Health Benefits of Playing Golf Even on the Easiest Level by Jon Benton

What is golf and how is it played?

 Golf is an ancient sport that has its roots reaching way back in time to Scotland during the 15th Century. The game was first played with bent sticks and small pebbles. The courses played on features dunes and other types of surfaces. It didn’t become an official sport until much later in 1744.

Today, the sport is played on golf courses all over the US and the globe. Technology has become a huge part of the sport with high-tech equipment being developed and advanced every year. Much of the innovation has come in the form of better clubs and materials used in manufacturing techniques.

Golf is commonly referred to as the sport of Kings or the elite, however, these days people of every status enjoy participating in golf matches and tournaments all across the globe. The bent sticks and pebbles have been replaced with high-tech clubs and golf balls.

Golfing for exercise

While I doubt you would be able to convince many people to take up the sport of golf simply by saying it is a way to exercise. However, you tell them while they are playing golf they would be getting a form of exercise. This is because all of the things that you do during an 18-hole golf round add up to a moderate level of exercise. 

Between walking in between each of the 18-holes, picking up and carrying the bag of clubs, and setting up and swinging numerous times for each hole. Golfing is a tremendous total body workout and you can throw in the cardiovascular workout from all of the walkings that you do.

By the time you have finished the full 18-hole course you have completed both a relaxing game of golf and got a total body workout to boot. You will also be amazed that you gave the muscles in your back, legs, buttocks, and arms a pretty intense workout as well.

Top 5 benefits of playing golf regularly

Since the game of golf involves a lot of walking, swinging clubs, and carrying a golf bag with clubs around an 18-hole course. The combination of all the aforementioned actions and the comradery of golfing with one or more people provide an unequaled amount of benefits. Below we came up with a list of five key benefits that we identified are directly connected to playing golf.

#1 Improves Cardiovascular Health – The importance of cardiovascular health cannot be overstated. According to most heart specialists paying attention to your heart health is one of the most important things a person can do. Fortunately, The game of golf is likely one of the best ways a person can get the necessary cardiovascular workout. Considering most golf courses are littered with hills, valleys and the distance between holes makes for a great afternoon of exercise. Whether you are a beginner or professional, you cannot help but get a great cardio workout while playing 18-holes at your favorite course.

#2 Improves Balance – Good balance is important to everyone’s daily life and by playing golf one or two times a week you will start noticing improvements. A proper form and swing focus heavily on your body’s core muscle groups including; the back, legs, buttocks, and abdominals muscles. As you continue to play you should begin noticing your flexibility, strength and balance should improve. It is never too late to begin playing golf and as you get older your balance becomes much more important. In your senior years, you will appreciate the improved balance as it will help to reduce or prevent slips and falls that often lead to fractures and other serious injuries.

#3 Improves Mental Health Condition – Most mental health experts will tell you that stress has a lot to do with a person’s mental health. They normally recommend that people who are in high-stress jobs find ways to add relaxing activities at least several times a day. This is likely why so many people who are in high-stress occupations have taken up golf. They have discovered that walking around the course chasing a little white ball can be very relaxing. At the same time, it can help satisfy their need to be competitive.

#4 Offers social interaction – It cannot be understated that even among alpha males, social interaction is very important to humans. Since it is no surprise that humans are very social creatures, even the aforementioned alpha males. Since golf is usually played in groups of 2 or more and the larger the group the more interaction there is. According to many experts, this social interaction is a huge mental health benefit as compared to sitting on the couch after a stressful day at the office. The best thing about golf is that you don’t have to be great at it to get the benefits out of playing. People at all levels, even at the easiest level can be benefitted.

#5 Burns excess calories – Due to the amount of activity during a full round of 18-holes on the golf course you can expect that you will burn calories. The number of calories that you will burn will depend on several variables. The biggest variable is if you and your group decide to use a golf cart or if you opt to walk and carry your golf bag yourself. The average person can expect to burn up to 1600 calories during an 18-hole match if they walk the whole course. However, if they opt to ride in a golf cart the entire course, they still can expect to lose as much as 800 calories.

 Final Thoughts

It turns out that golf could, quite possibly be the most fitness related of all the non-contact sports. The amount of beneficial exercise that you can get from an 18-hole round of golf is much more than you think. On top of the social and mental health benefits that you can from getting together with a group of buddies or coworkers.