When I started playing golf, I hated it, chuckles May McBath, a spry 96. I
could hardly wait to get to the 9th hole and go home. May started playing
golf at 76 so she could spend time with her sister who loved the game. Im a late bloomer when it comes to outdoor sports, says May. I took
up tennis in my mid 50s when I stopped working as a full-time nutritionist
in Florida and now hit the courts four days a week. Golf became part of
her weekly routine when she moved to a large Southern California
retirement community in Stanton. I took lessons from an older man who
could relate to my age. After a while, golf grew on me because hitting that
stupid little white ball around the greens not only gives me great exercise,
but I have fun constantly meeting new people when I play. In addition to bicycling outside and taking a daily two-mile walk, May
plays golf two days a week in a program called Outdoor Explorations,
Golf for Adults 50+, which is run by Angela Kelly, a Class-A certified
instructor for the Ladies Professional Golfing Association Teaching & Club
Professional Division. Angela makes golfing fun, no matter how well you
play, says May. She sets you up in a foursome with people you may not
know and offers prizes as incentives to play. To learn more about how golfing can benefit seniors, I interviewed both
Angela Kelly and Debra J. Rose, PhD, a senior exercise specialist and
professor at the division of kinesiology and health promotion and co-
director of the Center for Successful Aging at California State University at
Fullerton. Rose is also a professor in the physical therapy department at
Chapman University at Orange, California, an internationally recognized
researcher and author on the topic of fall risk reduction. Rose is co-editor
of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. When an uninitiated person looks at golf, it simply appears to
be a game instead of serious exercise. What would you tell
someone to change that perception? According to Rose, golf is a full-body exercise that requires aerobic
endurance, strength, flexibility and balance. Walking an 18-hole golf
course with golf bag in tow is equivalent to walking at least 4 to 5 miles.
Strap on a pedometer and find out. Kelly agrees. Golf offers quite a bit
more exercise than most people realize. If you walk and carry your clubs
during a 4- to 5-hour round of golf, you burn more calories than you would
playing basketball for an hour. Golf is also a mind game, says Rose. It requires attention, memory
and a strong dose of cognitive processing the thousands of golf cues
that can be applied to every swing. What health benefits does golfing offer? Golf is a well-rounded form of exercise, explains Rose. It combines
aerobic endurance (from walking the course), upper- and lower-body By Holly Rudin-Braschi, MA, ACSM W ere pleased to present a series of articles by a certified trainer in response to reader requests for exercise information. Among other benefits of exercise, it can help you control diabetes, hypertension and being overweight, all risk factors for heart disease. To ensure only good results from your efforts, see a physician and professional trainer before starting any exercise program. Get a Grip: Golf Your Way to Fitness 4 muscular endurance and strength (from pulling your clubs as you walk
and hitting the ball), upper- and lower-body flexibility (from twisting your
trunk to accomplish the swing and constantly placing and picking up the
ball), and dynamic balance and mobility. According to Kelly, even the
smallest shots in golf require using the tiniest muscles in your hands. Adds Rose, Even though there are no formal studies backing this up,
golf also seems to promote better concentration, memory, information
processing and problem-solving. Why is golf a good choice for seniors who want to stay
fit or become fit? Golf is a self-paced sport, says Rose, and can be performed at
different levels of intensity to match a players abilities. The level of
intensity will vary according to: (a) Type of course relatively flat versus
undulating (b) Length of each hole par-3 to full- championship course (c) Mode of transportation walking with golf bag in tow or riding a cart (d) Number of holes played 9 versus 18 (e) Number playing in group
(f) Number of players on the course the more
players, the more waiting
to tee off and the greater
time to rest between holes A re there any particular challenges in taking up
golf at an older age? If you can walk and have some sense of movement and balance, you
can play golf, encourages Kelly. Plus, you dont need athletic ability
to have fun playing golf. Kellys oldest beginner to date is an 84-year-
old woman. Our oldest member is 96 and she took up the game at
82, enthuses Kelly. No matter what ailment you might have, the
golf swing can be modified to fit your personal needs. One of our
members has Parkinsons. He had to give up tennis, but he can play
golf. Kelly has taught stroke victims, amputees with one arm,
people in wheel chairs and seniors who have had hip, knee and
elbow replacements. According to Kelly, even blind people can play
golf successfully and have loads of fun. For 20 years, May McBath, 96, has enjoyed both the exercise and social benefits of golf. Move It Lose It! or 5 Can golf help improve the fitness of an out-of-condition
person? Yes! says Kelly emphatically. First, as you learn to play golf, you
will notice positive physical changes. Youll find yourself gaining
stamina, becoming more flexible and getting increased strength in
your hands and upper body. In addition, the concentration and
coordination involved in golf help you feel mentally fit. What other benefits does golf offer? Because it generates a lot of healing and positive energy, golf can
give recent retirees or seniors who may have lost a spouse a whole
new lease on life, said Kelly. Its a very social game played
outdoors. Golf takes people away from their personal
environment to venues where they meet new people and make
new friends. I find that, when seniors play regularly in groups,
they are very supportive of one another. In addition, even though
you play with other people, its a totally individual game you play
against yourself ... just you and the golf course. This means a new
golfer can have a satisfying game playing with a seasoned golfer. What type of golf program would you suggest for
inactive seniors who have never played? Golf is a good choice for previously inactive seniors because it has a
self-paced nature and there are many options that can make the
game more or less intensive, says Rose. She suggests that,
depending on their fitness levels, new golfers start out slowly by
playing fewer holes on shorter par-3 courses and alternating between
riding a cart and walking every second or third hole. Before golfing,
take time to warm up the major muscle groups in the shoulders,
arms, trunk and legs. Do dynamic stretching activities without, and
then with, the club in hand. Go out to the practice range on a regular
basis and practice with irons and woods over different distances. Seniors who played golf when they were younger may have a
less steep learning curve, but are susceptible to overdoing it too
soon particularly if they were quite competitive when younger.
