Is Golf Good For Your Heart? (Here’s what I found!)

Golf is a globally played sport by people of every age. However, the old-age citizens are found more often on the golf course with friends and a caddy. It is a great sport that is low-impact and easy on you. 

Many people are scared that playing golf and using clubs all day to hit the golf balls may affect their heart health. So, is golf good for your heart?

Golf is good for your health and your heart. According to the American Heart Association(AHA), golf may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by providing regular workouts and stress relief. In addition, walking a standard course when playing golf can be between 3.1 to 4.35 miles (about 5 to 7 km). And walking 18 holes three to five times a week will get you an optimal amount of endurance workout for your heart.

Golf has many benefits, especially to your heart. Still wondering how? Here is a complete guide that will help you learn how golf is good for your heart.

Are you interested in exploring How Many Calories You Burn While Playing Golf? I wrote an article discussing how many calories and how you increase your calories burned when playing golf. You can check it out here.

Is Golf Good For Your Heart?

Golf is a great sport to play and is healthy for your heart (Source: State Government of Victoria). There is no heart risk involved in playing golf during any weather condition. On the other hand, there are many health and heart benefits that one can enjoy by playing golf. 

Therefore, it is important to help you understand each of them so you can play gold without worrying about anything. 

Health Benefits Of Golf

Golf provides relatively intense physical activity through walking, carrying your bag, and swinging, increasing your heart rate and blood flow, resulting in a healthy heart, improved brain stimulation, and enhanced balance. 

Here are the main benefits of playing golf for your heart:

1- Golf Reduces Risk of Heart Disease

Every year millions of people suffer from heart diseases, and sadly, many lose their lives. There are remedies many people try to tackle heart diseases, but very few get success in this. Heart disease is a serious risk, and everyone should consider it very seriously. 

Many exercises can help you fight heart diseases, but the best out of all of them is golf. The sport helps your entire body and is the only exercise you need. 

Golf may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases by providing regular workouts and stress relief (Source: American Heart Association(AHA))

The extensive walking, swinging, and use of the entire body keep your system healthy and active. This creates the ability in your body to fight such heart diseases. 

Golf is suitable for people of every age, so it doesn’t matter if you are young or old. Golf will improve your heart health and reduce the risks of any growing heart disease. 

2- Regulates Heart Rate

Golf is a low-impact sport that can be an excellent way to exercise, socialize, and enjoy nature, which are the three factors linked to lower heart disease risk (Source: Harvard Health Publishing)

If you feel like your heart rate is irregular every time and you don’t know what to do, regulate it. But, of course, the best and easiest thing you can do is start playing golf. 

The sport exercises your heart and improves your health. The best thing with all the body and heart exercises is that your heart rate regulates and improves with time. 

Regularly playing golf can stabilize your heart rate in the long term. This will not only improve heart health but also reduce any risk for cardiovascular issues that you can face. 

3- Lowers Level of Bad Cholesterol

Cholesterol is present around your heart in two forms; good and bad. Good cholesterol is vital as it is required by the heart to function properly. But the increasing level of bad cholesterol is equally dangerous. 

A mainly unhealthy diet is the main reason for cholesterol build-up around your heart. Oily food and fattening snacks can contribute to bad cholesterol. However, playing golf is the best way to burn and lose that cholesterol. 

The entire cardio of your body can easily be done by playing golf. And when your body moves at such paces, all the unhealthy elements start losing their effect on your system. 

Therefore, no bad cholesterol guarantees a healthy pumping heart. 

4- Help Relieve Stress and Socialize

Stress is the biggest factor that contributes to an aging heart. The more stress you take and the chances of heart issues and attacks will gradually increase. This is why doctors often recommend that heart patients not stress about anything. 

However, many people try their best, but worldly things keep them busy and provide stress at maximum capacity. Golf is a great activity to do and helps best relieve stress. 

When you are out in the open air, you barely get the time and opportunity to think about anything. So instead, it distracts you from all the problems you’ve been facing. 

The best way to play golf is to have 3 to 4 friends with you all the time and play 18-hole course games. This will let you socialize and share the best moments with your friends. 

However, make sure not to talk about work or any problems you’ve been facing in your profession. Otherwise, there would be no effects of this remedy. 

5- Perfect For Weight Loss

Many people say that golf has no intense workout, so how could that help someone lose weight? Well, that is where they go wrong about the sport. Those who don’t play the sport think that it is just where you stand in a position to pot the balls in a hole. 

But there is long walking in golf, arms swinging, and all the putting. Walking an 18-hole course is not easy at all. But, once you step onto the course, you will understand how great cardio a game of golf is. 

The weight loss by golf will help take some burden off your heart and make it feel relaxed. Extreme body weight can burden anyone’s heart and create issues in blood circulation around your system. 

But if you want to lose weight by golf, make sure not to use a buggy at any cost. Otherwise, there would be no weight loss benefit. 

You might be wondering, is Golf Effective For Weight Loss? I wrote a detailed article where I shared how to increase your chances of losing when playing and the best sports to lose weight faster.

6- Exposure to Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to weak bones, fatigue, and a lower heart rate. When you get weak, your heart gets all the burden of your body. And your heart is the last organ you would want to put the burden on. 

Exposure to the sun will provide your body with sufficient vitamin D. This will strengthen your bones and muscular system.

When the body is working perfectly, every organ and component will not send a burden to your heart. Otherwise, heart rate and blood pressure issues are at risk when you feel. And all these are related to your heart. 

7- Improves Blood Circulation

The heart is the most important organ of your body. If any other system of your body doesn’t work properly, the heart does get affected. Therefore, you must ensure that each system and component of your body works smoothly. 

The one thing to ensure that would be improved blood circulation. The blood reaching every part of your body will ensure it works properly. Unfortunately, sometimes many issues result from disconnected blood circulation. 

Therefore, your entire body comes to work in golf, which is the best thing you can do. The transfer of your power from your hips through the shoulder and making a low impact on the ball affects your body a lot, mostly.  

On the other hand, golf helps your concentrate and boosts your focus. This improves your mental power and relaxes your brain.

In addition, when your body is in a normal condition throughout the game of golf, your heart health will improve. 

8- Meet Your 150 Minutes Of Physical Activity, as Recommend by The CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends each adult American perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise weekly and two days of muscle-strengthening training. 

And playing is an excellent way to reach your weekly physical activity requirements, which will lower the risk of heart disease, and prevents unhealthy weight gain.

Final Words

These are some top reasons golf is good for your heart. And not only your heart but your entire system. Playing regular games of golf on the course with a bunch of friends will surely help you in many ways. Ensure the proper equipment and a caddy to guide you throughout. 

However, golf is a game that you can enjoy by keeping score. It is all in your mind how you want to take each game. Make golf a part of your routine, and your heart will live a long, healthy life.