Is Golf Good For Weight Loss? (Yes, here’s why!)

Golf is a fun sport that can help you enjoy a lot if you know how to play properly. It requires high mental capacity and precision to compete with others.

Meanwhile, you can improve yourself and other areas of your life by playing golf. So, is golf good for weight loss?

Golf can help you lose weight. For an 18-hole round of golf, taking from 4 to 4.5 hours, a walking golfer can burn between 840 to 1848 calories depending on the weight, the type of golf course, and if they are carrying their golf clubs in a carry bag, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Read on to find out how to lose by playing golf and effective exercises to combine with playing golf to lose weight faster.

See also: Is Playing Golf Considered Sport? (Here’s the truth!)

Is Golf Good For Weight Loss?

Even though golf does not require intense physical activity, it is still good for weight loss if you play frequently. You can easily burn a sufficient number of calories while playing golf.

As you can see, golf is a fun and excellent way to lose weight while enjoying the outdoors.

The table below displays the calories burned in 4 hours of playing golf.

Calories Burned in 4 Hours Playing Golf	125-pound (57 Kg) individual	155-pound (70 Kg) individual	185-pound (84 Kg) individual
Golf with cart	840	1008	1176
Playing Golf while carrying clubs	1320	1584	1848

How Does Golf Help Lose Weight?

Golf is a fun and easy way to get in shape and stay healthy. Here are the top ways this sport assists weight loss:

1- Golf Encourages Walking

The top feature of golf is that you will have to play the game on multiple courses. This means you will have to walk from one path to another while carrying your things. Professional players get caddies for moving from one course to another. However, this is not the same for regular players.

If you play a game of 18 holes, you can expect to walk about four miles. The walking may not be continuous, but it is adequate for burning calories.

Typically, you will burn 840 to 1848 calories in 4 hours of playing golf. This is why the sport is highly helpful for weight loss.

2- Golf Trains Your Body

Another way to stay fit and lose weight is by strength training to build muscle. The good news is golf helps this by encouraging you to use your muscles. A basic example of this is swinging your clubs to hit the golf balls. However, this example represents a low-impact activity.

The primary thing that helps with strength training is walking across the different courses. This will mainly improve your quadriceps and hamstrings in the lower limbs.

Lifting your bag with tools, including carrying a golf bag, will also allow you to strength train your upper body and lose some extra pounds. 

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3- Swinging Clubs Help With Calorie Loss

Golfing primarily allows you to lose calories by walking, but you will also burn some calories by swinging your clubs. This move can improve your cardiovascular health in specific cases. For instance, you should swing the club continuously for 30 minutes to notice significant results.

So you will have to hit the driving range and take continuous practice shots to lose a significant number of calories. Playing golf helps with weight loss, but it is not the best way to work out. This is because you must play it frequently for significant changes. Luckily, there are other sports you can participate in specifically for weight loss.

Best Tips For Losing Weight By Playing Golf

Here is how to lose weight by playing golf:

• Start with a warm-up for at least 15 minutes before playing. Stretch your muscles to reduce injury risk and hit balls to warm up your upper and lower body muscles and boost your heart rate.
• Walk and carry your clubs if you can, as it increases the number of calories you burn. While walking, keep a brisk pace to raise your heart rate.
• Stay on the cart paths, mainly if the golf course requires carts. Instead of riding to your ball, leave the cart on the way opposite your ball, pick up a couple of clubs and walk to your ball.
• Try speed golf (AKA fast golf, extreme golf, fitness golf, and hit and run golf), which combines running and golf. Ensure that your golf course allows for speed golf, particularly during the slow time.

See also: Turf Shoes And Golf Shoes: Which Ones Are Better For You?

6- Best Sport To Play To Lose Weight

Here are the five best sports activities you can perform to lose significant weight:

1- Swimming – Burns between 360 to 840 calories per hour

Swimming is one of the top sports activities you can perform to lose belly fat. Depending on your speed and distance, you can burn between 360 to 840 calories per hour. Typically, you can lose more calories by moving faster and covering a greater distance. You should choose styles that will help you swim for longer.

Choosing breaststrokes over freestyle is the top way to increase your swimming time. It will help you burn more calories per hour and enjoy consistent results.

Besides weight loss, this sport will also strengthen your muscles, improve posture, increase stamina, and enhance your cardiovascular health.

2- Cycling Burns Between 420 to 1386 Calories per Hour

Cycling is another great exercise and sport that comes under the aerobic category. This is why you can enjoy the activity without impacting the lower parts of your body. For instance, you will not stress your ankles or joints in this sport. These are prevalent consequences of sprinting sports such as soccer and running.

Pedaling allows you to burn 420 to 1386 calories, depending on how fast you pedal. However, the overall results depend on the time you spend cycling and the number of calories burned in each session. The top thing about this activity is that you can easily perform it daily without exhausting yourself.

3- Boxing Burns between 540 to 756 calories per hour

Boxing is an intense activity that remains on the top for many fitness enthusiasts. It allows you to maintain agility, improve body strength and hand-eye coordination, and lose weight.

Another good news is that this activity has multiple forms. You can opt for the standard boxing classes that mainly involve punching a bag or your opponent.

Besides that, kickboxing is also a favorite activity that comes under this sports category. It also helps you lose a significant number of calories.

You can burn between 540 to 756 calories within one hour with boxing. This is why boxing is considered an excellent sport for weight loss.

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4- Basketball Burns Between 390 to 672 Calories per Hour

Basketball is another physically demanding sport suitable for weight loss. You have to keep the ball safe from opponents by moving with it and shooting hoops using your upper body muscles. This is why the activity is best for exercising the upper and lower parts of the body.

Sweat buildup during basketball also promotes the burning of more calories. You can expect to burn between 390 to 672 calories per hour while playing basketball. Depending on the court size, game duration, and intensity level, the number can be greater. If all of these things are higher, you can lose more calories in one hour.

5- Walking Burn Between 214 to 378 Calories per Hour

Walking is excellent aerobic exercise and one of the most convenient sports for the body and your joints, mainly as it reduces your risk of injury.

Depending on your body weight, you can expect to burn between 214 to 378 calories per hour with walking.

If you are out of shape and looking for ways to lose weight and be healthier, you can start with walking because it does not require a gym membership.

6- Running Burns Between 480 to 1342 Calories per Hour

Running is a good form of exercise for weight loss. It burns many calories, and it may help you continue to burn calories long after your run.

In addition, running may help suppress appetite and targets harmful belly fat. Like walking, running will help you burn calories and lose weight; however, research shows that running is more helpful than walking in helping you reach your weight loss goal.

Running helps burn up to 1342 calories per hour depending on your body weight.

Is Hitting Golf Balls Good Exercise?

Hitting golf balls is considered moderate exercise and falls into the 150 minutes of workout category you require every week. The activity is light and does not allow burning of high calories. However, this depends on your intensity.

The exercise is considered good if you hit golf balls continuously for 30 minutes or one hour in a practice range. However, it is not a great activity if you hit balls on the course. This is because you cannot maintain continuous movement and enjoy consistent results.

See also: 5 Best Alternatives For Golf Shoes

Final Thoughts

Overall, golf is good for weight loss. Regularly playing golf will keep you active, help you burn calories, and lose weight.

If you don’t play golf frequently, I would recommend participating in other activities to increase your chances of losing weight.