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post #19 of 112
5/29/10 at 9:41am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by motteler621 View Post
i usually do feel worn out after 18 walking. It definitly burn calories, im wiping sweat off myself every hole, and most of the time your shirt get soaked from sweat. My question is why are there so many players who look fat or have bellies on tour?
Bad diet...
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post #20 of 112
5/29/10 at 2:17pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Assuming a flat course, 75-80 degree weather, a carry bag with no extras, a distance of 5 miles, and a person who is not carrying around alot of fat or muscle, 1,000 to 1,500 sounds high.

Call me cynical, but perhaps the numbers are pumped to to promote golf as I'm guessing some of the numbers came from golf publications.

Burning 1500 calories is about running 10 miles or a bit more lets say. I've done 10 milers at a 7-8 min/mile pace and I feel it after the run. Walking 18 on a hilly course in mildly hot weather, I barely feel tired at all.
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post #21 of 112
5/29/10 at 2:22pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by motteler621 View Post
i usually do feel worn out after 18 walking. It definitly burn calories, im wiping sweat off myself every hole, and most of the time your shirt get soaked from sweat. My question is why are there so many players who look fat or have bellies on tour?
You can carry a few extra pounds and the golf swing is relatively unaffected if you maintain flexibility. Carry a few extra pounds in other sports and you might lose a step or two and get cut - different sports have different requirements.

Besides, a lot of pro golfers are older than the typical professional athlete.
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post #22 of 112
5/29/10 at 4:20pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by nevets88 View Post
...1,000 to 1,500 sounds high....
Your skepticisim is understandable - this is why I was trying to find the link to the original thread where there was some good rationale behind why it would be that high, although there have been some good supporting arguments made in this thread now.

Call me cynical, but perhaps the numbers are pumped to to promote golf as I'm guessing some of the numbers came from golf publications.
The numbers can be found in web sites and software that track calories for diet and exercise purposes. Whether accurate or not, I don't think the numbers are a golf magazine conspiracy.
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post #23 of 112
5/29/10 at 7:25pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

well after adding in 8 or 9 beers for 18 holes id say it evens out
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post #24 of 112
5/29/10 at 9:28pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

I'm guessing they do these studies on out of shape people. There's no way a round of golf will be burning 1000 calories, especially if riding, unless you're the type to get out of breath going up a flight of stairs.

Running 3-4 miles burns about 300-400 calories, but walking that far burns 1000? Can't be right.
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post #25 of 112
5/29/10 at 9:38pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

I've read three or four different research papers on this, all of which got results over 1500kcal.

For 18 holes, the male players burned on average from 1500 to 2500kcal, the female golfers 1000 to 1500kcal.

The difference in findings primarily because of different distance walked. One research used 11 000 meters walked, another used 16 000. This depends on the length of the course and the distance from green to tee.
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post #26 of 112
5/29/10 at 9:54pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

the 1000-1500 cal range for walking sounds a bit much to me too. I have a moderately heatlhy diet, dont drink beer very often, and I carry my clubs every time i play. If those numbers were true id look like iggy pop... I am slighty underweight for my height (5'11 175 or so) but i cant imagine the calorie burn as that much.
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post #27 of 112
5/29/10 at 10:56pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

I can assure you all the numbers of 1,100 calories are not high at all. You are all comparing a round of golf to walking a few miles, which is definitely wrong. First, these numbers assume you carry your bag. Already, you're talking about walking a few miles with 30 lbs of extra weight. Now add the fact that golf courses are often quite sloped, so that adds even more to the picture.

