"Golf is a great measure of fitness for the Baby Boomer Generation," says Vijay Vad, a New York sports-medicine specialist and consultant for the PGA Tour. "Do your legs ache at night? Do you take a cart? These are all indications of how healthy and fit you are."
A 160-pound golfer using a cart burns about three calories per minute while golfers who walk and carry their clubs burn about six calories a minute, according to the American Dietetic Association. After 18 holes, a cart rider will have a heart rate of about 86 beats a minute, but walking and carrying your own clubs pushes your exercising heart rate to 120, according to Golf Digest. Exercising at the higher end of your target heart rate range is a sign of better fitness.
Golf and business are similar in a lot of ways, according to both business people and professional players. Click here for How to Get a Hole in One
Executives are putting more thought into how to play and whom to play with. Business foursomes are now more diverse, with 20-something women and middle managers joining in. Click here for Women, Golf and Business
Here is a look at the health of the average golfer:
80% of golfers suffer from pain, injury or illness
27% have back pain
66% are overweight
30% have played with a hangover
Sources: 2006 Golfer Health Study of Golf Digest and The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2007
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