By Matthew Sakey

Did you know that “golf” is one of the most common keyword searches on Match.com? It would seem that this game of nobles has found its way into the world of relationships, and people are interested in finding love somewhere on the putting green.

In a way this makes a lot of sense. Golf is an expensive hobby, it takes a good amount of time to play, lots of practice is necessary to get good at it and it is sometimes regarded with disdain by non-golf lovers. A golf lover looking for a long-term relationship would have good reason to steer clear of golf haters. It’s hard to justify an $800 set of graphite clubs to someone who not only doesn’t play the game but doesn’t understand why you do. Not to mention the fact that the amount of time spent perfecting your swing is time spent away from your partner if he or she doesn’t share your fascination with the game. Due consideration makes it pretty clear why golf lovers would look for similar qualities in potential partners, if only to offset the possibility of problems down the line.[$MSN.ARTICLE.CTALINKS$]As people move away from the classic “dinner and a movie” date, it becomes necessary to come up with increasingly creative activities in order to spend time with your partner. The old dinner and movie standby minimizes the chance for you to get to know each other, because your mouth is full of food half the time and you have to be quiet the other half. Golf, on the other hand, is a great date idea, assuming you’re both interested in the sport. Two complete beginners can have almost as much fun as two pros on the fairway, because you can slice away to your collective hearts’ content without fear of your date thinking you’re a loser.

Golf can also be an excellent environment for various psychological tests that you may wish to perform. Lots of golfers throw spectacularly purple tantrums when they slice into the woods, and you can use a game of golf to test the length of your date’s fuse. Just be sure that you behave yourself, because he or she might be doing the same to you.

It goes farther than that, too: want to see if your date is lazy? Check out the “cart vs. walking” test. Cheap? Evaluate the rare element content of the clubs. Dishonest? Note the ball he or she uses and see if they stick with it throughout the game. Nearsighted? Measure the relative distance from the hole that each shot achieves.

For whatever reason, golf is just not for everyone, and someone looking for a partner with which to share their passions would do well to play the golf card early. You don’t have to play together every other day, and it’s not true that everyone who doesn’t play golf hates it. But considering the amount of joy it ignites in those who truly love the game, checking your potential partner’s feelings on the subject makes a lot of sense.