Golf & Ballroom: More Alike Than You Think (And I’ve Got the Sore Muscles to Prove It)

So, I finally played my first 9-hole golf course. After weeks of hitting balls at the range—where I thought I was starting to look kind of decent—I waddled out onto an actual course full of hope, sunscreen, and snacks.

Let’s just say... it went eh. Like, I didn’t break any windows or throw a club (progress!), but I also didn’t set any records unless we’re counting “most time spent in the sand trap pretending I meant to do that.” But here’s the thing: despite my less-than-stellar performance, I loved it. And not just in a “well, that was a fun way to ruin a Fri

day” kind of way, but in the “this reminds me of something I already love” kind of way.

Golf is ballroom dance in disguise.

Hear me out. Both golf and ballroom are elegant, deceptively difficult, and require way more core strength than anyone warns you about. (Seriously, I sneezed two days later and almost collapsed.) They’re also both way more fun when you stop worrying about being perfect.

Just like when someone walks into a dance studio and thinks, “Oh, I’ll just learn a few steps and go to a social dance,” and then realizes there’s timing, posture, frame, and—oh yeah—a partner who also has opinions... golf seems simple. You hit a little ball into a hole. How hard can it be?

Spoiler: hard.

But here’s where both get really good: when you surrender to the process. When you find a coach who’s patient, encouraging, and doesn’t make you feel like a disaster when your swing looks like you’re swatting flies (or when you forget the difference between a box step and a chasse). When you show up again and again, knowing you’re not great yet, but you’re getting there.

Both teach you about patience. About humility. About laughing at yourself and high-fiving small victories (like landing a 3-foot putt or nailing your first underarm turn without stepping on someone’s toes).

And most importantly—they’re both fun. Fun in that “oh wow, I can actually do this!” way. Fun in the “my brain forgot about everything else for an hour” way.

So yes, I was humbly humbled by my first day on the course. But just like in dance, I didn’t start because I was good—I started because I wanted to learn something new, challenge myself, and maybe have a few laughs along the way.

Besides, at least in golf no one’s trying to spin me in heels while I’m holding a 7-iron.

Come dance with me at Real World Ballroom—where we believe fun beats perfect every time.