The sport that helps you stay fit... by watching

ITS critics say golf is a good walk spoiled. But for the majority of fans attending professional tournaments, it is a healthy day out.

For spectators easily achieve the nHS target of 10,000 steps while strolling from hole to hole to watch the action, research shows.

Fans who saw the Paul Lawrie Match Play event at archerfield Links, east Lothian, last year averaged about 11,500 steps a day, researchers found. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, was the first to use pedometer data to assess golf spectators’ physical activity.

It found that men took about 1,800 more steps than women each day. The nHS has challenged people to walk 10,000 steps a day and many fitness trackers set that number as a daily target.

Spectators rated exercise and physical activity as important reasons for attending golf tournaments, and 60 per cent said they would like to be more active. Watching golf allows them to be in the fresh air, spend time with friends and family, and see star players, they added.

Researcher andrew Murray, from edinburgh University, said: ‘Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health.

‘These pilot findings show that golf spectators can gain physical activity which could benefit their health while watching top-quality sport at close quarters.’