AN American scientist has concluded, in case you had any doubts, that golf is indeed a sport - one that burns up much more energy than most people think.
Neil Wolkodoff, director of the Rose Centre for Health and Sports Sciences in Denver, Colorado, attributes the high energy expenditure to swinging a club, rather the walk between shots.
He got eight male volunteers, aged 26 to 61, and with handicaps between two and 17, fitted them with measuring gadgets and asked them to play a few rounds on the undulating front nine of a local Denver golf club.
He came to the conclusion that they burned more calories when they walked and carried their clubs (721) than when they rode in a buggy (411). When they walked, they traversed about 4km over the nine holes, compared with 0.8 of a kilometre when they rode in a buggy. But the 500 per cent increase in mileage corresponded to only a 75 per cent increase in calories burned. Wolkodoff concluded, therefore, that swinging a golf club is good exercise that burns lots of calories.
Haris Mohamad, senior physiotherapist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, who works with its Golffit programme, agrees that golf is a sport. 'It involves a fair degree of physical exertion over an extended period and there's considerable energy expenditure when swinging the club,' he says.
'The swing is a quick explosive movement that requires good muscle work, especially by the lower and oblique abdominal and gluteus muscles, to but name a few. This sudden burst of energy is made possible by the contraction of hip, abdominal, trunk and shoulder girdle musculature, and requires balance and co-ordination to go with it.
'And let's not forget that golf is not just one or two swings - a golfer has to complete nine or 18 holes. Golf may not in the same league as, say, soccer, rugby or tennis, but the fact that it utilises physical and mental activity to achieve its makes it a strong contender as a sport.'
Benedict Tan, head and senior consultant sports physician at Changi Sports Medicine Centre and medical director at the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre, says Wolkodoff's quantitative results are within expectations.
'Walking doesn't burn many calories (about 100 every 30 minutes for a 70 kg person) and doesn't push your heart rate much above the resting rate,' says Dr Tan. 'You should also bear in mind that during golf you don't walk continuously. However, for someone whose baseline fitness is low, walking provides an adequate stimulus, so if you are sedentary and inactive, walking is a good start.'
He adds: 'When exercising, total energy consumption comprises energy consumption at rest plus the increased energy consumption brought about by the exercise. In most forms of intensive exercise, the baseline energy consumption can be ignored as it only forms a small proportion of the total.
'But because a round of golf can take some time, the baseline energy consumption cannot be ignored. Assuming Wolkodoff's subjects took 90 minutes to play nine holes and burn 721 calories, 110 of the 721 is attributable to the baseline energy consumption and 611 can be attributed to the golf itself. (In other words, a scientist who sat around while his subjects were out playing nine holes would have burned 110 calories versus the 721 that each of his subjects burned).
'Wolkodoff's energy expenditure results are within expectations, but one needs to realise that the numbers represent total energy consumption.'
Wolkodoff's survey revealed two other things: while the 2,500-plus calories the average golfer can burn by walking 36 holes a week is considered good for their health, it will do little to improve their fitness or help weight loss; and a person's level of fitness directly affects the quality of their golf.
'There's a fair bit of muscle activity involved in a golf swing, and you shouldn't forget the amount of stress the spine takes during a swing - about seven to eight times the body weight,' says Tan Tock Seng's Mr Haris, agreeing that golfers have to maintain a reasonably high level of fitness to play better golf. 'If the muscles are not conditioned enough to combat this stress, there is a high chance of injury,' he says. 'The muscles should have a reasonable amount of flexibility, strength and endurance to continually help with the mechanics of the swing.'
There is also a need for cardiovascular fitness, he says. 'A common complaint I hear from golfers is that they start getting tired by the time they get to the 12th or 15th hole and find it difficult to get good distance on their drive, or their muscles get fatigued. This can be avoided if a golfer maintains a good fitness level, by improving muscular flexibility and strength and maintaining decent cardiovascular fitness.'
Dr Tan says: 'Other than aerobic fitness, strength is an important attribute in golf, as large forces are generated and transferred from the body to the ball. In particular, the core muscles, scapular muscles, rotator cuff muscles and forearm flexors and extensors need to be really strong to optimise performance and minimise the risk of back, shoulder and forearm injuries that are common among golfers.'
Even though energy expenditure in golf is high, it may not necessarily increase your fitness. A trip to the gym a couple of times a week to reduce festive flab may be in order. But the good news is that playing golf does increase flexibility and motor skills.
'As a good swing requires a full backswing, and follow-through, flexibility is required of the hips, back, and shoulders,' says Dr Tan. 'In golf, the feet are planted on the ground and power is generated and sequentially transferred from the knees to the hips, back, shoulders, club, and finally to the ball. Achieving efficient power generation and transfer requires motor coordination and timing.'
According to Mr Haris: 'It is essential that a golfer has good flexibility to begin with. If there is a lack of flexibility, the golfer will compensate by using unwanted movements to get to the top of his backswing, and that in turn will lead to muscle or joint injuries. From my point of view, flexibility is the most essential ingredient in playing good golf. And if you continue to play golf, it is likely that you can maintain your flexibility, and improve it, in the long run.'
