Golfing has been a wildly popular pastime since the 15th century. It requires three things: a ball, a club, and a green. In the past months, there has been an uptick in talk about golf throughout the halls of Octavia and Broadway, not only from players with years of experience but also from brand-new players. Junior Ryder Anderson, a golfer with 10 years of experience, recounted, “Yeah, just this weekend I taught Chris, Luca, and Ethan how to play.” This sport has been especially popular with Juniors. Talks of weekend trips to the links are heard throughout the halls, and trips to the driving range after school are being planned days in advance. It would be an understatement to say that golf is getting a little more popular.

But why does golf have people coming in droves? Ryder said, “It is a communal sport and brings people together,” which makes sense because it takes a long time to play golf. The time away from technology could be a reason people are back to playing golf. Sure, you could say that about any sport, but golf has a key advantage—time. Golf takes a very long time. Walking around for four hours with nothing else to do but hit balls causes people to do something that is less common in this digital age: talk. There is nothing to do but talk.

Another thing making Stuart Hall students take up golf is the non-competitive environment. The consensus from Stuart Hall students is that they are not playing golf to compete against each other; they play golf to be with each other. Nico, a Junior, right before leaving to go play golf at the Olympic Club, said, “I love golf because of the community.” And that’s the thing about golf—community. Communities bring people from all walks of life together for a common goal: hitting the links with the boys.

So, is golf just a fad, or is it going to stick? Nico said, “People who are learning golf are learning a lifetime skill.” Having a community that lasts you a lifetime keeps people coming back to golf.

Roll Hall.