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A Swedish study issued in May 2008 in a scientific benchmerk magazine has highlighted a fact that concerns all of us: golfers have a life expectancy 5 years longer.
The authors have compared life expectancy of the general population with thait of more than 300.000 golfers registered at the Swedish Golf Federation. Both populations were similar in terms of age, sex and socioeconomic level. This methodological rigour makes the results indisputable.
How can golf improve your life expectancy?
Regular physical activity of the white ball enthusiasts (walking outdoors) would be a short and simplistic explanation. Another specific quality of the golf practice is predominant: the preventive approach through socialization.
Most golfers often play with people of the same age and can therefore compare their performances. If one of them struggles to follow the walking pace of his/her usual partners, feels quickly breathless after an uphill walk, he/she will most probably consult his/her doctor in a proactive approach. This aspect of “prevention by socialization” plays a major role in the benefit stemming from regular golf practice in terms of life expectancy.
A regular physical activity beneficial to the cardiovascular system
In our strongly sedentary society where cardiovascular risks are high, it turns out that golf is one of the best exercises. Golf is a practice of a moderate and fractioned physical activity (long walks punctuated by balls striking) with recovery phases. Regular practice of golf (2 to 3 times a week) provokes a significant increase of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and of the ratio HDL cholesterol / total cholesterol. These different elements contribute to improve the cardiovascular risks, particularly for the people of more than 45 years.
Golf also helps maintaining the mental capacities
Golf is a good means to fight cerebral ageing. As a matter of fact, focusand strategy are essential elements to defeat the only actual adversary: the golf course. Choice of the stroke, the target and the club… Each decision will impose a real intellectual approach and, it can happen, each bad stroke will require a good dose of self-control and a certain mastery of stress in order to ensure the succes of the next shot.
Golf professionals already agree to say that golf is 20% technical, 20 % physical and 60% mental. Now, we can add that it also adds 5 more years of wellbeing!!
Le Monde - February 15th, 2010
Translated by BettyS