But even that doesn't take into account the raking bunkers, bending down to pick up the ball, washing clubs, and the swing itself. I can assure you that if the golf swing isn't tiring to you at least a little, you're doing it wrong. If you're swinging properly, you're using your legs and core, and a good golfer can generate as much as 7 horsepower during a swing. There's a lot of things that add up to burn calories on the golf course.
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post #28 of 112
5/29/10 at 11:22pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by westcyderydin View Post
well after adding in 8 or 9 beers for 18 holes id say it evens out
i never understood the appeal of drinking beer and playing golf. i'm not judging or anything, cause i could care less if someone drinks. but for me, drinking while playing golf is like drinking and playing basketball, it's extremely counterproductive.
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post #29 of 112
5/30/10 at 1:57am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by senorchipotle View Post
i never understood the appeal of drinking beer and playing golf. i'm not judging or anything, cause i could care less if someone drinks. but for me, drinking while playing golf is like drinking and playing basketball, it's extremely counterproductive.
it helps you line up putts... maybe you just need more practice with it. jk but it is enjoyable to have a few beers during a round. and i just got an idea. making a round of golf a drinking game.

every time you miss a fairway, a green, dont make an up and down, or 3 putt you take a drink. then at the end of the hole you drink your score for that hole. or if its match play the loser drinks 5.

this could be fun, thanks for the idea seniorchipotle.
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post #30 of 112
5/30/10 at 2:14am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by StricklandPropane View Post
I'm guessing they do these studies on out of shape people.
The amount of calories burned doesn't depend much on what kind of shape you're in.

There's no way a round of golf will be burning 1000 calories, especially if riding, unless you're the type to get out of breath going up a flight of stairs... Running 3-4 miles burns about 300-400 calories, but walking that far burns 1000? Can't be right.
First, you burn about as many calories walking a given distance as you do running that same distance. (The slower rate offsets the longer duration.) Second, you walk much, much more than 3-4 miles playing 18. Don't know where you got those figures but if you're going by the yardage on the card, that's a mistake. Multiply the yardage by 2 and you get a good approximation. You have to realize you never walk straight down the center of the fairway, you're walking around the green a lot lining up putts, you're helping your playing partners look for balls, etc. Oh, and add all the green-to-tee walks as well, which aren't on the card yardage either. Then, add in all the extra calories used as a result of the fact that you're not *just* walking. You're going up and down hills, you're taking a lot of practice swings, you're raking bunkers, and many other things, as Shanks pointed out. *Then*, add a significant amount more effort if you're carrying.

It all adds up. (And a lot of the above factors in even when taking a cart.)
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post #31 of 112
5/30/10 at 2:17am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by DavidFehertysBike View Post
the 1000-1500 cal range for walking sounds a bit much to me too. I have a moderately heatlhy diet, dont drink beer very often, and I carry my clubs every time i play. If those numbers were true id look like iggy pop... I am slighty underweight for my height (5'11 175 or so) but i cant imagine the calorie burn as that much.
Do you drink beer while you golf? Maybe a pint or two after the round? Maybe a cheeseburger or onion fries at the turn, or after the round? I bet that type of stuff is what's offsetting your caloric expenditure.

More likely, golf *is* helping to keep you "underweight for your height". Everyone's metabolism has an equilibrium point at which even a lot more exercise will not result in significant weight loss, particularly if you're already at a low weight. Besides, I think you'd need to be on several varieties of drugs in order to look like Iggy.
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post #32 of 112
5/30/10 at 2:36am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
The amount of calories burned doesn't depend much on what kind of shape you're in.


First, you burn about as many calories walking a given distance as you do running that same distance. (The slower rate offsets the longer duration.) Second, you walk much, much more than 3-4 miles playing 18. Don't know where you got those figures but if you're going by the yardage on the card, that's a mistake. Multiply the yardage by 2 and you get a good approximation. You have to realize you never walk straight down the center of the fairway, you're walking around the green a lot lining up putts, you're helping your playing partners look for balls, etc. Oh, and add all the green-to-tee walks as well, which aren't on the card yardage either. Then, add in all the extra calories used as a result of the fact that you're not *just* walking. You're going up and down hills, you're taking a lot of practice swings, you're raking bunkers, and many other things, as Shanks pointed out. *Then*, add a significant amount more effort if you're carrying.

