Golf

Golf works well for conversation because it brings up experiences, opinions, and cultural differences around the sport. These questions range from basic experiences and preferences to bigger debates about accessibility, etiquette, and whether golf deserves its reputation as a slow game for business people.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. Have you ever played golf on a real golf course? Tell me about it.
2. Have you ever been to a driving range? Was it fun?
3. Does your country have putt putt or miniature golf? Have you ever tried it?
4. How many famous golfers do you know?
5. Who in your family loves golf the most?
6. Do you know how to play golf? What do you know about it?
7. Where can people play golf in your city or country? Do you see golf courses often?
8. Is golf popular in your country? What sports are more popular?
9. What country is most famous for golf? What do you know about golf there?
10. What do you need to play golf? (Balls, clubs, shoes, etc.)

Elementary (A2)

1. Have you ever watched golf on TV? What did you think of it?
2. Is playing golf a part of doing business in your country? If so, what do you think about that?
3. What do you wear when you play sports or go outside? How is it different from golf clothes?
4. What is the most beautiful golf course you have ever seen, even in a photo or on TV?
5. Do you prefer playing sports alone or with a group? What do you like about that?
6. Have you ever tried a sport that was harder than you expected? Tell me about it.
7. Have you ever hit a hole in one or seen someone do it? What happened?
8. Have you ever tried to learn a sport by watching videos? How did it work?
9. What is the most expensive sport to play? Why does it cost so much?
10. Have you ever gone to a sports event where you had to be very quiet? What was it like?

Intermediate (B1)

1. What do you think about golf being in the Olympics?
2. Do you think golf is a rich person’s game or is it open to everyone?
3. What would make golf more exciting to play or watch?
4. What’s the hardest part of golf? What do you think?
5. Why do you think golf is so popular with older people?
6. Do you think golf is harder than other sports? Why?
7. What skills do you need to be good at golf? Which one is the most important?
8. Do you prefer fast sports or slow sports? Why?
9. What sport would you like to try that you have never played before? Why that one?
10. Are golf lessons worth the money? When are they worth it?
11. Should professional golfers be allowed to use caddies in tournaments? Why or why not?
12. If you could design your own golf course, what would make it special?
13. What’s more important in golf: natural talent or lots of practice? Why do you think so?
14. Should children learn golf in school? Why or why not?
15. Do you think golf is a sport or just a hobby? What is the difference?
16. Some people say golf is boring to watch but fun to play. Do you agree? Why or why not?
17. Do you think sports that require expensive equipment should be more affordable? How could that happen?
18. If someone wanted to start playing golf, what advice would you give them?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. How has golf equipment changed over the last 20 years? What are the upsides and downsides of the new technology?
2. Golf courses use huge amounts of water and chemicals on their grass. What can be done to make golf more environmentally friendly?
3. How is the experience of playing at a cheap public course different from playing at an expensive private club?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of golf being such a slow-paced sport?
5. Compare how golf is portrayed in movies versus real life. What’s accurate and what’s exaggerated?
6. What challenges do women face in golf compared to men? What can be done to make the sport more equal?
7. What role does mental strength play in golf compared to physical skill? How much do they affect performance?
8. Compare how golf is viewed in different parts of the world. Why might the same sport have such different reputations?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of golf being a sport where players compete individually rather than as a team?
10. Some people argue that professional golfers are not real athletes. What are the strongest arguments on both sides?
11. Golf has a traditional image and changes slowly. Does this help preserve its identity, or does it push younger generations away?
12. Golf has traditionally been a sport where men, women, and different age groups play separately. How is this changing, and is that a good thing?
13. Tiger Woods changed golf by bringing in fans who had never watched the sport before. How much can a single person actually change the culture of an entire sport?
14. Golf is often described as relaxing, but professional golfers deal with extreme pressure. How does a sport manage to be both a casual hobby and a high-stress career at the same time?

Advanced (C1)

1. Golf etiquette emphasizes honor, self-policing, and unspoken rules. What does this tell us about the social class and trust assumptions built into the sport?
2. Why do so many business deals happen on a golf course instead of in an office? What does that tell us about how power and trust actually work?
3. Golf requires players to call penalties on themselves, even when no one is watching. What does this honor system reveal about how we think about cheating in sports versus in everyday life?
4. Some golf clubs that were once symbols of exclusion are now trying to become more diverse. Can an institution truly change its culture, or does the history always remain?
5. Golf courses take up large areas of land, often in cities where housing is scarce. When is it fair for a community to prioritize recreation over other needs, and who gets to make that decision?
6. In golf, slow and steady play is valued, but modern audiences want fast, exciting content. How are traditional sports adapting to shorter attention spans, and what do they lose in the process?
7. Many young people see golf as old-fashioned and out of touch, yet golf influencers and content creators are growing fast on social media. How does a sport reinvent its image for a new generation without losing what made it appealing in the first place?
8. In most sports, athletes come from all kinds of backgrounds, but golf champions have historically come from wealthy families with early access to courses and coaching. What does this say about how talent is discovered and developed in society — are we missing potential champions simply because they never got the chance to pick up a club?
9. Golf is one of the few sports where players of very different ages and ability levels can play together in the same game using a handicap system. Why haven’t more areas of life — like workplaces or schools — adopted similar systems to level the playing field between people with different advantages?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions