COURTESY OF METRO CREATIVE
Playing a round of golf is a great way to spend a morning, afternoon or early evening. That’s particularly true when the weather is warm and a golf course is soaked in sunshine and cooled down by warm breezes whistling through the surrounding trees.
Though many see golf as recreation, the sport can offer some notable health benefits. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which was founded in 1754 and has since grown from a small club to one with 2,500 members across the globe, published a golf and health report in 2020. That report highlights research indicating the ways golf promotes both mental and physical health, and such evidence can make anyone feel better about spending a day on their nearest course. With that in mind, individuals can consider these three notable health benefits of playing golf the next time they’re thinking about visiting their local course.
Golf may help you live longer – Frustrated golfers who can’t master their short game may suggest otherwise, but a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science and Sports discovered a 40 percent reduction in mortality rates among 300,000 members of the Swedish Golf Federation. That corresponded to an increased life expectancy of roughly five years and applied to golfers of all ages, genders and socio-economic backgrounds.
Golf can help combat disease – A summary of findings conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2016 found that golf can help prevent and treat 40 major chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart attack, stroke, depression, dementia, and cancers of the breast and colon. That link probably has something to do with golf being a physical activity that encourages people to embrace a less sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, the R&A notes that additional studies have found that risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including high blood pressure, are reduced among people who play golf.
Golf promotes social interaction – The Alzheimer’s Society reports that social isolation can increase a person’s risk for dementia by roughly 60 percent. People who play golf tend to play in groups of two, three or four, and that social interaction can promote social interaction among people of all ages. Social isolation also has been linked to additional mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, so activities like golf that encourage social interaction can help people safeguard their mental health.
