Golf Health Benefits and Subsequent Risks

Can golf actually be exercise? No way, a die-hard runner might scoff. How many calories can you possibly burn hitting a little white ball around with a funny stick? Besides, the argument goes, you're unlikely to move quickly enough between shots to get an aerobic workout either. But few exercise experts dismiss the game so quickly. Recent research has found that you don't have to sweat buckets to stay fit. "Golf's a good physical activity, and can produce healthy results," says Bryant Stamford, professor and director of the Health Promotion Center at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and author of "Fitness Without Exercise." Consider this: A person will use up at least 400 calories walking a typical 18-hole, five-mile course, according to Stamford. If the golfer climbs lots of hills, carries his or her own clubs and walks briskly between holes, the number will be even higher. True, golf doesn't provide the aerobic workout of running or bicycling, but being outdoors regularly and using most of one's muscles provides a solid basis for fitness, claims Dr. Lewis A. Yocum, former medical director of the LPGA tour.

Although golf isn't as hard on bones and joints as more vigorous sports, such as running, it isn't risk free. Golfers tend to be fairly sedentary during the week and then try to cram too much of a good thing into the weekend," says Dr. Yocum, who's also director of the Sports Injury Clinic at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, California. Based on his research on golf injuries, he says the back, neck and spine are common injury sites because the torso must twist so much during a golf swing. Wrists, hands, elbows, knees and ankles also can get hurt. The solution is to take a preventive approach. Spending some time on exercises to increase strength and flexibility in the susceptible areas can make the difference between injury-free golf and golf that causes pain and strain, says Dr. Yocum. He suggests stretching after play, plus strengthening exercises, such as calisthenics and light weights, three times a week. No doubt about it, golf can be great for one's mind, body and business success. But first and foremost, it is a pleasant interlude for those who appreciate the challenge and revel in the surroundings.

A case in point, one of my mother's friends: 76-year-old Vicky Johnston of Edmonds, Washington. She took up the game when she was 58, and now plays an average of 54 holes a week. She walks every inch of the green. "I needed something to occupy my time after raising four children, and golf was it," says Ms. Johnson. "I find the game fascinating, endlessly fascinating . . . In my next life, I'm going to take it up at age 4.

Sources:

Kirsch, George B. Golf in America (Sport and Society) 2008

Roberts, Willam Bull's Sports Injuries Handbook, 2/e 2004