GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

  • Home
  • About
  • Most Popular
  • Categories
    • Stinky Golfer Paradise
    • Golf Life
    • The Pro Tours
    • Reviews
    • The Economics of Golf
    • Golf Growth & Diversity
    • Health & Environment
    • Golf Destinations
  • Golf Terms
  • Newsletter

Health & Environment

Is Golf exercise? Does walking the course help keep you in shape? Can you golf eco-friendly? What are courses doing to help the environment? You've got questions, we've got answers.

Hacking Away At Calories

May 13, 2011 | By Pete Girotto | 2 Comments

Back in August of 09′, fellow Stinky Golfer Chris posted “Is Golf Exercise?” His point was that golf is supposed to be enjoyed and who cares what issues the nay-sayers have with golf not being considered “exercise.” Taking it a step further, I decided to revisit this issue and focus on the benefits golfing HAS towards a healthier lifestyle.

We all know a lot of people push golf aside as a legit form of exercise. Granted, it isn’t quite as rigorous as the P90X workout but it is definitely a way to HELP shed some excess weight. As new data surfaces and the concern for better health, diet and so on pursues, we look for different ways to keep the ol’ ticker in tip-top shape.

It seems there are new diets coming out every day such as the obvious Atkins and South Beach to the more obscure and weird ones. You know, where all you can eat is steamed cauliflower roots and drink sea weed shakes for 2 weeks. I think everyone has that one strange friend who swears by this diet they learned of from their “spiritual leader.” This is the same person who looks like he or she is 90 years old but is actually only 35.

I’ll put it this way; Losing weight equals burning more calories than you take in…period. I know because I did it. How? By raising my activity level and lowering my caloric intake via a healthier diet. So, how does this relate to golf? Easily – carry your clubs for 18 holes. If you golf a couple times a week, carry your clubs and eat a little healthier – you will lose weight.

“Well, what if I can’t carry my clubs?” Don’t worry, you still burn calories using a cart. According to Healthstatus.com‘s Calories Burned Estimator, here’s a chart estimating the calories burned by golfing with a cart and carrying your own bag broken down by body weight

Please note: This is just an estimate and should not be used in medical decisions. Duh…


Also note that this table uses 4 hours as the time to complete 18 holes based on the national average.

As you can see, golfing does in fact burn calories. Now if I couple that with the 6 or 7 hundred calories I burn sleeping…Who needs the gym?

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

Related posts:
Is Golf Exercise?
The Truth About Walking the Golf Course

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: Atkins Diet, calories, exercise, golf, Golf Health, health, health status, P90X, South Beach Diet, weight loss

Golf and the Environment…Enough Already!

April 27, 2011 | By Greg D'Andrea | Leave a Comment

autumn-194834_1280Dear golfers of the world,

Haven’t we heard enough about eco-this and eco-that? The tree-huggers already have a day dedicated to the well-being of the planet: Earth Day…and it was last Friday – I think we’re good till next year, no?

It’s bad enough Al Gore is running around like Chicken Little yelling the sky is falling, but now the “green” movement is encroaching on our golf games to boot.

First the environmentalists complained that golf courses messed up the local wildlife (big deal – it’s not like the golf industry is BP). Then they observed that it takes a ton of water to keep a course green…not to mention a ton of chemicals (so there’s a little chemical run-off – who drinks out of a stream anymore anyway)? I mean, what’s next – outrage over the billions and billions of lost golf balls littering the planet? The gas used in our carts? The trees chopped to accommodate an additional 18 holes?

Don’t even get me started on all the “eco-golf” websites out there: Places like Turfhugger, Golf & Environment and…of all sites to jump on the bandwagon; Golf Stinks…with posts HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE – about…yep, you guessed it…Golf and the freaking environment. When will it end?

Well, it appears no time soon. If the aforementioned wasn’t eco-nauseous enough, the hippies over at Golf Refugees have developed “a set of environmental golf rules.” Apparently, they feel they have the cojones large enough to petition the the USGA and R&A to alter the Rules of Golf to accommodate their new eco-rules – what silliness!

