Golf is not just an elite sport reserved for the upper class; it also brings numerous health benefits to its players. So, is playing golf truly good for health? What are the health benefits of golf? Let’s explore the details in the following article from GolfTimes Magazine.
Health Benefits of Playing Golf for Golfers
Playing golf involves using a club to hit a small ball into a smaller golf hole. Players walk for hours on a golf course that can span over 800,000 square meters, contemplating strategies and perfecting golf swings. Therefore, playing golf provides both physical and mental training.
Additionally, being exposed to nature and sunlight allows the body to absorb vitamin D, beneficial for bone health, stress reduction, and lowering the risks of depression, heart disease, and certain cancers. According to experts’ studies, these are specific advantages that golf offers to its players. In fact, playing golf provides individuals with the following tangible benefits:
- Good for cardiovascular health: Playing golf increases your heart rate, promoting better blood circulation. This helps enhance heart health, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and lower bad cholesterol levels.
- Benefits the nervous system: Competing against opponents requires strategic thinking and calculation for good golf shots. This improves mental sharpness, accelerates blood circulation to the brain, stimulating and enhancing the connections of nerve cells. The coordination of body senses contributes to better flexibility, benefiting the nervous system.
- Calorie burning: Walking for hours on the golf course helps burn a significant number of calories. Compared to running or swimming, golf can burn up to 1000 calories in a single round.
- Enhances bladder endurance: Completing 18 holes in golf provides effective training for bladder endurance.
- Improves sleep: After playing golf, the expended energy makes it easier for senses to enter a deep sleep, promoting cell regeneration and tissue healing.
- Reduces stress: Playing golf releases natural endorphins, enhancing mood, promoting relaxation, and reducing stress and fatigue after a hectic day.
- Lowers the risk of injury: While all sports carry their own risk of injuries, golf is considered a relatively gentle sport with a low injury rate. Nevertheless, warming up before playing golf is essential to ensure safety due to the physical activity involved.
- Improves vision: Golf is an excellent exercise for the eyes, demanding long-distance vision and focus on distances on the course. It also enhances coordination between eyes and limbs.
- Supplements Vitamin D: Golf, being an outdoor sport, exposes players to nature and sunlight, facilitating the absorption of vitamin D, crucial for maintaining strong bones.
Note on minimizing golf-related injuries:
Golf is a gentle sport that requires high concentration. However, it can lead to injuries, especially with intense training. Common injuries may occur in the lower back, forearms, shoulders, neck, and eyes.
The main cause is often the golfer’s failure to adopt correct postures and intensities during training. Failure to adjust in time may result in severe injuries, even posing a threat to the golfer’s health.
Here are some tips to minimize injuries while playing golf:
- Warm-up gently before playing to ensure joint relaxation and increased warmth.
- Follow a systematic training program with the most suitable instructor.
- Practice swings with golf clubs to familiarize the body with the movements.
- Use protective equipment such as gloves to reduce the risk of injury.
- Limit golfing in adverse weather conditions or strong winds.
- Stay adequately hydrated during the entire golfing session.
- Apply basic rules for beginners.
- Cease activity if signs of pain or injury occur.
In conclusion, playing golf is genuinely beneficial for human health. Beyond health advantages, golf is also a place to build strong relationships with friends and colleagues, with many business deals being negotiated on the golf course. Therefore, it’s not surprising when people say that the worst day on the golf course is still better than the best day at work.
