Older Golfers: Serious Leisure and Successful Aging

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the premise that serious leisure supports successful aging (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). Older golfers were studied because golf is popular with older adults, and its characteristics suggest it has potential to contribute to successful aging and that it is well suited for serious leisure. In-depth interviews were used to assess subjects' (n = 19) seriousness about golf and its contribution to successful aging. Golfers (8 males, 11 females) ranged in age from 67 to 87 (x=77). Analysis revealed four types of golfers with varying degrees of seriousness (Stebbins, 1992) about golf. Core devotees viewed golf as a central focus of their lives. Moderate devotees emphasized their enjoyment of golf and all it involved. Social golfers viewed golf's primary role as providing a framework for meeting people and interacting with friends. Golf as therapy players felt golf helped them cope with physical and emotional challenges. Core devotees were more able to identify specific contributions of golf to successful aging. As the degree of seriousness about golf decreased, golf's contribution to successful aging also seemed to decrease. This suggests that serious leisure activities, particularly those with physical and cognitive requirements, contribute to successful aging.

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