How many calories does a round of golf burn? It’s a question a lot of golfers might be interested in learning the answer to, especially those in search of reassurance that it’s Ok to eat a club sandwich with chips because it’s all going to get burnt off over the course of 18 holes.
Without igniting a big debate and pouring over lots of research papers, it’s safe to say that although walking for somewhere between eight and 10km – depending on how much zig-zagging you do across the fairways – can burn hundreds of calories, having the mindset that you’re then free to eat and drink however much you like probably isn’t the way to go.
Lecture over. We’ve digressed, slightly. What we do agree with is that golf is good for both body and mind. Back to the original question, because it’s still interesting to know how many calories a round of golf burns, and it can be a useful guide.
“You’ll find plenty of figures out there claiming that a round a golf can burn 1,500 calories,” says Golf Monthly strength and conditioning coach Jamie Greaves.
“Personally, I think that’s very high. An 18-hole round of golf will typically burn somewhere between 700 and 1,000 calories.”
For comparison, you’re probably looking at a 60-minute intense run or HIIT class to burn those kind of numbers. Greaves likes to put as asterisk next to this.
“I’m not a huge fan of going by the number of calories burnt as an indicator of how healthy something is,” he says.
“Don’t get me wrong, walking around the golf course is good for both your physical and mental health, but spending an hour lifting weights or doing a HIIT class, for example, has far more health benefits and is way more intense even if they burn fewer calories.”
In other words, don’t go cancelling your gym membership.
Back to the 700-1,000 calories that a round of golf can burn; there are a few reasons why this figure varies. Those golfers playing on more spaced out, hillier courses are likely to burn more calories than compact, flatter ones.
The good news for the high-handicappers out there, or anyone who’s playing badly, is that if you find yourself spending a lot of time searching for balls and walking from one side of the fairway to the other, you’re most likely going to finish up burning more calories. Every cloud and all that.
Does carrying a golf bag burn more calories?
If your sole reason for carrying a golf bag is that you think doing so burns significantly more calories than using a trolley does, you’d be best advised to have a rethink.
In fact, you might even wish to consider investing in a trolley to take the weight off your back and conserve your energy on the course, so you can focus on playing your best golf. After all, we can all be guilty of frittering shots away when feeling fatigued towards the end of a round.
“I’ve seen the research and there isn’t actually a great difference in calories burnt when you compare carrying your golf bag versus using a trolley,” says Greaves.
What food should I eat during a round of golf?
Of course, burning through those calories as you chase your little white ball around the countryside means you’ll need to pack some snacks.
“I’d recommend getting in three snacking opportunities during your round,” says Greaves. “Aim for about 200-300 calories per snack with a decent balance between proteins, carbs and fats.”
What about a cold beer and a bacon sandwich at the halfway hut? No one is saying you shouldn’t enjoy yourself with a treat or two. It’s all about moderation.
Of course, if you really want to play your best stuff, you’ll stick to bananas, dried fruit and nuts, and give the confectionary items and bacon sandwich a miss.
