Health benefits of golf

Víctor Sanchez

Health benefits of golf

It’s difficult to find a sport with as many health benefits as golf does. Not only is it a convenient excuse to go outside and spend the day socializing with friends, but there has been plenty of research conducted that demonstrates exactly how the game of golf can change your life for the better.

Playing golf is a way to stay healthy, take exercise, and have fun all at the same time. 

The best part of golf is that you're outside enjoying the beautiful landscapes and nature that surrounds it also gives us a lot of health benefits that can improve life quality for people.  Golf is a demanding sport requiring athletic ability, strength, endurance, strategy and mental toughness. Contrary to popular belief, it offers significant health and wellness benefits.

Golfers know that there’s a lot of walking involved. Playing golf once a week means that you’re walking between four and eight miles, which is great for the heart and lungs. In addition to lowering harmful cholesterol, it also helps speed up your metabolism, making weight loss easier.  A round of golf burns about 1,000 calories if you carry your clubs.  Less if you pull your clubs in a cart. Hitting practice shots on a driving range burns about 200 calories an hour.

Golf is constantly challenging your mind in terms of co-ordination, concentration, visualization and strategy. Playing a round of golf can help boost your brain power and walking the course will help even more. Studies have shown that new brain cells are created and more oxygen is pumped to the brain when you are active in some kind of aerobic exercise. In addition to good nutrition and exercise, mentally stimulating your brain is also believed to help prevent Alzheimer’s by stimulating blood circulation and improving neural pathway connections. Think of how much mental power it requires you to keep your cool and positive thinking after hitting a bad shot that can easily break you.

A Swedish study on the health benefits of golf has found that people who play the game on a regular basis have a 40% decreased mortality rate among their peers, which equals a 5-year increase in life expectancy. In other words, golfers live longer than other people. 

The health benefits of golf are numerous which has made the game very popular.