| By :
Mark Jenner
When you retire it is often a good idea to have started a hobby or pastime that interests you. You will hopefully enjoy many years after work and the last thing you want is to become bored. It can help with your enjoyment if you become proficient in your new pursuit before you actually retire. There are of course many hundreds of different hobbies and pastimes that you could pursue, and you probably will want to try out a few new ideas. However, having a sport or hobby that you have been good at and can look forward to devoting more time than you have been able to when working is one of the good reasons for retirement. Fishing and golf are both sometimes recommended because they will certainly get you out and about. Golf appears on the face of it to be the better choice in this respect as it requires the participant to walk around a golf course at least getting fresh air and exercise, whereas the impression of a fisherman is often sitting by the lakeside bored, which is not so attractive. This is not the case, a round of golf does require a reasonable walk of perhaps two miles or so when playing a round of eighteen holes. It is better exercise than none at all, but hardly as good even as walking the dog. On the other hand, walking a river while stalking an elusive fishy quarry can demand walks of many miles. Therefore, it is no good trying to judge the relative merits of either golf or angling by the amount of exercise either provides during your old age. Next to consider is the stress or effort needed to take part in each. It will all depend on the locations visited and the approaches taken. Golf can sometimes be a casual amble round a pleasant extended garden, with a flurry of effort every now and again when the ball is hit. This is a stress point at which many people have been known to suffer heart attacks - and if you are fortunate enough to manage to make it round the course, then a regular couple of alcoholic drinks at the nineteenth hole will not improve your fitness. Again the criticism of golf in favour of fishing must be tempered. If your choice is spending long periods by the water, and then get a sudden huge unexpected bite, this can be just as stressful! The question of how alert golf will keep your mind can be asked. There is not much thought process that goes into a round of golf - but a lively conversation with your partners will be stimulating. Going fishing means you will probably be alone, with the contents of your tackle box to keep your mind active. Finally, there is the cost of each to consider. You will have finished work and be living on savings and pension. In this case you might be looking for a sport that is reasonable in cost. Golf can be expensive if you join the top club, buy top branded carbon fibre and titanium equipment and play several times a week. However, a modest set of clubs need not cost a lot and you can always play at a "pay per game" local club. Fishing is the same, some venues are expensive and some very good ones reasonable. Some anglers spend huge sums on shiny new fishing tackle costing every bit as much as top of the range golf clubs, whereas some are happy with budget models that will cope with everything their expensive rivals can. The choice is yours alone in both hobbies. There does not appear to be anything to choose between golf and fishing as a retirement sport. It will be governed by your view of chasing a little ball along the grass with a stick or sitting for hours beside the local village pond. On the other hand you might seek the social aspects of golf while visiting different stunning courses around the country - or chase after elusive monster fish in spectacular foreign environments. It is what you get out of the one or the other that is important.
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