‘Fore’ Reasons Golf is A Hole-in-One For Health
North Carolina is home to nearly 600 golf courses1 so there are ample options for hitting the fairway this Father’s Day.
Aside from bonding over birdies with dad, there are several well-researched health benefits associated with golf. So grab your clubs and hit the links.
Improve risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Playing golf regularly can improve known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.2 Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, were the leading causes of death in North Carolina in 2013.3 To prevent these chronic conditions, hit the course to help reduce stress and get some physical activity.4
Get some exercise
“Playing golf can provide moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity.” 2
Health experts recommend 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week.5 Walking 18 holes will improve strength, flexibility, balance, and stamina.
Healthy Habits
It’s no surprise that playing golf can contribute to healthy and active aging, providing physical and mental health, cognitive, social, functional and other benefits.2 If Dad enjoys passing time at the tee box, he’s not alone. An estimated 4.2 million golfers aged 65-and-over hit the greens in 2018.6 Golf is a particularly desirable hobby due to the moderate risk of injury when compared to other sports.2
Opportunities to connect and network
Playing golf provides opportunities to connect across generations, race, and gender. Golf is a sport that supports social interaction and communities thrive when they gather around the golf course.
Read: LPGA LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CHALLENGES GIRLS TO LIVE FEARLESS
What better way to bridge the gap between generations of the family tree than to bond over a game of golf? An estimated 2.5 million junior golfers took to the links in 2018, and more than one-third of today’s juniors are girls compared to 15% in 2000.6
Need some recommendations on courses? Check out this Top 100 list to locate one near you.
Sources:
[1] https://www.homeofgolf.com/top-100-nc-golf-courses/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6241627
[3] https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@adv/documents/downloadable/ucm_472867.pdf
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/healthy_living.htm
[6] https://www.ngf.org/golf-industry-research/
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