For years, some people questioned whether or not golf was even an actual sport.
People didn’t believe it took athletic ability, strength, and stamina to play a round of golf.
Today, we know this is entirely untrue and that golf is, in fact, a great way to exercise and get in shape.
Some people are using golf to get themselves back in shape, and others use it as a way to maintain their weight.
If you have ever wondered how many calories you burn when you play golf, we have all the information you could need.
How Many Calories Are Burned Playing Golf?
How many calories you burn playing golf will depend on how much you weigh and how you play the game.
If you are higher in weight, you will burn calories a bit faster than people who are lower in weight.
When walking and playing golf, you will also burn more calories than if you are on a golf cart.
Riding on the golf cart will burn between 200 and 300 calories per hour.
If you are walking and pulling your clubs, you can burn between 300 and 400 calories per hour.
If you are walking and carrying your clubs, you will burn between 325 and 425 calories per hour.
These ranges are based on how much the person weighs.
It is interesting to note that you don’t burn that many more calories when carrying your clubs than you do when pulling them.
It certainly makes sense to pull your clubs and save your back than it does to try and carry them if calorie burn is your ultimate goal.
When you think about golf taking several hours to play, the calorie burn can be several thousand calories.
How Many Calories Are Burned Per Golf Swing?
It’s hard to narrow down exactly how many calories a golf swing will burn.
We know that the average golfer burns about 200 calories an hour when hitting golf balls at the driving range.
If you figure you hit about 100 or so golf balls at the driving range in an hour, it works out to about two calories per swing.
A fair estimate is that you burn anywhere from two to four calories each time you swing a golf club.
Why Does Golf Burn So Many Calories?
Golf burns so many calories for several reasons, but the most apparent reason is that it takes a long time to play golf.
Most sports will take about an hour or two at the most to complete.
When you play an eighteen-hole round of golf, you are out on the golf course for four to five hours.
When you consider that you may be burning, on average, about three hundred calories an hour for about five hours, that is fifteen hundred calories.
Even when playing in a golf cart, you will cover quite a lot of mileage on the golf course.
Add in swinging, bending, lifting, and all of the other physical movements golf requires, and you will end up burning quite a few calories.
Golf is certainly not going to burn as many calories as something like an interval workout at a gym or a run, but it burns quite a few.
Can You Lose Weight Playing Golf?
Losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit.
If you burn more calories in your day than you consume, then you will lose weight.
If you play a round of golf and you consume two cheeseburgers and a few beers, you will likely not lose weight.
If, however, you end up consuming 1500 calories total on a day when you burned 1500–2000 calories, you will certainly start to lose weight.
Golf is a great low-impact weight loss tool for those who do not have much physical exercise or movement in their lives.
For a person who does not participate in physical activities, to get up and run a marathon is a bit unrealistic.
However, that same person may be able to start with a one-hour trip to a driving range or playing a pitch-and-putt golf course.
These may be the way to ease into the world of golf while increasing your calorie burn at the same time.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Playing 9 Holes of Golf?
If you are walking the golf course, you can burn about 375 calories per hour.
If you take this number of calories and multiply it by the 2.5 hours it takes to play nine holes, you will end up with just under 1000 calories.
Many people will think about 1000 calories and be overwhelmed by what it would take to burn this amount.
Playing nine holes of golf certainly does not feel nearly as strenuous as running or working out at the gym.
Of course, since the calorie burn while playing golf is slower than in other sports, you will have to dedicate the time, but it can certainly get done.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Playing 18 Holes of Golf?
If you consider that, riding a golf cart, you will burn about 250 calories per hour, and an eighteen-hole round of golf is four to five hours, you will burn approximately 1500 calories.
If you decide to pull your clubs or carry them, you will burn more calories.
Also, if you are a larger person, your calorie burn will be much higher than that of a smaller person.
If you want to increase your calorie burn while playing golf, it is best to increase the number of steps you take and the speed at which you take those steps.
These two things will help you get the most out of your round from a calorie burn standpoint.
Is Walking 18 Holes of Golf Good Exercise?
Walking eighteen holes of golf is great exercise.
There are some things you should consider when walking eighteen holes to make it a bit less strenuous on yourself.
If you decide to walk, make sure you have the right shoes.
Shoes for walking and playing the course and shoes for riding and playing the course may look a bit different.
Although traction and support are essential when walking, the most important thing is comfort.
If you have the best looking shoes on the course, but your feet are hot, wet, and have blisters, it is certainly not worth it.
When you purchase golf shoes, make sure they are cut out for walking.
Another thing to think about when walking is using a pull cart.
Pull carts make it so that you don’t have to carry your golf clubs on your shoulder or back.
