Are You a Golf Addict?

To see if you are golf addict, Chaytor Mason, a psychologist at USC, suggests you ask yourself the following:

1. Is golf affecting relationships with your spouse, lover, children, co-workers?

2. Is it affecting your job? Money situation?

If so, Mason recommends:

* Addressing underlying personality problems in therapy or in a 12-step program similar to treatment for alcoholics.

* Eliminating or moderating golf in your life and beginning to focus on your feelings and your reasons for playing.

“To my knowledge, there is currently no 12-step group for golfers, but rest assured there will be,” he says. “Support groups do offer a new beginning. People find out they are not alone. They learn to love themselves through the love they receive from other members. And they learn to give up their addictive behavior.”