Perhaps surprisingly, the many health benefits of golf
remain largely understated in the main. Some see golf merely as a low-level
form of exercise with very little physical exertion involved—but the truth, as
those who play will know, is very different.
If you play golf, you’ll be well aware of its health benefits. Few things are more satisfying than striking a ball off the turf and seeing it go exactly where you wanted. Then there’s the camaraderie—what other sports give you several hours to walk and talk while playing your favourite sport? Not to mention it takes you to some incredible places, too. So many golfers have seen more of the world purely thanks to their love of the game, and there’s the chance to relax after a round to drink in what you’ve just enjoyed.
But when it comes to the health benefits of golf, there’s
even more than meets the eye. Three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington
generally speaks more sense than most when it comes to golf, and he said this
on the matter:
“People who play golf do realise the benefit of it. But the
wider public doesn’t understand it—the health benefits of playing golf for your
physical and mental health. I have seen how impactful golf can be on peoples’
wellbeing; now it is time to get the message out there.”
In this blog, we’ll do just that. Take a look at these 7 health benefits of golf you might not have considered before.
1. Golfers live longer
The R&A published a report in 2020 which shone a light on golf and its health impact. The stand-out headline is that golfers live five years longer than non-golfers.
A Scandinavian study, in particular, found a 40% reduction in mortality rates among 300,000 members of the Swedish Golf Federation, which tallies with an increase in life expectancy of about five years. This applied to all genders, ages, and socio-economic groups.
2. It helps to combat the big diseases
For many of us, golf is our sole source of physical
activity. The easy assumption is that it is little more than a normal walk,
albeit over a few hours and with some swinging of a club—but it’s doing us all
plenty of good.
The R&A report mentioned above found that golf can help prevent and treat 40 major chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, breast and colon cancer, depression, and dementia. Cholesterol and blood pressure can also be reduced in golfers.
3. It boosts your step count
We’d all like to walk more, and the general guidance is that the recommended daily step count is 10,000.
Whether you’re playing or just spectating (attending a tournament, for example), you will comfortably exceed this. Even if you’re simply following your favourite player around, you’ll cover 5-6 miles and burn upwards of 1,000 calories.
4. Golf is a form of reminiscence therapy
Further research will be forthcoming on the specific benefits
for people living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other
forms of memory loss. However, it is thought that the environment and social
interaction of golf can help.
There are groups that come together to enjoy old photos and memories from the past—this is called reminiscence therapy. Reminiscence therapy is a form of psychotherapy that involves recalling past events and feeling pleasure from them. So, even those who struggle to play golf like they used to can still benefit from the sport.
5. Golf can help relieve stress and anxiety
If ever there was a period in our lives where we learned to fully
appreciate what golf does for us and our mental health, it was during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Leading environmental psychologist Professor Jenny Roe from
the University of Virginia found that golf courses can help reduce stress and encourage
calm in ways many might never have otherwise considered—seeing water,
biodiversity, spatial variety and light patterns.
Among all the bad shots and missed putts, golf offers stress relief and relaxation, and there are many studies out there to back this up. One study into the mental health benefits of golf for children involved assessing participants on their golf skills, physical activity and wellbeing over a six-week period, with the results showing a noticeable uplift across all categories.
Related: Golf and mental health—survey findings
6. It focuses and stimulates your mind
From a non-scientific perspective, the ‘common-sense’ health
benefits of golf, for things like focusing your mind, are endless.
You can keep score (or not) depending on how you want to
play, you can play any format that you fancy so it can be as mentally
stimulating as you want it to be, and every shot and every hole presents a
different challenge.
You’ll also be in conversation for most of the round, you’ll laugh and smile lots, and you might even use visualisation and positive thinking to help you in your efforts. What’s more, all of this takes place in a green, outdoor space where there’s very little and often no distraction noise.
7. It helps with sleep
Good sleep benefits our immune system, and studies show that people who sleep for eight hours a night are three times less likely to get ill (and more likely to stay injury-free) than those who sleep for five or fewer hours. And when you have walked 18 holes, you shouldn’t struggle to sleep at night, that’s for sure.
You can also develop better habits by eating the right foods at the right time during a round as well as hydrating as often as possible. How many of us are good at drinking water on a golf course and hopeless away from it? You can use your time on the course to find a healthy rhythm.
How much golf should you play to feel health benefits?
While many golfers often complain about bad backs and sore body
parts, the sport actually improves strength and balance, gives you a clearer
mind, and lowers your risk of diseases.
To feel these effects, golfers should aim to play for at least 150 minutes a week (around 2.5 hours) and walk rather than ride in a buggy. Given that most rounds take at least three hours, just playing once a week can be enough.
The R&A also found that the risk of injury is moderate, though everyone should warm up properly and do strength exercises to help with this. You can reduce the risk of an injury by doing a seven-minute warm-up. Ideally, that would be two minutes of aerobic activity with some stretching to get the major muscles moving or by lifting some heavy stuff before a few practice swings.
Whether it be physical or mental, there are many
health benefits of playing golf—some of which you may not have even realised.
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