Is Hitting Golf Balls Good Exercise? Here’s The Data

detlef32 — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 07:33:16 +0000

There was a time when golf was considered a sport for old, overweight, and generally unhealthy folks. That’s no longer the case.

Just turn on a PGA Tour tournament today, and you’ll see that most golfers are now thin and fit.

Most professional golfers are now in incredible shape thanks to advances in nutrition, supplementation, and exercise. Speaking of which, does playing a round of golf or pounding balls at the driving range qualify as exercise?

Let’s take a look at what the research has to say.

Calories Burned Playing a Round vs Hitting Balls at The Range

Does golf qualify as exercise? According to this research from NutriStrategy, yes it does. However, does it qualify as “good” exercise? That all depends on what type of golf activity and how long you do it.

For example, playing a full round of 18 holes of golf burns more calories per hour than simply hitting golf balls at the driving range. All of that walking on the golf course burns off a lot more calories than just practicing your swing on the range.

There are also other factors to consider, like whether you walk the course while carrying your clubs or use a golf cart. Take a look at the following chart to see how many calories each golf activity burns per hour based on your weight.

Golf Activity	Cals/Hr (130 lbs)	Cals/Hr (155 lbs)	Cals/Hr (180 lbs)	Cals/Hr (205 lbs)
Golf: Walking While Carrying Clubs	266	317	368	419
Golf: Walking but Using Pull Cart for Clubs	254	303	351	400
Golf: Riding in a Cart	207	246	286	326
Hitting Golf Balls at Driving Range	177	211	245	279

Tips to Make Your Next Round of Golf More of an Exercise

By using the above chart, we can give you some tips on how to make your next round of golf more effective at calorie burning. These suggestions may help you burn calories and even lose some weight (if that’s your goal).

1. Walk Instead of Riding in a Golf Cart

This tip is the most obvious. Walking is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise and can lower your risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Most health experts agree that people need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.

Walking while carrying your golf clubs or even walking while using a pull cart would be considered moderate exercise. However, playing a round of golf while using a golf cart is likely light exercise.

As we learn from the above table, a 205-pound average golfer burns 93 more calories per hour by walking and carrying clubs than by riding in a golf cart. That may not sound like a lot, but it adds up to a significant amount of extra calories burned over a four-hour round of golf.

Carrying your clubs on a regular basis can result in greater strength, which could give you a bit of power off the tee. If you aren’t able to carry your clubs, start off by using a pull cart instead. Doing this will help a 180-pound person burn an extra 65 calories per hour over using a golf cart.

2. If You Do Use a Cart, Spend Less Time in It

We know that most golfers prefer using a golf cart during their rounds. While that’s not ideal from an exercise standpoint, anything is better than nothing. You are much better off playing golf than simply sitting at home on the couch.

One way to burn some extra calories, even if you’re using a cart, is to not spend too much time sitting in it. You may be thinking, “Well duh, thank you Captain Obvious,” but stick with me.

The next time you are waiting on the tee box for the group in front to finish, do some stretching to increase your flexibility instead of just sitting in the cart. This will burn more calories, keep your muscles warm, and will make you less likely to suffer a strain or pull.

Tips to Make Hitting at The Range More of an Exercise

Even casual golfers know that to take strokes off their handicaps, they must spend lots of time honing their swings at the golf driving range.

The problem is that a 205-pound person burns 140 fewer calories per hour at the driving range versus playing golf on an actual course (if walking and carrying clubs). However, we have some tips that will help you get more exercise while at the golf range.

1. Stretch Before and After Your Range Session

Stretching before any form of exercise is a fantastic habit to develop. Before you begin any golf activities, make sure to warm up and stretch your shoulders, arms, lower back, hamstrings, buttocks, and hips.

Hold each stretch for 30 seconds before moving on to the next one.

2. Work Your Abdominals at the End of Your Practice Session

Just because you are at the driving range doesn’t mean you can’t give your abdominal muscles a good workout.

When you’re finished hitting golf balls, drop down on the mat and knock out some crunches and leg lifts. This will give you more core strength, which will eventually lead to more yardage off the tee and less chance of lower back strains.

A good drill is to hit 50-60 balls and then do 50-60 reps of some form of ab work. Some folks on the range may look at you kind of funny, but you aren’t there to impress them.

Remember, the purpose of a good range session is to lower your handicap and get a good amount of exercise.

3. Don’t Forget to Work on Your Short Game

Remember, the most efficient way to shoot lower scores is to improve your short game. Don’t leave without hitting several putts on the practice green and chip shots out of a bunker if possible.

Doing this will also extend your overall practice time and help you burn more calories.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

Source link

Shot Scope enables golfers to dig deeper into on-course performance data

detlef32 — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 13:46:25 +0000

Shot-tracking specialist Shot Scope has added a new course and hole analysis feature to its already extensive performance analysis platform to further enhance the user experience.

Recent developments have given Shot Scope users access to even more game-changing features, with an advanced game breakdown available to all those interested in their performance at specific courses or on individual holes.

The updates to Shot Scope’s data analytics platform will enable golfers to gain a greater understanding of their performance on specific holes at specific courses

Course-specific statistics give golfers a comprehensive map of how they typically perform at any given course. This feature will be most beneficial for home courses, with users traditionally tracking multiple rounds that can be broken down into useful data.

In addition to overall course analysis, Shot Scope has further advanced the performance data available through more specific, individual hole statistics. When looking at this data, it will give golfers a bespoke game plan for their home club based on prior rounds at that course.

Information on up-and-down statistics from different areas, average score with different clubs off the tee, and heat maps of typical activity on each hole, will all be available to users to help shoot lower scores.

One statistic that offers a unique insight is the individual strokes gained ranking per hole. By compiling all rounds a golfer has played at a certain course, Shot Scope software is able to compute a ‘strokes gained’ ranking for each hole – which can then be compared to the course hole ranking. This also enables golfers to benchmark against players with similar handicaps on the same course, as well as comparing their performance against other golfers at their club.

Not only is this informative to the user, but also to coaches who can get a more detailed, statistically-driven, understanding of how their clients are performing out on the course. The information can be used to structure and guide lessons, as well as helping golfers plan out their course strategy before an event.

Overall up-and-down statistics are displayed in a clear graph, highlighting the percentage from each miss zone – showcasing where a golfer traditionally makes the highest number of up-and-downs from. This interactive and visual display of data allows golfers to easily navigate the intricacies of their game, in what can otherwise be a confusing process. When combined, the course and hole analysis features provide key awareness into how golfers can map their way round the course in a more efficient manner.

The new analysis feature is available to all Shot Scope users who are currently using a product with shot tracking technology, including the V3, H4 and PRO LX+, and is accessible through the mobile app.

To find out more, head to www.shotscope.com.