Study reveals golf among sports people play longest

A new study has revealed the sports that people stick at the longest, with golf coming in third place.

The research, which surveyed 6,435 different people, was carried out by GolfSupport.com in a bid to discover what sports were most likely to keep its participants engaged.

Those who took part were asked which sports they have taken up in the past and for how many weeks they maintained training.

Experts at GolfSupport.com advise that when taking on a new sport, you should train three times a week for six months (26 weeks) in order to reach an amateur level.

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The research revealed that yoga is the sport people are most likely to stick to the longest. It is believed this is because the relaxation and self-reflection reached through training has made yoga notoriously good for both your mental and physical wellbeing.

In second place is football. Its global popularity and team spirit means first-time players commonly surpass amateur status, spending an average of 39 weeks dedicated to the sport, 13 weeks longer than estimated to complete amateur training (150%).

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Following on from football is golf, with new learners training for an average of 37 weeks, exceeding their amateur training by 42%. Golf is followed by tennis, netball and ice-skating with new learners exceeding amateur training by an average of 34%.

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GolfSupport.com also found that 61% of people give up on a sport before amateur status. Of those, 33% claim a lack of motivation is the primary reason, whilst 25% feel they do not have the time to maintain training.

However, of the 39% who stick to sports, they admitted to feeling motivated by increasing their fitness (39%) and the enjoyment of training (31%), whilst 22% aspire to compete.

This study was carried out by www.golfsupport.com.