Do you just play golf because you think it is fun? Well, that may very well be a great reason to play golf, but guess what? Golf has countless health benefits. I bet you didn’t know that before. People might perceive golf as a pretentious sport in which everyone rides their cart, enjoying a drink, stopping now and then for a shot.
Well, think again. Because walking 18 holes while carrying the bag is a great workout. I’ll name some of the benefits you can get just by playing your favorite sport.
1. Burning Fat
Wait until I tell you how you burn fat by merely playing golf. If you just carry your bag around for 18 holes and walk, you will undoubtedly burn up to 2,000 calories. It’s much like Farmer’s Walk except you just casually need to lift your heavy bag and walk while in the exercise mentioned above you have got to walk with proper dumbbells.
My point is if you are a seasoned golf player and you tend to walk for your 18 holes at least thrice a week, you’re doing a proper walking routine which is very beneficial for your health.
For added benefit, look for hilly track because walking up a steeper path will get you to burn more fat than usual. I can tell from experience that golf can help reduce visceral fat if not anything else, even seniors who play golf are healthier than those who don’t play sports.
2. Good for Brain
In all the possible senses, this is a game that is very beneficial for the human brain. If you’re good at golf, or even if you’re beginning with each hole you score you release a rush of endorphins. How relaxing is that! If you do not know what endorphins are, it’s a kind of chemical substance found in our brain that works much like a mood-enhancing drug.
In fact, endorphins can be addictive if released in high amounts. All sports help human brain releases enough endorphins to release stress and make one feel good about themselves.
What else is golf good for, you ask? For making your brain active. Golf is not all about brute force; it’s about thoughtful planning and strategy that must vary from course to course. It makes the player pause and wonders what their plan is going to be; at least every professional player’s way of going about golf is this.
3. Heart Rate & Mortality Rate
I mentioned already that walking for miles while talking short breaks in between while a golf bag slinging down your shoulder IS a workout! But what I didn’t tell you was that this mode of movement in a golf game ensures that blood circulates through the entire human body.
But that is not the best part, it stimulates the blood flow through your brain, which strengthens the nerve cells, and it gets your heart rate up as you walk your 18 holes. And what it increases is not only your heart rate but also the mortality rate.
Studies show that golf raises life expectancy up to five years. It reduces the mortality rate by 40% in regular players of the game.
4. Train Your Eyes – And Bladder
Did you know that golf can improve your eyesight? Well, when you hit the ball, and it flies to a distant corner of the course you need to squint and look for the ball until you spot it. This means that you get to train your eyes each time you play golf to find out that tiny white ball. Also, I believe that the greenery of a golf course would make one’s vision much better.
There’s another unique advantage of golf that you would love to know. With all the beers that you’re downing through the game, you will end up needing to pay, but that is quite not possible while you’re playing a match.
This is when you start to learn how to train your bladder to hold it in. Women claim that the crouching exercises they sometimes try to help hold it in a while, playing golf serves as a muscle strengthening exercise.
I hope you find these golf health benefits motivating enough to make you gather your golf gear and hit the course as soon as you find some time. Happy Golfing!
