasing a little white ball around the lovely landscaped golf course is really enough time to place your mental state in a better place. Add doing that 5 straight days! Its is less painful than it sounds.
Enough is Really Enough!
I know!?! Some of you are the high strung ‘A’ Type personalities who have problems with not being Seen or Heard every minute of the day. So how does a week away from being #1 in the workplace work for you?
DUH! You are what ‘out of town golf vacation’ are made for. How do I know??? I run into you guys and gals every time I go out of town to play golf and what do I see? You standing on the side of every teebox, fairway and green of the entire 18 holes of golf talking to someone about something only YOU feel is important. If there is ANYONE who needs to invest into their mental health it those people who just can’t let go. But enough of my rant.
It is encouraging to see there are not that many of the high strung business people out on the golf courses around popular golf vacation spots. Not having to deal with ‘stress-makers’ really lets those of us who make long term plans for their golf vacations really layback and relax…like a golf vacation is all about.
More Than Just Golf
Yes, I know, it is hard for me..a career golf addict…to say…there is more to an out of town golf vacation than playing golf. However, there really is more to getting out of town to play golf than just the golf.
There is the adventure of doing things before and after golf that is WAY out of the daily routine back home. Finding a place to eat in a strange community can become an excellent diversion from thinking about the work piling up back at the office.
Shopping..yes, you do not go on a golf vacation with your wife who also plays golf without..SHOPPING. The experience of traipsing around shopping centers you have never been to can also be therapeutic. Especially, if you run into another mild mannered fellow-golfer who is also from out of town to play golf standing around while his wife is milling through the 80% OFF sales racks of every store in town. Comparing notes with other golf traveler is a great distraction.
Anything you see or do during your out of town golf vacation can be something that takes you away from the stress that is part of running a business. Watching Local Television Stations and seeing how strange the on-air personalities who do the weather look can sometimes be worth writing home about. Reading the Local Newspaper to see how the community differs from yours can be very entertaining. Even driving down residential streets looking at the different styles of homes can take your mind off everything.
Good Side to Travel
It all adds up. When you take a look at the amount of time you spend from the arrival airport to your return to the airport you will find you have taken a HUGE break in the drudgery routines of work. That amount of time… which I guarantee totals to dozens of hours over a week… is better than… and a lot less expensive than… the trip to the hospital, therapist or worse that each of us are destine if we don’t get far away from the source of the pending health programs related to the stress this failed economy has produced.
Hell yaw golf travel today is expensive. But so is your health care plan. There are ways to reduce the costs of golf travel if you make long term plans. Plus, the long period of time from when you decide to take a golf trip out of town can start the process of knowing there is a time when you are able to get away from the ball-n-chain of business.
How do I know all this works? Well, I just got back from a week long golf vacation to one of my favorite golfing playgrounds. I took a 6 day break resulting in me returning with a clearer mental state and more positive attitude towards the negatives of the business world’s problems. Whatever that week cost me was worth every friggin dime. I suggest you try it..I am sure you get the same results.
Let me know how I can help.
I could not agree more. I have been an avid golf my whole life and when ever i find myself stressed out or just breaking down golf has always helped me through. The best times in my life where vacations down to Florida with my father to play and get lessons. Its funny how so many people get so angry at a sport that brings so much mental relief, if one was to just play the game instead of having the game play you, one might enjoy themselves a little bit more.