The average person weighing 180 pounds burns 257-463 calories per hour playing gold, the total calories burn depends on the your weight, intensity and type of activity.
Calories Burned with Outdoor Activities (weight: 175 lbs)
| MET | 15 mins. | 30 mins. | 45 mins. | 60 mins. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling or Biking | 9 | 188 | 375 | 563 | 750 |
| Hiking | 4.8 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 |
| Fishing | 3.5 | 73 | 146 | 219 | 292 |
| Horseback Riding | 5.5 | 115 | 229 | 344 | 458 |
| Kayaking | 5 | 104 | 208 | 313 | 417 |
| Skating | 9 | 188 | 375 | 563 | 750 |
| Skateboarding | 5 | 104 | 208 | 313 | 417 |
| Golf | 4.8 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 |
| Jogging | 9.8 | 204 | 408 | 613 | 817 |
| Rock Climbing | 8 | 167 | 333 | 500 | 667 |
You may not think that golf provides many physical benefits since there isn’t much physical activity required to play the sport. However, playing golf will allow you to burn plenty of calories. Read on to find out exactly how many calories you can expect to burn while playing golf.
Golf is one of the oldest and most popular sports worldwide. The sport dates back to 15th century Scotland, where the first golf match was played. The sport of golf involves using clubs to hit a small white ball into a hole in as few shots as possible.
Golf has changed a lot since it was first invented. One major development occurred in 1764 at St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland where they adopted the 18 hole format. What this means is that for every full round of golf, each player has to play all 18 holes and whoever has the lowest combined score for all 18 holes is the winner.
The great thing about golf is that no matter what level you’re playing at, you can burn calories all the same. Golf courses are often very large, so one round of golf can involve over seven miles of walking, often on different terrains with hills, grass cliffs, and flat land as well.
How To Use The Calculator
Using the calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while playing golf is easy and only requires a few steps. To calculate the number of calories that you’ll burn, just input your weight and the time that you’ve spent or plan to spend playing golf. Then select the type of golf activity you are doing and hit CALCULATE.
Using the calculator step-by-step:
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the specific golf activity you are doing
- Enter the amount of time you’re playing golf for
- Hit CALCULATE
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator uses MET values to give you an accurate estimate of how many calories you can expect to burn while playing golf and doing other activities. The higher the MET value, the more calories you will burn.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)
MET stands for metabolic equivalent of task, and MET values allow us to give you an estimated expenditure of energy for many different activities, such as playing various types of golf-related activities.
A MET value is a ratio between the working metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate [1], which is the rate of energy that is used relative to the duration of time spent doing activities like playing golf.
So a MET value of 1 is the equivalent of the amount of energy you expend while at rest, and a MET value of 3 means you are expending 3 times as much energy compared to being at rest.
Almost all activities that you can think of have MET values assigned to them. Some activities with MET values are common, and some are not so common. For example, there are MET values assigned to activities like doing laundry, hunting, and riding on a scooter.
Most activities come with varying levels of intensity and have different MET values assigned to them. For instance, hitting golf balls at a driving range has a different MET value than playing a full 18-hole round of golf.
Formula
The formula that our golf calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
A person weighing 220 pounds will burn approximately 315 calories per hour from playing miniature golf. This activity has a MET of 3, which means that it burns 3 times as many calories as you would at rest.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while playing miniature golf will look like for a 220-pound individual at a MET value of 2.5.
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 100 x 3 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 25 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 315 calories per hour
What about playing a full round of golf? This type of golf would involve walking the entire 18 hole course and pulling your own golf bag full of golf clubs. This is the highest intensity of golf that you can play and has a MET value of 5.4
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 100 x 4 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 5 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 570 calories per hour
Why Play Golf?
Golf is a non-physical sport that is very popular worldwide but is most popular in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. Golf is a hard sport to excel at, but for most people, it is a fun and relaxing activity that you can do with a group of friends on a nice morning or afternoon.
Professional golfers, as well as amateur golfers who play regularly, often have very good cardiovascular fitness levels. Golf is also a sport that is played primarily in good weather with warm temperatures and lots of sunlight, which can elevate your mood and your overall well-being.
One of the nice things about golf is that someone playing golf for the first time can burn as many calories as most professionals since golf requires plenty of walking no matter what level you play at.
Golf is a great way to get exercise if you are overweight because it’s a low-impact activity that doesn’t place much stress on your bones and joints. Since there is plenty of walking involved in playing golf, it allows you to burn calories even when you’re not swinging the clubs.
What Muscles Does Playing Golf Work?
One of the benefits of playing golf is that it is a sport that uses almost all of the muscles in your body. The most used muscle group in golf is your legs. The legs are used for walking the course and providing power when swinging the clubs and hitting the golf ball.
It is also important to focus on building a strong back so that you can avoid any injuries while playing golf. One of the most common injuries in golf is hurting your lower back by swinging too hard and using bad form while swinging the clubs.
Another important muscle group for increasing the distance on your golf shot is the arms and shoulders. While your legs and hips are the most important muscles for driving the ball long-distance, having strong strong arms and shoulders can improve your accuracy as well as allow you to hit the ball farther.
Benefits of Golf
Since there is a lot of walking and activity in playing golf, it is one of the best ways to get cardiovascular exercise on a daily basis while providing many other health benefits for those who play regularly.
Whether you are hitting balls at a driving range or playing a full 18-hole round on a golf course, you can expect to see many benefits including:
- Increase in heart rate and blood flow [2]
- Enhanced brain stimulation
- Weight loss
- Better sleep
- Healthier skin
Equipment
One of the downsides of golf is that it does require some potentially expensive equipment. A golfer usually has a golf bag, which holds most of the equipment needed such as golf clubs, balls, tees, and other items. A golf bag can hold 13 or more different clubs in it.
The reason there are so many clubs is that each club corresponds to a certain distance to the hole. For example, a golfer typically uses a driver for his first shot. After your tee shot, you typically use one of your irons, which are meant for shorter-distance shots.
Other golf equipment frequently used by players include special golf shoes, visors, hats, sunglasses, and gloves.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What workouts should you do to get better at golf?
To get better at golf, you not only need to practice your game on the course, but you also need to get stronger in the weight room. The best exercises you can do to improve your golf game involve strengthening your lower body and arms. Exercises like squats, pull-ups, and bench presses will allow you to hit the ball farther and with more accuracy.
Is golf a good form of exercise?
The act of hitting a golf ball in itself doesn’t burn many calories. However, playing 18 holes of golf involves a lot of walking, sometimes uphill. Since there is a great deal of physical energy required to play golf, it is a great form of exercise that isn’t very taxing on the body.
Is golf an endurance sport?
Golf incorporates aspects of endurance, physical exertion of skeletal muscle, strength, explosive power, gross motor coordination, mental focus, and a competitive nature. These are all attributes inherent in any sport to varying degrees depending on the skill level of its athletes, which makes golf an endurance sport.
The Bottom Line
You may not think of golf as being a physically demanding sport, however, it’s an activity that requires a lot of energy to participate in. Golf outings are typically for several hours over the course of a day, and playing 18 holes forces you to use a lot of energy which burns plenty of calories.
You may notice that most professional golfers are in top physical shape, and there’s a good reason for it. Being in top shape helps golfers to generate power when driving the ball as well as increase their accuracy for shorter-distance shots. So, if you want to be a good golfer, you need to get in great shape.
Use our golf calculator to get an idea of how many calories you can expect to burn while doing various types of golf activities, and be sure to check out all the other calculators that we have to offer at Fitness Volt!
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
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