The Calories Burned From Playing a Round of Golf

By Allan Robinson

The number of calories you burn while playing golf vary widely depending on how you play it. It's generally a leisurely activity that burns relatively few calories if you use a golf cart and caddy. However, golf can burn calories at a significant rate when you walk and carry your own clubs.

Heart Rate

Heart rate is one of the most important factors in determining your calorie expenditure rate. This calculation is most accurate when your heart rate is in the range of 90 to 150 beats per minute, or bpm. The primary consideration for calculating your calorie expenditure while playing golf is keeping your heart rate above 90 bpm.

Heart Monitors

A heart monitor typically has a recorder function that allows you to record your average heart rate during a particular time interval. Start the recorder at the beginning of your round of golf and stop it after you complete the round of golf. This will provide your average heart rate during the round of golf and the duration of your playing time.

Measurements

A formula for calorie expenditure will require you to provide the factors in specific units of measure. Provide your heart rate in units of bpm, and the duration of the round of golf in minutes. Input your weight in units of pounds and your age in years.

Formulas

The Journal of Sports Sciences provides calorie expenditure formulas for each gender. The formula for women is: C = [(HR x 0.4472) + (A x 0.074) -- (W x 0.05741) -- 20.4022] x T / 4.184. C is your calorie expenditure, HR is your average heart rate, A is your age, W is your weight and T is the duration of the round of golf.
The corresponding formula for men is: C = [(HR x 0.6309) + (A x 0.2017) -- (W x 0.09036) -- 55.0969] x T / 4.184.

Estimates

The Mayo Clinic provides estimates for the calorie expenditure of golfing when you carry your own clubs. Expect to burn 329 calories during an hour of golfing if you weigh 160 lbs., 410 calories if you weigh 200 lbs. and 491 calories if you weigh 240 lbs.

References

• Mayo Clinic: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
• Journal of Sports Sciences: Prediction of Energy Expenditure from Heart Rate Monitoring During Submaximal Exercise

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/225378-the-calories-burned-from-playing-a-round-of-golf/#ixzz1s1LuK3wP

How to Lose Weight by Playing Golf

Golf, at first glance, seems like a lazy man's sport. Caddies carry the heavy bags, and golf carts are supplied to get players easily from hole to hole. But a recent study in "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" found that just one round of golf took over 10,000 steps, which is well over the range of how much walking an individual should complete in one day. You can squeeze in extra fitness and lose weight while working on your swing, just by making conscious, healthy decisions while on the course.

Step 1

Decline the use of a caddy. You'll save money, but you'll also get an extra workout by carrying your own bag. A typical golf bag weights around 15 to 20 lbs, according to "Golf Digest" magazine, and it makes for ideal weight lifting as you go from hole to hole. Weight lifting and resistance training is the ideal partner to cardiovascular activity in order to lose the most weight.

Step 2

Leave the golf cart at the club. While a golf cart may help you and your party get around the course, it also robs you of the ideal chance it offers to sneak in some cardiovascular activity. With an 18-hole course offering at least 10,000 steps, it's a good way to get in your daily recommended amount of physical activity.

Step 3

Drink water instead of sports drinks or beer while on the course. While your friends may enjoy throwing back a few cold ones from the cooler, they are only consuming empty calories that can cause them to gain weight. Switch to a cold water bottle instead to reduce the amount of calories that you consume.

Step 4

Grab a protein shake at the sport's bar after your round of golf. Drinking a beverage high in protein up to an hour after your workout on the course can help in muscle recovery and maintenance, notes personal trainer Katrina Hodgson. It can also help keep you full and satisfied so you aren't tempted by greasier fare at the bar, disrupting your diet and setting you back.

Step 5

Golf three times a week to see a real difference in your weight. Take a couple of nights to hit the driving range, and concentrate on your form. The chopping motion of a good drive can help whittle away some of the excess bulk from your hips and waist.

References

• Mayo Clin Proceedings. 2006 Aug;81(8):1041-3.: The contribution of golf to daily physical activity recommendations: how many steps does it take to complete a round of golf?
• Golf Digest: On a roll
• Katrina Hodgson: Post workout meals

Article reviewed by JPC Last updated on: Aug 24, 2010

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/85411-lose-weight-playing-golf/#ixzz1m6FQ6MYX