Why Golf Should Be Banned

There is one sure fire way to burn more calories by playing golf: If the course will allow it, forgo a cart in favor of walking. In 2010, sports scientist Neil Wolkodoff conducted a study using a group of amateur golfers, and found they burned over 700 calories per 9 holes when they walked the course versus just over 400 when they rode in a cart. This means you could burn about a Big Mac’s worth of extra calories by walking an 18-hole round instead of riding.

Now that the obvious is out of the way, we can get to one of the study’s more surprising results.

“One of the interesting things I’ve found was that the actual act of swinging a golf club takes significant energy,” Wolkodoff told The New York Times.

Spending a few extra minutes at the driving range can help you burn a pretty substantial number of calories: Just 15 extra minutes equal about 50 calories. You burn the most calories when you engage your shoulders, hips and core in your swing, so be sure to concentrate on your form for a better workout.

Taking more swings on the course can also help with your calorie count, but that doesn’t mean your score needs to go up for your waistline to go down. Instead, consider trying this: Next time you’re playing in a twosome, hit two tee shots each. Then play your better-lying ball, again giving yourself and your partner two shots.
Rather than standing around waiting for the rest of your group to tee off, use that time to fit in some push ups, lunges, squats or calf raises. Tony Horton, creator of P90X, recommends setting a goal of getting your heart rate up for one minute, 10 times each day. You could knock out a few of those one-minute stints by doing calisthenics on the course. If you’re not the only one in your group looking to burn some calories, perhaps placing a wager could help … The highest scorer on each hole has to do 10 push ups or walk to the next hole instead of riding in the