Its recommended that returning golfers who have become rather
sedentary over the years follow the same conditioning program
as beginners. How can a beginner prevent the frustration factor of
continually missing the ball? It can be helpful to join a group of peers who are also learning the
game, suggests Rose. Theres comfort in knowing others are
experiencing the same problems. Its also important to take some
lessons from a qualified golf instructor so you can learn the correct
technique. Age-associated changes in vision may make it a little
more difficult to see the ball, so you may want to use brightly
colored balls or make sure you have a better-sighted friend watch
the balls flight during each stroke. Are there any off-the-course exercises that new golfers
should perform to help improve their game? Rose suggests new golfers complement golf games with a home-
exercise routine that emphasizes strength, endurance, flexibility and
balance. Take a walk on non-golf days, gradually increasing the
duration and speed of your walk. A recent study published in the
Journal of Aging and Physical Activity demonstrated that an 8-week program that combined strength and flexibility exercises resulted not
only in improvements in strength and flexibility but also in a
significant improvement in club head speed (CHS). In a group of
senior golfers, club head speed increased from 85 to 87.1 miles per
hour after the 8-week program. 1 Other good exercises to practice are standing balance activities that
include rotation, with and without weights for example, standing spinal
rotations with a pulley cable or weighted ball or mimicking a golf swing. Golf can be a pretty expensive sport. What suggestions
can you give to help make the sport economical? Check your local junior college for courses in golf, suggests Kelly.
These are usually reasonably priced. Almost all golf courses and driving
ranges offer group instruction, some specifically for seniors, which is not
as expensive as private instruction. For many people, group instruction is
not as intimidating as private instruction. Also check your community
centers extended education programs for golf lessons. Adds Kelly, Theres no need to buy a whole set of clubs until youre
sure you want to play the game. A golf school or driving range will
give you a club for practice. You can also start out by purchasing a
used 9-iron for practice. If youre taking lessons on a driving range
where youre standing on mats, you can start with a flat-soled shoe
like a regular sneaker. If youre learning on grass, which can be slick,
you might consider investing in golf shoes because they have traction
to give you better balance and help prevent twisted ankles. What should seniors new to golfing look for in a golfing
program and instructor? For the newcomer to golf, suggests Rose, try to find a certified
instructor who works a lot with seniors and understands how age-
associated changes in strength, flexibility and balance are likely to
affect the mechanics of the swing. Kelly suggests first making sure the class is strictly for beginners. The
format should be based on learning the fundamentals, including how
to hold the club, correct posture, ball positioning, stance and set-up.
Make sure the teacher is certified by LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf
Association) or PGA (Professional Golf Association). To be accepted
for certification by these organizations, golf professionals must go
through over 5 years worth of intensive tests and must have passed
specific criteria, which ensures they have a strong knowledge base. 1 Thompson, C. J. and W. H. Osness, 2004. Effects of an 8-week multimodal exercise program on strength, flexibility and golf
performance in 55- to 79-year-old men. Journal of Aging and
Physical Activity , 12:2. Internet resources: Outdoor Explorations, Golf Programs for Adults 50+ www.outdoorexplorations.com Ladies Professional Golf Association www.lpga.com Professional Golf Association www.pga.com Senior Golfers Association of America
www.seniorgolfersamerica.com National Senior Golf Association www.nsgatour.com Book: Golf Past 50 by David Chmiel and Kevin Morris, 2001. To order, call (800) 747-4457; or write Human Kinetics, P. O. Box 5076,
Champaign, IL 61825-5076; or visit www.humankinetics.com. Holly Rudin-Braschi is an American College of Sports Medicine
certified fitness instructor and a journalist who specializes in
topics on exercise, health, fitness, nutrition and cooking. Visit her
at www.grillpower.com. Editors note: Check your local lending library or community center
for books, too.