I’VE spent some time over the last few months taking lessons in a sport that I would never have paid much interest to, even as little as 12 months ago.

However, after playing a few social games of golf during my time in Australia and two or three since my return home, I’ve really started to enjoy what some people refer to as a good walk spoiled.

And despite a few small-minded people telling me that golf stands for gentlemen only, ladies forbidden, I’ve continue to play and practice this traditionally old man’s sport.

The reasons behind my golf lessons are simply to learn how to hold the iron, how to hit the ball throughout the course and how to ‘drive’ it and be able to play a good round of golf while not embarrassing myself too much.

I love the outdoors and I find golf is a good, active way to spend a Saturday with your friends.
From my first lesson I soon realised that golf is not just about walking around acres and acres of land for a couple of hours, it requires strength, balance and concentration.

Professional golfers need to be in good shape to continue to improve their strength to hit the ball.
I follow golfing star Rory McIlroy on different social media sites and if he’s not uploading pictures of him on the course, he always appears to be in the gym.

When swinging the iron to hit the ball you use your core muscles to help with both balance and strength, and this continuous movement of your core will help the muscles in your stomach.

The correct position of your body and arm movements during golf is not easy and I often find that the next day my shoulders, upper arms and back are sore and feels like I’ve been through a work-out.

Exercises are always about challenging your body and not letting your muscles become used to a particular weight or motion as this won’t help you improve.

This is particularly true for golf as your body, especially the arms, are put through a motion that doesn’t feel either comfortable or natural.

When you hit the golf ball you are twisting your spine and this will help the flexibility of the spine and increase your heart rate.

It’s all about control and the ability to keep your head and core steady and pointing in the same direction while your arms and legs are doing something completely different.

The long, sweeping golf course dotted with hills and bunkers will burn calories and you will barely feel it.

Sometimes two or three hours on the course will be better spent than 45 minutes of gym exercises and it’s a chance to catch up with friends too and get some fresh air.

But, it can be an expensive sport to start out with because there’s a lot of equipment and specific clothing involved, so instead I borrowed a few irons and spent very little on golf shoes and trousers in case it doesn’t go to plan.