LEGENDARY golf coach Charlie Earp believes golf is the greatest game of all and he’s been preaching his belief for decades.
“My argument goes back 20 years when people said, ‘look at all these footballers, cricketers, jockeys, tennis, soccer and AFL players who are all playing golf’,” Charlie said.
“They are all playing golf for relaxation – male and female.
“They want to get the cobwebs out of their brain and go and have a round of golf. Have a look and see how many footballers are playing golf.”
Charlie told Inside Golf he once debated a doctor about the benefits of playing golf.
“He used to say to me, ‘Charles, swimming is the best exercise you can have’,” Charlie said.
“He told me that while I was giving him a lesson and I told him I disagree to a degree.
“I said ‘golf is the best exercise because you spend four or five hours exercising every muscle in your body and exercising your brain as you try to find another way to stuff up the shot’,” Charlie laughed.
“So, I got the point across to him that golf was the best form of exercise.
“And it is because if you are having a bad day then you are getting more exercise than anybody else.”
Earp believes “golf is going pretty good in the world right now”.
“You see it a lot more on TV and people are advertising their products a lot more,” he said.
“We (golfing bodies) should get on board and promote our game to people who play other sports.”
Chief writer David Newbery has been living, breathing and writing and editing golf for more than 30 years. His extensive knowledge of the game comes from covering golf around the world. Hired by Inside Golf in 2009, David previously worked as the editor of The Golfer for 25 years and before that worked for numerous daily newspapers in Australia and overseas. The Brisbane-based journalist describes his golf game as “a work in progress”, but has had the privilege of playing golf with some of the game’s best players including nine-time major winner Gary Player. David enjoys travelling, reading, music, photography and spending time with family and friends – on and off the golf course. 
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