Energy Consumption in Golf: Classifying Golf by Physical Activity Guidelines
Abstract Introduction: Physical activity is known to improve physical fitness and health. Playing Golf is a wide spread leisure time activity, but has yet to be evaluated in regard of energy consumption and physical stress. We conducted a cross-over design study with two groups of different age and skill level to evaluate energy consumption and relative stress and compared the results with intensity levels of physical activity guidelines.Methods: We recruited 20 healthy, male subjects, 10 with a high skill level and 10 having a lower skill level. All subjects completed a graded exercise test (GXT), a golf practice session (each 5 strokes with 5 different clubs) and 9 holes of golf on two different days. During all testing sessions gas exchange data and heartrate was continuously captured with a mobile breathing gas analyzer.Results: Exercise intensities (as proportion of VO2peak) during practice were 34.2 ± 6.5 % in LOW and 36.4 ± 6.5 % in HIGH. %VO2peak while playing golf was 45.0 ± 6.4 % in LOW and 46.2 ± 8.8 % in HIGH. Mean METs during the 9 holes of golf were not significantly (p=0.596) different between groups LOW (5.13 ± 0.49) and HIGH (4.98 ± 0.77).Conclusion: The two groups showed neither during practice nor during playing golf significant differences in METs and %VO2. Both groups reached moderate intensity with METs and %VO2 according to the ACSM guidelines on the golf course but not on the driving range. The groups spent about half the time during playing 9 holes of golf in the “moderate” intensity category according to ACSM. Thus golf is a valid sport to improve physical fitness and cardiovascular risk factors.