If you’ve been contemplating taking up golf but were worried that it might not be a good form of exercise, don’t worry.
The statistics on how many calories are burned while playing golf can be debatable. However, there are many other health benefits to playing this game.
Playing golf can improve your health, make you stronger, and increase your balance control. Golf can also provide you with an opportunity to get out into the fresh air with friends and family, which can help you reduce stress levels and improve your mood.
Here we answer the long-time question of whether golf is good exercise by diving into the benefits of this sport!
Table of Contents
Is Golf Good Exercise?
Golf, like any form of exercise, can have a significant impact on your health and daily life. Aside from giving your body the desired definition, it also benefits your health. It can improve your heart function, reduce your risk of diabetes, and reduce anxiety.
Additionally, golf brings positive energy and other admirable qualities into your life. It can also improve your muscle memory and coordination.
Golf is just another form of exercise that offers many benefits, including:
- Increased balance
- Strength and endurance
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Enhanced brain performance
- Social activity
- Less stress
Why Is Golf Good Exercise for Your Body?
As mentioned above, playing golf falls under the realm of exercising. As a result, you’re definitely doing your body and mind good with this sport.
Nevertheless, how exactly is golf a good exercise? Let’s take a look at how this game can benefit your body.
1. Increased Balance
A game of golf can help work out your lower back, abdominal muscles, and even the buttocks. Gaining strength in those muscles will enhance your balance while also increasing flexibility.
What’s more, this solid core exercise will help relieve tension on other muscles and alleviate back pains.
Balance can be difficult to perfect, but the dynamics of a game of golf help. As you age, it becomes crucial that you strengthen your balance.
In addition, did you know that a better balance can increase your lifespan? Most falls can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Falling is actually among the leading causes of death and injury for senior citizens worldwide. By playing golf regularly, you can improve your balance and enjoy longer, healthier years.
2. Strength and Endurance
You may think that golf is mainly about swinging the club, but there are a number of different factors at work. Carrying your golf bag to and from the course is great exercise.
As you walk up those hills, you’ll undoubtedly work out your quadriceps and hamstrings, which helps your balance by building lower body strength.
Exercise also helps deliver oxygen and nutrition to your cardiovascular system and tissues. Thus, playing golf improves the performance of your cardiovascular system. As a result, you’ll definitely have more energy to take on your daily chores.
3. Calorie Burn
Golf is an excellent way to burn calories and stay in shape. Whether you’re taking the cart around the usual 18 holes or going on foot, you’re eventually going to do some walking around the driving range.
Walking the links at a golf course is a great way to get some exercise. If you walk the course, you’ll take about 10,000 steps, which is about 5 miles.
If you take a cart, your walking distance will be cut in half. Whichever option you choose, there’s still going to be some walking, which is good for your health.
On average, you can burn more than 1,000 calories in a round of golf if you walk around the course. On other hand, you can lose about half of that if you’re using a cart. The numbers can vary depending on your weight and the intensity of your activity, though.
This may not make you lose a great amount of weight or get you super-thin, but it certainly beats sitting on the couch and not doing anything.
Why Is Golf Good Exercise for Your Mental health?
Playing golf is not only a good exercise for your physical health, but it also has great effects on your mental health. The fresh air and the company of people can do a lot to improve your mental well-being.
1. Improving Concentration
Exercising your brain is an effective way to ground yourself in the present and gain new information, as well as increase your self-confidence. While golfing, you’ll find yourself having to focus on multiple factors throughout the game.
To play your best, you must consider distance, club selection, strategy, weather conditions, and a variety of other elements. Golf requires considerable perception and problem-solving skills. Maintaining mental focus is essential for preventing memory loss and keeping your mind active.
2. Reducing Stress
Most of us deal with periods of stress during our lives, but when stress becomes chronic, it can negatively affect our health. A round of golf can help reduce your stress levels by allowing you to get outside and enjoy the air and sunshine.
There may be some conflicting opinions about whether golf can have a negative or positive change on your mood.
Nevertheless, there have been studies that talk about how golfers can feel a sense of control and a release of aggression. Both qualities are much desired when it comes to fighting off stress.
Golfers and other athletes sometimes say they feel less stress after they finish exercising. This could be because the body releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers that produce a feeling of well-being and relaxation.
Additionally, exercising under the sun has been shown to reduce stress more than similar exercises performed indoors.
3. Feeling Connected
Humans are, by nature, social creatures. While you don’t have to be a social butterfly, socializing and interacting with others can help improve your mental health. This is why some of us suffer greatly when we’re isolated from our loved ones.
Golf is a fantastic way to get outside and spend time with friends, colleagues, and family. It’s an excellent social game that allows you to interact with other people for hours. Playing golf with friends, spouses, or coworkers helps you reap many social benefits.
To Sum Up
Golf is a good form of exercise. It’s a sport that requires a combination of physical and mental focus to perform well, which can be beneficial for your health.
Examples of these benefits include better concentration, flexibility, strength, and balance. By combining these effects with the emotional benefits of getting out of the house and escaping from everyday life, it’s easy to see why you should play golf more often.
