Viral Scoop
news | June 03, 2026

Do you walk a lot in golf?

Studies of golfers have found that playing 18 holes is about equal to brisk walking in terms of intensity—even though golf walking is stop-and-go.

How much walking do golfers do?

The average distance walked was 6.6 miles, or a distance 69% greater than the scorecard yardage alone. The shortest distance walked was 5.7 miles, or a distance 47% greater than the scorecard yardage alone. The longest distance walked was 7.8 miles, or precisely double the scorecard's yardage!

Should you walk while golfing?

One of the most obvious advantages of walking during a golf round is the health benefits. A golfer usually burns twice as many calories walking 18 holes as does one who rides. Walking 18 holes is equivalent to a 3.5 – 4 mile run and can exceed 10,000 steps during a typical golf round.

How far do you walk when you golf?

The World Golf Foundation estimates that golfers who walk an 18-hole course clock about 5 miles and burn up to 2,000 calories.

Does golf count as exercise?

Golf can be good for your health and your heart. Walking an average course for a round of golf can be between five to seven kilometres. If you walk 18 holes three to five times a week, you'll get an optimal amount of endurance exercise for your heart.

42 related questions found

How much exercise is 18 holes of golf?

A golfer can walk four to eight miles for all 18 holes, or less when using a cart. That can burn between 264 and 450 calories per hour or about 531 to 2,467 calories per 18 holes. According to Murray, people who play golf regularly have better lung function than those who do not.

Can you lose weight playing golf?

Golf can absolutely help you lose weight. Walking an 18-hole golf course in four hours can burn up to 800 calories, or even more if the terrain is hilly and if you are carrying your golf clubs in a carry bag.

How much is it to walk 18 holes of golf?

Related. Play a round of regulation 18-hole golf on most courses and you'll walk anywhere between 3 and 6 miles, depending on the length of the course, how much walking you do before and after your game, and how often you have to wander off course in search of lost balls.

Is hitting golf balls good exercise?

Conclusion – Hitting balls is most likely light exercise, but certainly not intense “golf exercise”. It probably falls into the 150 minutes of moderate activity that the American Heart Association recommends per week.

How long does it take to walk 9 holes of golf?

An average golfer, playing without a cart and walking the full nine-hole course would take around 2 hours to complete their round. Fast players or single-player rounds will take less time, reducing this time by as much as 45 minutes.

Can I walk 18 holes?

Walking 18 holes equals about four undulating miles, and doing that while swinging and carrying your bag probably pegs your total calories-burned number to around ~1,400, according to an experiment conducted by the Director of the Center for Health and Sport Science and reported on by the New York Times, and sometimes ...

How many calories burned 18 holes?

For an 18-hole round of golf, which can run from 4-5.5 hours, a walking golfer can burn anywhere from 1,200-3,000 calories. A golfer won't burn quite as many calories if they're walking the course but using a push cart, but the energy expended to push or pull a walking cart will come close to making up the difference.

How long does it take to walk 18 holes of golf?

With that adjustment, we expect you to walk about 5 miles over 18 holes. Assuming a gentle walking pace of 3 miles per hour, that's a distance you should cover in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Does golf build muscle?

Swinging a golf club, in and of itself, is not very difficult from a strength training point of view. However, as discussed above, golf courses typically have lots of hills and valleys. Walking up these hills is sure to work the quadriceps and hamstrings, which help to make up the muscles of the lower body.

How many steps is walking 18 holes?

Regardless of handicap level, sex, or course played, most subjects exceeded 10,000 steps during a typical round of golf. Consequently, in most cases, walking 18 holes of golf will meet the recommendation to accumulate 10,000 steps per day as part of a general physical activity plan.

How many days a week should I practice golf?

So how often should you practice golf in order to get better? Practicing four times per week at the range, chipping area and putting green will help you become a better golfer.

Is walking 9 holes good exercise?

By walking six days per week and play 9 holes while carrying clubs one day a week, it's possible to burn as much as a 3500 extra calories every week.

What muscles make you hit the golf ball farther?

Deltoids, forearms, legs, back, chest, and core muscles all have a considerable effect on how far you can hit a ball. Focus on these muscles and flexibility to add power and provide consistency to your game.

Is golf hard to play?

Ultimately, golf is such a difficult sport to play—arguably, the most difficult—because it is, in essence, multiple sports rolled into one. You need power and gentleness, flexibility and control, and many people underestimate the physical requirements of the game of golf, so they struggle to make progress.

How far do golfers walk at the Masters?

The five-mile or so walk between the Georgia pines at Augusta National is 11,000-plus steps of up and down and up again. It requires hitting shots from uneven lies.

How many calories does playing golf burn?

Playing 18 holes of golf burns anywhere from 800-1,500 calories, a significant amount considering the average moderately active adult male should consume between 2,200-2,800 calories per day, a range that drops to 1,800-2,200 per day for females.

How does golf keep you fit?

Golf is good at working the buttocks, lower back, and abdominal muscles. This will improve your balance and give you greater strength, mobility, and flexibility. Good core exercise will also take the strain off other muscles and reduce back pain.

Why are golfers so thin?

Generally speaking, a thin or fat shot is caused by having your swing center too far behind the ball at impact. This error causes your club to bottom out too far behind the ball and will cause you to hit the ground first (a fat shot) or hit the top of the ball (a thin shot).

Does body weight affect golf?

There's a pretty logical explanation for it: When you're using body weight for thrust and leverage in your golf swing, and then suddenly you have less body weight, you have less thrust and leverage.

Is golf a vigorous exercise?

Studies of golfers have found that playing 18 holes is about equal to brisk walking in terms of intensity—even though golf walking is stop-and-go.