Although it takes a little bit of time to get used to playing golf with a pull cart, it is worth it for your health.
A pull cart will help to save your neck, your back, and even your knees.
When you look at the difference in calorie burn from walking with a pull cart to walking and carrying your clubs, it is minimal.
This minimal difference will not matter enough to risk your health.
Even the best golfers on the amateur level who used to believe in carrying their golf clubs are now switching to the pull cart.
Pull carts have come a long way and now are much more comfortable to use and more maneuverable as well.
Many of the pull carts also have a place for you to keep your scorecard, your phone, and even your water bottle.
These are excellent features to have when enjoying a day on the golf course.
Does Hitting Golf Balls Burn Calories?
Yes, hitting golf balls burns calories.
It does seem as though the walking that is done on the golf course is a bigger calorie burner than the hitting of golf balls at the range.
If you spend an hour at the range after your round of golf, you are certainly adding a significant number of calories burned to your day.
Now make sure you use this calorie deficit wisely when it comes time to visit the 19th hole.
Is Hitting Golf Balls Good Exercise?
Hitting golf balls can be good exercise.
It is not going to be a cardio or weightlifting activity like you might find at a gym, but it will help you burn calories.
Golf is considered to be a moderate level of exercise.
It is more about the time spent doing it than the high level of calorie burn in the moment.
Swimming is going to burn much more calories than hitting golf balls.
However, hitting golf balls will burn quite a few more than not hitting golf balls!
If you want to increase the amount of physical activity in your life slowly, golf is undoubtedly the way to do it.
Is Walking 9 Holes Good Exercise?
Walking nine holes of golf is great exercise, and it is perfect for people of any age.
Golfers who are both older and younger will find that nine holes will suit their needs.
Some golf courses are finding that, when they split their eighteen-hole golf course into three separate six-hole loops, they are much busier.
People seem to be able to find the time to spend an hour to an hour and a half playing six holes.
It is a much more difficult time commitment to spend five hours on a course playing eighteen holes of golf.
Is Golf Good Cardio?
A cardio workout consists of getting the heart rate up.
Cardio workouts are great for your heart health and your overall health.
Golf is not an intense cardio workout.
You can certainly get your heart rate up when you are climbing hills and getting towards the eighteenth green after a long day, but it is not an intense cardio workout.
For those golfers who keep up a good pace while they are walking, they will likely get more of a cardio workout in than others.
How Many Calories Are Burned Playing Mini Golf?
When you play miniature golf, you are not swinging a golf club.
The forms of exercise here are standing, walking, and bending down to pick up the golf ball.
A typical eighteen-hole round of miniature golf will burn around 200 calories, depending on your current weight and size.
If you are looking to start a diet and get into great shape, miniature golfing will not be enough to do it.
Miniature golf is a fun family event people enjoy, but it is not known for being physically challenging in any way.
How Many Calories Do You Burn at the Driving Range?
When going to the driving range, you can also burn some calories.
Especially on a hot day where you are getting some great practice in, you will get some good calorie burn at the range.
On average, a golfer will burn about 200–225 calories per hour at a driving range.
Considering you won’t have to hit the entire time and you will also be improving your golf skills, this sounds like a great place to spend some time on a weekend afternoon.
Does Golf Burn Fat?
To burn fat, you will need to burn more calories than you consume.
When you play a round of golf, and you play early in the day, you are probably starting to burn fat.
Your calorie burn will be well into the thousands, but what you have consumed for the day should be considerably less.
If you try to eat healthily when you are on the golf course, it is not only going to help you lose weight, but it will help your golf game.
How well do you think your body will perform when it comes to swing speed, timing, and tempo when it is working with only a hot dog as fuel?
Compare that with how you think your body will do if you switch that hot dog to a protein shake.
Indeed, the differences in performance will be apparent.
Some golfers are very serious about their game, and they take nutrition, stretching, sleep, and more into consideration when playing golf.
If you have not yet thought about these things and how they may help your game, you may want to consider it.
Golf is something which requires the mind and body to be working together at all times, and fueling your body correctly is very important.
Conclusion
In the last few years, more and more information has come up about golf being a great exercise.
People are starting to learn that not only can golf help people maintain and control their weight, but it can also help you lose weight.
If you have been struggling with losing weight and you want an activity that helps ease you into exercise, golf is a perfect choice.
The fact that you will be on the golf course for several hours at a time helps increase the calorie burn.
Time on the golf course is fun, and it passes by quickly.
After an eighteen-hole round, knowing that you also burned two thousand calories, you should feel like you were productive.
Even if your score is terrible, its good to know that you still got some exercise in.
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