fbpx
Ocean Golf Club at Four Seasons Ocean Club Bahamas

health benefits of golf

Ocean Golf Club at Four Seasons Ocean Club Bahamas
Golf course at Constance Lemuria Resort Seychelles
Golf with mountain backdrop at Finca Cortesin Spain
Golf at Porto Elounda Golf and Spa Crete
Golf course at The Residence Tunisia

Playing golf is a way to stay healthy, take exercise, and have fun all at the same time. The best part of golf is that you’re outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Strolling around the links in nature gives us many health benefits for our mind and body.

Playing golf is not only physically good for you (see below), it also releases powerful, natural, mood enhancing drugs called endorphins into your bloodstream. As long as you don’t strive to play with Tiger Woods-like perfection, just having a stroll in the open air and enjoying a round of golf with your friends helps to make you feel better. If the sun is shining – even better!

So here are some more excellent reasons to play golf:

 

Exercise

Golfers know that there’s a lot of walking involved, and the worse you play the more walking there is to do!  Playing golf once a week means that you’re walking between four and eight miles, which is great for the heart and lungs.  Any activity that leaves you slightly short of breath and works up a bit of a sweat is good for your cardiovascular system, or heart. In addition to lowering harmful cholesterol, it also helps speed up your metabolism, making weight loss easier.  A round of golf burns about 1,000 calories if you carry your clubs.  Less if you pull your clubs in a cart and much less if you ride in a buggy.  Hitting practise shots on a driving range burns about 200 calories an hour.

Frankly, the debate as to whether golfers are athletes ends with Tiger Woods. His training involves almost anything you find in a gym:  weight machines, free weights, dumbbells, medicine balls and various items for stretching and balancing, such as inflatable rubber “physio” balls and foam cylinders. But what Woods does differently from a typical weight lifter, says Deep Bunker, is that he tries to perform various exercises in movements and positions that mimic the golf swing. He works on his golf posture and grip strength while, say, lifting dumbbells.  Woods also performs many exercises that build core strength.

If you’d like to get in to some golf specific training, THe Healthy Holiday Company can introduce you to fitness training professionals who understand exactly how you need to train in order to get ‘golf fit’.  Please just get in touch.  Or, best of all, join a fitscape fitness holiday and, in just one week, you’ll be a great shape for your next round of golf and benefit from all the golf specific training you’ve received.

 

Bone Health

Weight bearing exercises are good for your bones.  Done two to three times a week it can create long, lean muscle mass, which helps support a strong skeleton. This type of exercise can also help prevent bone degeneration, including osteoporosis. To include weight bearing in your golf game, carry your clubs.  We strongly recommend using a double strapped golf bag to avoid stressing your shoulders.

 

Stress Reduction and Cholesterol

Golf also reduces stress and cholesterol, two things that everyone needs to reduce. A single game of golf can burn up to a thousand calories, which is a great way to stay in shape and burn off excess fat. A game of golf gets the blood flowing and increases your heart rate, making golf a wonderful cardio-vascular exercise.

 

Brain Power

Playing a round of golf can help boost your brain power and walking the course will help even more. Studies have shown that new brain cells are created and more oxygen is pumped to the brain when you are active in some kind of aerobic exercise. In addition to good nutrition and exercise, mentally stimulating your brain is also believed to help prevent Alzheimers by stimulating blood circulation and improving neural pathway connections. Think of how much mental power it requires you to keep your cool and positive thinking after hitting a bad shot!

Golf is constantly challenging your mind in terms of co-ordination, concentration, visualization and strategy.  It does not matter if this is your worst round of golf because golf is good for your mind and body!

As many experienced golfers say:  “The mind is your greatest weapon. It’s the greatest club in your bag. It’s also your Achilles heel.”

 

Social

Golf is one of the top social sports out there and it can be played year-round all over the world.  If you’re walking the course, it can be a calm but thorough workout, and the social side of golf is part of what makes it so popular. There are few things better in sports than teeing up on a beautiful day with good friends.

 

Vitamin D

This vitamin is essential for strong bones, it regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. Vitamin D also helps regulate the growth of skin cells. While you can eat some foods that are high in vitamin D, your body can actually make all of this vitamin it needs just by catching some rays outside. So go outside, take a walk around the links and let your body do its work.

The Healthy Holiday Company can organise some golf for you as part of your holiday in the sunshine in some extraordinary and gorgeous parts of the world.  If you’d like to include golf as part of your holiday activities, please let us know.  How about Bali or the Seychelles?  Perhaps Malaysia or Thailand?

 

Sleep Better

Study after study has shown that regular exercise increases the positives that sleep brings. You’ll fall asleep faster and remain in a deep sleep for a longer period of time with regular exercise, which includes activities like golf. Sleep is important because it allows time for your muscles to repair themselves. Playing a round of golf by day will likely increase the quality of your restfulness by night.

 

Golf holidays

Our specialists can organise you’re perfect golf tour or simply add in a round or two for you on a holiday of another kind.  Just let us know what you would prefer.

Hotels with golf courses

Mirador Champagne Bar at Pine Cliffs, Portugal

Pine Cliffs is located in the most southern region of Portugal, the Algarve, famous for its year round sunshine and long sandy beaches. The resort...

Solo
Couples
Families
Friends

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort is one of Europe's best resorts, located on Sicily's south-west coast near the seaside town of Sciacca.  Winning several prestigious...

Couples
Families
Friends
Panorama view of Penha Longa, Portugal

This regal hotel was built in the 14th century and sits in magnificent gardens surrounded by pretty lakes with breathtaking views of the Sintra Mountains....

Couples
Families
Friends
Infinity Pool with views at Terre Blanche Golf and Spa Resort France

Surrounded by rolling valleys and mountains, this beautiful resort -  a member of both The Leading Hotels of the World and European Tour Destination -...

Couples
Families
Friends

The Romanos is a luxury resort with stunning views across the Ionian Sea, surrounded by lush olive groves, vineyards and secluded coves.  A brilliant destination...

Couples
Families
Friends

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort is one of Europe's best resorts, located on Sicily's south-west coast near the seaside town of Sciacca.  Winning several prestigious...

Couples
Families
Friends
Header pool Heritage Le Telfair Mauritius

The Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness resort is perfect for those wishing to stay away from the hustle and bustle of many of the...

Couples
Families
Friends

Enquire Now

Please provide us with some basic contact details and your message. We will be glad to help. If you would prefer to call us, we’re on 020 8968 0501 or, for international callers: 00 44 20 8968 0501

Enquire NowClose

Why Choose Us?

Icon for USP

With over 15 years experience, we’re travel experts

Icon for USP

Fully tailored holidays, exactly as you want them.

Icon for USP

All of our holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme and Protected Trust Services.

Icon for USP

Our experienced team at your destination will look after you every step of the way.

Atol Protected Logo Protected Trust Membership Protected Trust Services Card logos

The Healthy Holiday Company Ltd, 5th Floor, 167-169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF

Copyright & 2024 The Healthy Holiday Company. All rights reserved. All trademarks acknowledged.