Longer Lives for Golfers

The next time you catch flack for spending too much time on the links, here’s a rebuttal: It could help you live longer. Research presented at the International Stroke Conference looked at data from 384 golfers ages 65 and older over a 10-year period. It found that people who golfed regularly in their later years have a 40 percent lower rate of death than nongolfers. “Our study is perhaps the first of its kind to evaluate the long-term health benefits of golf,” says Adnan Qureshi, M.D., a professor of clinical neurology at the University of Missouri. “Regular exercise, exposure to a less-polluted environment and social interaction provided by golf are all positive for health,” as are stress relief and relaxation. And you don’t have to be obsessed to reap the benefit. As little as once-a-month golf outings can have a positive health effect.