Five reasons to try golf

Golf might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you envisage staying active. Perhaps you picture yourself having to jump on a bike and pedal till you can’t feel your quads or throw on some running shoes and rake up countless miles. If this sounds like a bit of a chore then taking up golf could be the best decision you make, one that encapsulates both physical and mental benefits.

Not only is golf a great hobby to pick up to help curate a better work-life balance as it removes you from the typical stresses of modern-day life but it’s also a great way to improve your fitness. It’s estimated that an 18-hole round of golf equates to over 10,000 steps. This makes this form of exercise a great way to burn a lot of calories without putting your joints or muscles at risk, which is associated with more strenuous workouts.

If you need someone to stand testament to the advantages of picking up golf as a means to keep active, ex-England international cricketer James Taylor is just the man. Taylor was an unlikely suspect to fall into the sport, admitting this himself, “I spent all day in the field playing cricket, so the last thing I wanted to do was stand in another field playing golf!”.

Nonetheless, he was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) at 26 years old. This condition caused his heart to beat at 265 beats per minute and worsened with vigorous exercise. Despite receiving help to manage his condition he sadly had to put his cricket career to an early bed and much to his own surprise found a new lease of life playing golf.

Taylor has a membership at a golf club and often plays with friends who aren’t members at a club but are able to play games and hold a handicap through something called iGolf. An iGolf subscription is an excellent alternative to becoming a fully committed member of a club for just £40 a year. The annual subscription is the first time ever that non-club members in England can gain an official handicap alongside personal liability insurance and various other benefits.

A handicap is useful for anyone looking to learn golf as it gives people an official benchmark to track their performance and adds to the overall fun and satisfaction of the game. So far there are more than 25,000 members of the iGolf initiative and if you’re considering joining this community read on to find out more about the many benefits of taking up golf.

So, with all that in mind, here are five reasons to give golf a try.

1. It can prolong your life 

Everybody knows one of the biggest ways to increase your quality of life is to remain as active as possible. But not everybody knows just how effective golf, specifically, can be at avoiding an earlier death.

Golf is, in fact, a great way to get your heart rate up and exercise your cardiovascular system, which in turn can assist in lowering your risk of heart disease and help to reduce levels of bad cholesterol. According to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, the death rate among golfers is 40% less than those who don’t golf and are of the same age, sex, and socioeconomic status. This percentage corresponded with a five-year increase in life expectancy and golfers with a lower handicap were classed as the safest.

In golf, the lower your handicap is the better your skill is so the researchers theorised that those with a lower handicap are most likely to play more and are therefore staying active enough to enhance their life expectancy.

2. The walking part can help manage knee pain 

Suffer from knee pain and can’t fathom the thought of traipsing around a golf course? Turns out a golf buggy isn’t the answer, walking is.

That’s right, research has revealed that walking around a golf course is not associated with increased knee pain, cartilage breakdown, or inflammation. After comparing levels of knee pain between golfers who walked the course and golfers who took a buggy, the scientists concluded that, “Golfers with knee osteoarthritis do not need to be concerned about worsening their disease through walking the course. In fact, walking provides the best health benefit". Moderate-paced walking from hole to hole has cardiovascular benefits, improves your aerobic fitness, and helps individuals to achieve daily exercise recommendations.

Taylor confirmed the greatness of this low-impact sport, “Because I love the game and play as often as I can, I’m regularly getting 20,000 steps in, and because it’s low intensity it doesn’t feel like a strain.”

3. It’s good for your mental wellbeing 

Sometimes when people have a lot on their plate it’s too easy to neglect their mental well-being. Golf is a great excuse to push that email inbox out of your brain, get some breathing space from a worrying situation, or just get some fresh air if you’ve been feeling cooped up.

It also has an excellent social element to it. Even if you don’t have friends who play, joining something like iGolf can help you find people with a similar handicap as you to play with or connect with.

UK-based research published by the Golf & Health Project found that regularly playing golf is associated with reducing anxiety, improving confidence, and boosting self-esteem. These are three things that can help to transform a person’s mental well-being for the better.

When Taylor touched on ways in which golf has transformed his life personally, he placed an emphasis on the mental side of things.

“For me, though, the great thing about golf is that it’s good for your headspace. You can relax in an outdoor setting and banish everything else from your mind,” he added, “It’s up to you how competitive the game is – some days you can play seriously, others it can be for who buys the beers in the clubhouse.”

4. It’s good for improving balance 

Another great advantage of playing golf is improved balance. A few of the big muscles activated when playing the sport are the glutes, lower back, and core muscles. Not only will having good balance better your swing during a game of golf, adding more control and power to your swing but it will also lead to you being able to live a more independent life as you grow older. You are less likely to fall or injure yourself while carrying out daily activities when you have good balance.
 

5. It doesn't have to be expensive 

A lot of people can be put off golf as it can seem like an expensive hobby to pick up. Although golf club memberships, equipment, and golfing holidays can rightfully give off this impression, it doesn’t have to cost you a lot to get started. 

If you ever visit a town or area where golf is popular, second-hand golf equipment and clothing can be found in local charity shops for much less than their face price. Plus as long as you find a large space of greenery that you are permitted to be on and aren’t at risk of hitting anyone then you can easily practice putting or just hitting the air to perfect your swing and this saves you forking out to play at a club when you are still so new to the game.

You can also gain a free 30-day trial with iGolf to learn more about the World Handicap System and get a real feel for if golf is something you’d like to pick up.