Swing When Your Winning - Part 2

Golf Golf Golf...

So we are back with the FitandFull blog today after a couple of weeks off.

Really just taking a week off myself and a week to review the content that I am giving to the readers.

So comments are still very much appreciated, as this gives me the very best indication of what everybody would like to see.

After that quick update I thought I would come back to you with Part 2 of my Blog about Golf.

My first Blog about the sport being my most popular Blog so far. Find it here.

In this Blog we will look at Golf in the UK and more health benefits of Golf.

Golf in the UK.

Now Golf has always been a big sport over here in the UK, steeped with Tradition dating back to the Middles Ages. 

This being said the sport has often been associated with the upper and middles classes, with this now far from being the case it seems like more people than ever are getting out on the course.

According to Sport England's - Active People Survey on Golf (2012)

"Once a week participation in Golf is up by more than 69,000 compared with 6 months ago"

Also

"Golf is currently exceeding its Sport England growth target"

This i suspect is now due to the extensive coverage that Golf now receives with TV deals from Sky Sports and The BBC. 

Also with many successful UK and European golfers now getting to the top of the game inspiring people to push their game.

A huge part of this being down to heroics performed by the European Ryder Cup team.

Saying this the amount of young people getting involved with the sport is still down:-
  
Demographic analysis.

•The recovery in the last year has almost entirely been

driven by the 65+ age group where participation has

increased by 58,000. This returns participation to just

above APS2 levels. It had been previously showing a

consistent, statistically significant, decrease.

• Participation among 20-24 year olds has fallen further in

the latest data, reversing earlier increases in participation.

This is contributing to a drop in participation among

people aged 16-25.

The younger a golfer starts the game the more progression with take place, start young and really reap the benefits in later life.

More health benefits of Golf.

In an article by Becky Sauers posted on Tallahassee.com, research conducted by Neil Wolkodoff of the Rose Center for Health and Sports Sciences (Denver, Colo.) was used to show roughly how many calories were burned playing an average 9-hole golf course.  According to the article golfers who walk and carry their own bag burn 721 calories, golfers using a pull cart burn 718 calories, golfers walking with a caddie burn 613 calories and golfers riding in a golf cart burn 411 calories on average.

According to research presented in the article, burning 2,500 calories a week can greatly reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  As such, it is easy to see how playing more rounds of golf can factor into a healthy lifestyle.

In related golf / health news, it is important to recall a recent study conducted by the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) that found the death rate for golfers is 40 percent lower than for other people of the same sex, age and socioeconomic status.  This equates to a 5-year increase in life expectancy for regular golfers. 

So everybody, all you need now is some equipment to get yourself out on the course, keep an eye out for Part 3 of this blog where I will cover all you need to start playing.

In the meantime, get down to your local course, hire out some clubs and get out there.
Also with the summer holidays dragging on parents get your kids out and playing this great game.

Sources.

Active People Survey (APS) results for Golf - Period: APS2(Oct07/Oct08)toAPS5/6(Apr11/Apr12)

Becky Sauers - DEMOCRAT CORRESPONDENT - http://www.tallahassee.com

Study: Golfers Live Longer - Karolinska Institute

 

Sam.

FitandFull.

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