Is Golf Exercise?

Gretchen Reynolds, health writer for the New York Times, answers a question that many fear to ask: “Is golf with a cart exercise?” The short answer is “not much.” If you want exercise, walk the course; that requires about 50 percent more effort that sitting in a cart. The longer answer is this: Researchers at Stanford have calculated the effort per minute required to play golf, and it’s up there with shuffleboard, which isn’t really all that bad. On a slightly more encouraging note, Reynolds tells us, practicing shots at a golf range uses about the same amount of energy per minute as tai chi. Reynolds also points out that studies have shown that golf improves balance–a good thing at any age, but a particularly good thing at more advanced ages.