10 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing Golf: How This Sport Can Improve Your Well-Being
Golf is a sport that’s more than just about hitting a ball. It’s about connecting with nature and improving physical, mental, and emotional well-being. And the benefits of golf don’t stop at those three categories–they go way beyond them! In this post, we’ll explore some surprising facts about playing golf that make it not only fun but also good for you:
Burns calories
As a low-impact sport, golf can aid in weight loss. Calories can be burned while relatively inactive things like walking, swinging a club, or standing in the sun.
On average, golfers can burn up to 300 calories per hour, though this number can vary depending on how strenuously you play and how often you play. This figure rises if you play 18 holes (which takes at least three hours). One round of golf can burn just over 500 calories, assuming it takes four hours to complete.
Improves cardiovascular health
Golf, despite being low-impact, engages a wide variety of muscle groups. In what way? Increases in heart rate of up to 20% are beneficial to cardiovascular health. Those who play golf as part of a regular exercise routine have a lower risk of developing heart disease than those who don’t.
Boosts flexibility
Golf aids in achieving and maintaining the flexibility essential to physical health. Since there are many different ways to play golf, it’s a fantastic way to improve your flexibility. You can play golf anywhere, from putting green in your backyard to an official course somewhere in the world. Golf may be right up your alley if you’re in the mood for a relaxing sport that doesn’t require much physical exertion. Enhance the convenience of your golfing experience with a Sunday golf bag. This compact and lightweight bag is perfect for casual rounds, adding an element of ease to your golf outings and contributing to the overall enjoyment of the sport.
It helps you dress well.
When it comes to dressing well, golfing provides an excellent opportunity to show off your style while benefiting your health. Dressing appropriately for the weather conditions and the occasion is essential in golfing etiquette. It can also improve your physical well-being by protecting you from the sun and cold. Wearing comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing can also enhance your mental and emotional well-being by allowing you to focus on the game and feel confident in your appearance. Besides being a great way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors, playing golf can also help you develop a sense of personal style and enhance your overall well-being. Check out the Sunday Swagger collection for golfing attire to improve your golfing experience and elevate your style game.
Builds muscle strength
While the time spent exercising is on par with that of other sports, golfers get a unique benefit from using their bodies as resistance. Golfers use clubs to strike balls, sending them flying down fairways and into predetermined holes. Golf is often held up as an example of “mind over matter” because doing this requires more muscle power than running or walking. Imagine trying to pick up an object while being completely paralyzed from the neck down; now multiply that difficulty by your body having no muscles. That can’t be right, can it? You’d inevitably lose your grip, hurt yourself, or drop whatever you held.
Improves balance
The health benefits of developing better balance are numerous. Maintaining an upright position has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of falls and injuries and decreasing the likelihood of acquiring back problems.
Keep both feet planted on the ground to maximize balance and stability while golfing (even when swinging). This will help you get in shape by building up the muscles that support your legs, making them more resilient in an emergency (like an unexpected windstorm).
Promotes social interaction
You’ll be surprised at how many people are interested in golf if you tell them you’re playing it! Golf is a great way to meet new people, make friends and get out and about. It’s also a great way to socialize with friends and family.
Golf has been shown to improve mental health by improving self-esteem, reducing stress levels and anxiety disorders (like panic attacks), decreasing depression symptoms such as isolation or loneliness, and improving social skills like interacting with others more comfortably or effectively communicating complex ideas through written text on paper instead of verbal communication which may lead them down paths where they don’t want their lives to go because they feel trapped inside themselves due lack of communication skills needed within society today.
Improves mental focus
Concentration levels were found to be higher among golfers compared to non-golfers in a study published in the Journal of Sport Psychology. The study participants demonstrated the ability to tune out irrelevant stimuli, such as other players or spectators, to concentrate on the task.
Sports require focus and concentration, which can be honed with regular practice.
Increases vitamin D intake
Vitamin D is crucial to overall health. Many foods contain it, but they must be in sufficient quantities to meet the body’s demands. This can cause vitamin D deficiency, which is linked to health problems like osteoporosis.Clinical Endocrinology published a study showing that golfers who played at least once a week had higher levels of vitamin D in their blood than those who didn’t or played once a month or less. Regular players’ serum calcium and phosphorus levels were also lower than those of infrequent players.
It provides a sense of accomplishment.
Golf is a great way to feel accomplished. It’s also an excellent way to socialize with friends and family—and there’s nothing like hitting the links with someone you care about! You can’t say that about many other sports, but golf offers tangible rewards for achieving goals.
And while it may not seem like it at first glance (golfers tend to be very serious), this sport provides benefits in other areas as well:
- Improves physical fitness through regular exercise and stretching exercises before playtime begins;
- Enhances mental health by encouraging positive thinking;
- Strengthens emotional bonds between people who share similar interests, like golfing;
We’re not saying all these benefits are explicitly related to playing golf (that would be silly!), but they are tied up somehow.