Basing their results on data from over 300,000 golfers, Anders Ahlbom who led the study with Bahman Farahmand, found major beneficial health effects for regular golfers.

According to their study, the death rate for golfers is whopping 40 per cent lower than for others of the same age, sex and socioeconomic status.
That means regular golfers could live up to 4 to 5 years longer!

The researchers were not surprised by these results and they believe there are several aspects of the game that are good for health. "A round of golf means being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace for six to seven kilometres, something which is known to be good for the health,"
"People play golf into old age, and there are also positive social and psychological aspects to the game that can be of help." Further to this, in other related golf vs health reports; Neil Wolkodoff’s research for The Rose Center for Health and Sports Sciences (Denver, Colo.), showed roughly how many calories were burned playing an average 9-hole golf course.
According to the study, golfers who walk and carry their own bag burn 721 calories, golfers using a pull cart burn 718 calories, golfers walking with a caddie burn 613 calories and golfers riding in a golf cart burn 411 calories, on average. This calorie counting wasn’t to present the benefits for our waistline, but more so to confirm that just a couple of full rounds of golf a week can greatly reduce the risks of not only heart disease & diabetes but cancer too!

Professor Ahlbom from Sweden also stated “Maintaining a low handicap involves playing a lot, so this supports the idea that it is largely the game itself that is good for health,”

So the trick to a longer healthier life, play golf and get good at it! I’ll definitely tee off to that!

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