I’m so sick of hearing that golf is made up of a bunch of rich fat cats that don’t care about the environmental impacts of the game they love. I say the exact opposite is true: We’ve taken what was once useless wilderness and turned it into something for everyone to use (well, that is…everyone that has the prim and properness to wear chinos and a collared shirt; frivolously spend on the latest golf balls, shoes and gloves; fork over a small fortune on greens fees; spend hundreds – in some cases thousands – on a decent set of golf clubs; and have a car to put it all in…preferably something with 8 cylinders that comfortably fits 7).

So please don’t let all this eco-hype fool you. Golf courses are doing nothing wrong and there’s no such thing as global warming. Just go about your business as usual and I hope to see you all at your local course this weekend (just ignore those yellow “caution pesticide application” signs on each tee-box – they’re totally hog wash)!

Sincerely,
The Traditional Golf Industry

Author’s Note: Unless your head’s completely up your ass, you’ve realized this post is nothing but satire. That being said, it’s time the powers that be in the golf industry get their heads out of their asses.

If we want our kids and our grand kids to enjoy this game, we need to make some changes ASAP. The guys over at Golf Refugees are on to something with their eco-rules – it’s a lofty goal, but a necessary one. And if we can’t change the rules immediately, how about an eco-tournament on the pro-tour? Just one tour stop a year where there’s an eco-centric theme (perhaps it’s played on a course that doesn’t use pesticides).

Many people point to golf as a sport that’s detrimental to the environment. Let’s change that. God knows, this game can use all the help it can get.

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: al gore, earth day, eco-friendly, eco-rules, environment, turfhugger, wildlife

Golf After Global Warming; It’s Gonna Be Great!

January 21, 2011 | By Greg D'Andrea | Leave a Comment

golfstinks eco-golfAs I sit here looking out my window at nearly three feet of snow, I can’t help but wonder whatever happened to global warming? Remember that? Here in Connecticut, that soon to be extinct white stuff fell at an unprecedented rate over the last few weeks (separate storms produced 14″, 11″, 2″, 22″ and 4″ of snow within 20 days).

I guess the reality is, as long as we’re driving around burning the remnants of dinosaur bones and chopping down trees like Paul Bunyon, global warming is something that will eventually happen. Oh we may not be around to see it, but our great, great, great grandkids will probably be basting in warmer temps across the globe.

Sure, the glaciers will be gone; earthquakes will be rampant; and you’ll need an acid-retardant suit to go swimming in the ocean, but I’ll tell you this: The golf industry will have it made!

Think about that for a second. Once global warming takes hold, most golf courses will be able to remain open year-round. Do you know what that would do the economics of golf? Today, the sport basically has an economic impact of $80 billion a year. That number could easily double to $160 billion if courses say, in Minnesota, can remain open say, in January.

Let’s face it, by then, people (especially the U.S.) will probably be so unhealthy, athletic summer activities like beach volleyball, biking, and anything involving running will be out of the question for most. That being the case, many would most likely gravitate to a sport where they can ride around on a cart the entire time (especially if the cart has a roof to shade them from the massive amounts of UV light that will be coming from the sun in the future).

Now then, with so many people playing golf, merchandise and equipment will be selling like hot cakes. For example, it may not be out of the ordinary for a drugstore chain like Walgreens to have an aisle dedicated to just golf stuff; “Golf balls? Yes ma’am, pass the sunscreen aisle and the water filtration aisle, and the golf aisle will be just after that.”

The PGA tour will also benefit from mass amounts of people taking up the game. It will expand to have 10,000 players competing on courses all over the world! Many tour players will be as recognizable as Derek Jeter and Tom Brady (and make as much money as those guys too). Meanwhile, Hooters Tour players will actually make enough money to support their families!

