The Health Benefits of Golf
Its official, golf is good for you! There are so many benefits of playing golf:
- Exposure to outdoor environment
- Heart health, keeping heart rate up
- Brain stimulation, increased blood flow
- Weight loss from burning calories
- Reduced stress
- Improved sleep
- Low risk of injury
- Live longer
- Social sport
Simply put, golfers live longer, have better overall physical health, and gain wellness/ mental health benefits. These associations are likely due to the golden combination of walking, muscular activity, and social interaction (amongst other factors). So whether you’re young or old; a scratch golfer or have never picked up a club before, there are now even more reasons to head to your nearest course!
- Physical benefits include: improved cardiovascular risk-factor profiles; improved blood-glucose levels; and increased life expectancy
- Psychological benefits include: improved self-esteem, improved confidence, and reduced anxiety
- Golf also provides a great opportunity for developing interpersonal skills, emotional control, and enhancing social connections
Check out this website for more information on the Health Benefits of Golf http://www.golfandhealth.org/
“The Golf & Health Project will help drive an increased participation in golf, improve the public image of our sport, and increase support for golf in the political arena.
It will achieve this by analysing the benefits of golf for health to include improvements in life expectancy, physical and mental health. It will also assess and advise on ilness and injury associated with golf. Once this information has been gathered, it becomes centrally available through this website, whilst also being communicated and disseminated to golfers, potential golfers, and decision makers to increase awareness of golf’s positive influence on health and well-being.
Part of the project aim is to provide information about the benefits of golf, and how this can be achieved for people of both genders, all ages, and all backgrounds.
By aggregating and reviewing existing research into the health benefits of golf, a clear picture is being established of what benefits there are and what others there might be. Identifying the gaps in research then provides an opportunity to conduct new, innovative, and peer-reviewed research to academically assess benefits.
We aim to share findings widely, but also publish key articles in leading scientific journals, for example the British Journal of Sports Medicine- the number 1 ranked Sports Science and Sports Medicine publication worldwide.”
The Project is sponsored by the World Golf Foundation – For More Information visit www.worldgolffoundation.org.