How Playing Golf Can Improve Your Life & Your Health.
Playing golf is one of the few sports that has a reputation for being a pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, skill levels, and abilities. The health benefits of golf go far beyond just an enjoyable round of exercise; research has shown that playing golf on a regular basis can have several positive impacts on your physical, social, and mental well-being.
The Physical Benefits of Playing Golf
Playing golf requires a significant amount of walking, especially if you don't use a golf cart. An average round of golf can cover more than 8 kilometers (5 miles), which is an excellent form of low-impact cardiovascular exercise. Walking a golf course can burn up to 2,000 calories, depending on factors like your height, weight, and age. Moreover, the act of regularly swinging a golf club can help to strengthen your core, back, legs, and arms, improving your overall physical fitness and coordination.
Besides, playing golf can help to lower your blood pressure, reduce your body fat, and lower your risk of developing illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The game also helps to boost your Vitamin D levels since it is typically played outside in the daylight. This helps to optimise your immune system, and maintain optimal bone health, and mental aptitudes. Overall, golf can be an excellent way to maintain a healthy weight and promote optimal physical health without the high intensity of most sports.
Meeting new friends is a a great social benefit of playing golf.
The Social Benefits of Playing Golf
Golf is a social sport with ample opportunities for networking and socialisation. In addition to providing a great social life and camaraderie among players, golf is also an excellent way to make new friends. It is an outstanding way for business people to build relationships and establish new contacts.
Golf is recognised as an excellent way to foster the development of strong relationships among family members, friends, and acquaintances. Playing golf with your family and friends, especially your children, can help to reinforce bonds and enhance communication skills. It is a sport that promotes a relaxed, friendly environment where conversations tend to flow effortlessly.
AWGN Team Member Callum Bakken, always cool and calm on the golf course.
The Mental Health Benefits of Playing Golf
Playing golf can also have significant positive impacts on our mental health. Golf can be very relaxing as it helps to remove players from the pressures and stresses of their everyday lives. The act of focusing on hitting the ball, even for those who may hate the sport, provides a much-needed distraction from pressures like work, business, and personal responsibilities. Unwinding and enjoying the game can help to alleviate anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns that can negatively affect our daily lives.
Furthermore, playing golf can help to increase self-esteem and confidence levels, particularly for children and adolescents. As a non-contact sport that rewards skill and mental toughness, golf players can learn to manage their emotions better, and resilience to overcome challenges. Through its inherent rules and etiquette that promote character-building traits, playing golf can help to enhance personality development, self-discipline, and respect for oneself and others.
And finally…
The old perception of golf as a sport only for older men and retirees is fast fading away. Nowadays, golf doesn't have any age or gender barriers as a sport enjoyed by both young and old, male and female. The health benefits of playing golf are innumerable, ranging from enhancing our physical fitness to promoting our mental, social, and emotional well-being.
For people concerned about staying fit or managing their health, golf is an engaging, fun, and low-impact sport that provides more than just cardiovascular, strength-building, and other physical health advantages. The sport also provides endless opportunities for socialising and networking, offering tremendous psychological benefits that make it an excellent way of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There's no excuse for not choosing golf as your new form of exercise and overall wellness activity.
New South Wales Golf Club with Australian Women’s Golf Club Members.