Yep, golf will be so popular, the major networks will compete to broadcast the FedEx Cup in prime time! There will literally be so many tournaments, the Golf Channel will need three networks just to cover it all (unfortunately, the programming on all three will be so lame that most people will get their golf fix on ESPN’s dedicated golf network, ESPiNtheHole).

Everyone will have at least one uncle who’s a golf pro at some course somewhere. And instead of riding bicycles and playing catch, kids will practice putting and chipping for hours on end and swap golf trading cards of their favorite tour players.

Yes, golf after global warming will be the cat’s meow for us golfers. Of course, until then, much of the world will have to settle for waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw and the grass to start growing before they can enjoy this game again. But boy will our great, great, great grandkids be lucky.

So remember, just keep ruining the planet and one day your ancestors will be able to enjoy golf year-round! Of course, all the courses will be made of AstroTurf because no grass will grow due to the giant hole in the ozone, but what the hey…

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: astro turf, derek jeter, eco golf, environment, ESPN, global warming, hooters tour, ozone, PGA, Tom Brady

The Truth About Walking the Golf Course

October 6, 2010 | By Greg D'Andrea | 11 Comments

Getting at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day meets recommended standards for health maintenance and wellness. But what about golf? Could golf be considered exercise? Well a research paper now puts to rest this age-old question…as long as you’re walking instead of riding.

Walking the golf course (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
Is walking the golf course really exercise? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Now I realize if you walk the golf course, there’s no place to put your beer. I get it. I’ve been guilty of using the cart as a portable keg too.

It’s so much easier to ride out there – no long walks between tees; no feeling like a mountain goat; no fatigue over the last few holes.

Besides, when your doctor tells you to get more exercise, he doesn’t mean to go play golf – at least my doctor didn’t: “Golf is stop-and-go, Greg. You don’t get enough of a workout walking a little, stopping to hit a ball and then walking a little more.”

But golfing has got to count for something, doesn’t it? We’ve posed this question before, in this post, a while ago. But now we actually have some proof that walking the golf course is not only healthy, but it’s also a good way to get some exercise.

A published study entitled “Physical Activity Parameters for Walking Golf Participation: An Analysis of Volume and Intensity” from Mark D. Peterson (Department of Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University) has provided us some interesting findings.

Mr. Peterson set-out to prove that the volume and intensity of activity while walking 18-holes could be pinpointed by using modern technology. He began by recruiting healthy men between 18 and 30 years of age at a local, average-sized (6,605 yards) golf course in Mesa, AZ. Each participant was required to walk 18-holes (from the same tee-box) while wearing an accelerometer, a pedometer and a heart-rate monitor. In addition, each participant had a GPS logging device attached to the back of their hats.

Each device recorded a different variable for the study. For example, the accelerometer recorded the “intensity of ambulatory physical activity,” which could then be measured against established standardized categories such as sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous activity. Meanwhile, the pedometer was used to calculate total steps taken during the round and the GPS measured total distance traveled. The heart monitor measured heartbeats per minute.

Mr. Peterson then took the data he had collected and measured it against recommended standards for health maintenance and wellness: “It has been recommended for health maintenance and wellness that individuals attempt to accumulate 7,000 and 13,000 steps, and/or 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, on all or most days of the week.”

Mr. Peterson’s data revealed walking the course EXCEEDED these recommendations.

On average, data showed the participants’ number of steps taken were at the higher-end of the spectrum (12,197 steps). Particularly striking, Mr. Peterson’s data shows that the majority of activity while walking on the golf course was bucketed into the category of “Moderate/Vigorous” activity (e.g. on average, the golfer spent 105.4 minutes of the total 182 minutes on the course doing moderate to vigorous activity). In addition, results showed that participants’ heartbeats exceeded 100 beats per minute more than 65% of the time. A copy of the study can be requested HERE.

While it’s true that walking the golf course results in fluctuating activity, it also appears true that the majority of that activity is exceeding the recommended standards for health maintenance and wellness. Hear that Doc? Golfing not only isn’t hurting my health, but it’s actually helping keep me in shape! Now I wonder what the opt-out clause on my gym membership contract is?

