Health club

Why a round of golf can help lead to a longer life

IT has been described as a good walk spoiled, and many of its devotees will say it is more likely to raise the blood pressure than lower it.

But research shows a game of golf is better for you than has been first thought, the crushing emptiness that comes from a bogey on the ninth hole notwithstanding.

Yet too many people are missing out on the health benefits, says the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and the sport remains too white, too male and too middle-class.

The consensus – one of the first of its kind – comes on the eve of the Ryder Cup, the biennial golf tournament between Europe and the USA.

The journal found golf is good for both the mind and body, and can help lead to a longer life for men and women because playing a round regularly can reduce the risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

A report by the journal’s panel of experts on the benefits of the sport found it can provide moderate intensity aerobic physical activity and boost older people’s strength and balance.

They also said the game is associated with good mental health and improving the overall health of those with disabilities and, compared with other sports, the risk of injury is moderate.

Golf is also sociable and gets people outdoors, connecting them with nature.

However, while about 60 million people worldwide play golf at least twice a year, the panel acknowledged the participant profile remains quite narrow.

Players tend to be middle-aged to older, male, of white European heritage, relatively well off and living in North America, Europe and Australasia. It is also often perceived as expensive, male-dominated, difficult to learn and not a game for the young or those on the lower rungs of the social ladder.

The panel, which includes Dr Andrew Murray, of Edinburgh University’s Physical Activity For Health Research Centre, suggested more people might be interested in taking up the sport if it was promoted as an enjoyable, outdoor activity that affords a sense of community and competitive challenge, as well as being good exercise.

The panel concluded the sport needs to be more inclusive and welcoming of people from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds, and any such initiatives should be supported.

Previous studies have found golf can be good for the waistline, with golfers typically burning a minimum of 500 calories over 18 holes, while those walking the course could cover four to eight miles.

Dr Murray said last year: “We know the moderate physical activity golf provides increases life expectancy, has mental health benefits and can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases, such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer.

“Evidence suggests golfers live longer than non-golfers, enjoying improvements in cholesterol levels, body composition, wellness, self-esteem and self-worth.”

The journal’s panel carried out a review of the available published evidence, amounting to 342 eligible studies, along with discussions among an international working group of 25 experts in public health.

It has also made a raft of recommendations to guide policymakers and industry leaders on how to make golf more inclusive and accessible and encourage more people from all walks of life to take up the sport. The panel suggests golfers should aim to play for

150 minutes a week and walk the course, rather than ride in a golf buggy. “These outputs, if widely shared and adopted, will contribute to an improved understanding of golf and health, and aid these groups in making evidence-informed decisions and to improve health and wellbeing,” the panel said.