Article by Nils Horn MD, Head of Golf Institute at Balgrist University Hospital

Some say golf is a nice walk but it’s not really an exercise. Others argue that the simple availability of golf carts speaks volumes about the level of athletic effort required in golf. And yet, anyone who plays golf regularly knows how misleading that can be: A round of golf often involves hours of steady movement, typically at a sustainable intensity, outdoors and in daylight, adding up to six to ten kilometers of walking across 18 holes. By adding the coordination, balance and core strength demands of the actual golf swing, the decision‑making process required on every shot, and the social aspect that keeps people coming back week after week, golf starts to look very different, like something a modern public health system would love to invent.

• An 18-hole round of golf involves ~ 11'000 - 17'000 steps, with an estimated energy expenditure of ~ 500 - 2'700 kcal, depending on individual factors.

• Playing golf is associated with ~ 40% lower all-cause mortality compared with non-golfers and an estimated ~ 5-year higher life expectancy, based on observational data.

The strongest message from recent research is not that golf is a miracle sport, nor that it replaces all other forms of training. The credible message is much simpler: golf commonly provides meaningful physical activity in a form that people enjoy enough to do consistently. And it is exactly this consistency where health benefits truly accumulate over time.

One of the most practical insights is that the ‘health dose’ of golf is not fixed. It changes with the way the game is played. Clearly, walking the course increases the activity dose. The same is true for behaviours around golf: a short warm-up before the first tee, building practice volume gradually after a break, and taking a few minutes to prepare the body rather than rushing to the first tee. Many of these small choices can increase the benefits of golf without changing the sport itself.

Golf also has a unique place in healthy aging. Many people reduce or quit sporting activity from their lives as physical capacities change, schedules tighten, or injury risk rises. Golf, however, tends to stay. It offers not only movement, but also purpose and community—factors that help people remain active for decades. Large observational data sets have reported a clear statistical association between golf participation and lower all‑cause mortality, along with an increase of life expectancy of up to 5 years. This supports a plausible narrative that enjoyable activity patterns are strongly linked to better long‑term health, with golf serving as a realistic vehicle.

In practice, the aim is not to turn golf into a health project. But people should recognise that golf can already be part of a personal health strategy—and that a few simple behaviours can amplify its benefits. Playing golf regularly matters most. Walking the course when feasible helps. And a little preparation and warm-up before the round helps people keep playing comfortably and consistently.

COMING NEXT

Golf can support health and still comes with aches and pains. We’ll look at why back, shoulder and elbow issues often build gradually, and why treating symptoms alone rarely solves the real problem.

SELECTED REFERENCE

• Murray AD, Daines L, Archibald D, et al. The relationships between golf and health: a scoping review. Br J Sports Med. 2017

• Luscombe J, Murray AD, Jenkins E, et al. A rapid review to identify physical activity accrued while playing golf and modifiers of physical activity accrued. BMJ Open. 2017

• Murray AD, Archibald D, Murray IR, et al. 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health to guide action by people, policymakers and the golf industry. Br J Sports Med. 2018

• Farahmand B, Broman G, de Faire U, Vågerö D, Ahlbom A. Golf: a game of life and death—reduced mortality in Swedish golf players. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009

• Kettinen J, Tikkanen H, Venojärvi M. Comparative effectiveness of playing golf to Nordic walking and walking on acute physiological effects on cardiometabolic markers in healthy older adults: a randomised cross-over study. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2023