Despite the fact that Stinky Golfer Greg may have taught his doctor a thing or two about golf and exercise, he is in no way, shape or form qualified to be giving medical advice. Always check with your physician before using golf as a substitute for real exercise.

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: activity, exercise, fitness, Golf Health, heart rate, mark d. peterson, walking the golf course, wellness

Screw Nutrition; Put Food Trucks on Every Hole

September 22, 2010 | By Greg D'Andrea | 2 Comments

I wish there were NYC-style food trucks on the golf course! (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
I wish there were NYC-style food trucks on the golf course! (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

So I’m standing in line at the chicken and rice cart on the corner of West 45th street and 6th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

It’s lunchtime and that awesome smell from the truck is wafting down the street towards my office. Yes, I know it’s street meat. But in New York, street meat is king…and cheap. For 4 bucks, you really can’t beat it.

Anyway, while I’m standing there, it dawns on me that when I make the turn on the course, it’s usually around lunchtime too. That got me thinking about what I eat at the turn – and the funny thing is, I normally don’t eat much. Somehow, I feel if I eat a burger or dog, it will slow me down on the back nine (strange how I never seem to worry about slowing down when a stack of work is waiting for me back at the office).

You know what I normally have at the turn? Nothing. Yep – water is usually the only thing I swallow (other than my pride) during an 18-hole round. Is this bad? Should I change my ways? Well, I did some research on the subject – turns out nutritionists have infiltrated the golf industry as well (don’t take Mulligan’s; spend more time at the range; eat healthy – as much as we want this game to be fun, people keep finding ways to make it a pain in the ass).

As I investigate further, I realize that nutritionists want to initially discuss what you ate for breakfast (yep, we can’t get an answer on what to eat at the turn without first changing the rest of your life). The general consensus is breakfast should be eaten a full 90 – 120 minutes before your tee-time. And this can’t be an Egg-McMuffin or breakfast sandwich from Dunkin’ Donuts either – nope, this will just make you “crash” on the back nine. You need to eat some whole grain bread with peanut butter, or cereal with nuts, etc.

Now then, once breakfast is out of the way, make sure you’ve got good snacks to nibble on during the round – nuts, banana, apple, peanut butter crackers, etc. And…well, the web is filled with advice on how to eat and what to drink before, during and even after a round of golf – it’s rather overwhelming. Do a Google search for “golf nutrition” and you’ll see what I mean. There’s even a book written on the subject entitled “Nutritional Leverage for Great Golf” and more directly, an energy bar created specifically for golfers.

Look, I get it. I understand that I should be eating healthy; that healthy eating will probably give me more endurance during a round; and that extra endurance will probably lead to better scores. But I’m also trying to eat healthy in my general day-to-day life as well – and if you’re like me, you cheat “once in a while” (e.g. chicken & rice cart). For me, golf happens “once in a while.” That being said, I think I’m going to start eating hot dogs and drinking beer at the turn (now if I can only convince a food truck to set up shop on the 10th tee…).

Filed Under: Health & Environment Tagged With: back 9, back nine, food truck, nutrition, nutritional, nutritionists, street meat, the turn

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • Next Page »

Awards

Badges Badges Badges Best Mens Blogs Badges

Advertisements

GPI


 


Archives – Read all 1,000+ GolfStinks Posts!

Blogroll

  • Aussie Golfer
  • Black Girls Golf
  • Devil Ball Golf
  • Front9Back9 Golf Blog
  • Geoff Shackelford
  • Golf Blogger
  • Golf For Beginners
  • Golf Gear Geeks
  • Golf Girl's Diary
  • Golf News Net (GNN)
  • Golf Refugees
  • Golf State of Mind
  • Golfgal
  • My Daily Slice of Golf
  • Pillars of Golf
  • Ruthless Golf
  • The Breakfast Ball
  • The Grateful Golfer
  • UniqueGolfGears.com

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here

Copyright © 2009-2024 GolfStinks.com - All rights reserved.