It all adds up. (And a lot of the above factors in even when taking a cart.)
Heck, add in your resting metabolic rate to boot, and you've already got maybe 300 calories burnt just from breathing and your heart beating that long. Very few people realize it takes fuel just to sustain life. Your heart is a muscle, and it takes energy to pump your blood. If you're just lying on the couch, watching TV, your heart is pumping five liters of blood around your entire body every minute, and your lungs are moving seven and a half liters of air in that same time. That burns calories in and of itself. Walking raises those numbers. When you walk, you're moving about 8.3 liters of blood and 15 liters of air per minute.
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post #33 of 112
5/30/10 at 6:47am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
The amount of calories burned doesn't depend much on what kind of shape you're in.
Well, if we're arguing that the effort of hoisting a golf bag is contributing significantly, then the 30 (or more) pounds of flab that some golfers tote around will be just as significant as the 30 pounds of golf gear.

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
First, you burn about as many calories walking a given distance as you do running that same distance. (The slower rate offsets the longer duration.)
This is apparently not true. According to the link in my earlier post, for the same distance running burns about 50% more calories than walking.

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
Second, you walk much, much more than 3-4 miles playing 18. Don't know where you got those figures but if you're going by the yardage on the card, that's a mistake. Multiply the yardage by 2 and you get a good approximation.
Agreed, though a reference I came across (not sure where) suggested about 5 miles walking was typical, which is about a 1.5 factor for a 6000 yard course. At the typical running rate of 100 calories per mile, that's about 500 calories to run it; even if we call it 7 miles that's still 700 calories. So for 1500 calories a round, that's more than twice the effort to run the course. Possible, but that means that the swings and carrying amount to more effort than RUNNING the course.

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
It all adds up. (And a lot of the above factors in even when taking a cart.)
Actually, oddly it does. They claim about 800 calories when riding, so if you use the running rate of 700ish calories and add that, you get about the right total. Interesting.
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post #34 of 112
5/30/10 at 6:52am

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

All I know is it is alot more than you think.
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post #35 of 112
5/30/10 at 2:47pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by sacm3bill View Post
The amount of calories burned doesn't depend much on what kind of shape you're in.
Weight of an individual definitely plays a part in the amount of calories burned. A 30 lb weight difference adds about 500 calories burned a day even if you're just sitting around all day.

If I run 3-4 miles and then sit and wait whle you walk 3-4 miles, at the end of the hour, I will have burned about 100 more calories. That sounds like a significant amount to me making the 3x figure seem like BS initially....but I was just comparing running to walking. I didn't factor in all the other activity and the hills and amount of distance until I read your post. Good points.
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post #36 of 112
5/30/10 at 5:00pm

Re: calories burned walking 18 holes

Originally Posted by zeg View Post
[Re. fitness level:] Well, if we're arguing that the effort of hoisting a golf bag is contributing significantly, then the 30 (or more) pounds of flab that some golfers tote around will be just as significant as the 30 pounds of golf gear.
You're talking about someone's body mass, which *does* affect the calories needed to move that mass around. The fitness level of a person is something else entirely.

[Re. calories burned walking vs running:] This is apparently not true. According to the link in my earlier post, for the same distance running burns about 50% more calories than walking.
For every source that says that, I can find 10 sources that cite the conventional numbers of those being about the same. So the jury may still be out on that, but regardless this is just one aspect of my argument and even if I grant you this, there's still a lot of factors pointing to higher caloric expenditure.

[Re. walking yardage being more than card yardage:] Agreed, though a reference I came across (not sure where) suggested about 5 miles walking was typical, which is about a 1.5 factor for a 6000 yard course.
On this point any references you cite aren't going to sway me because I've got empirical evidence on it: I've walked with a pedometer myself and it was closer to 2x than 1.5.

So for 1500 calories a round, that's more than twice the effort to run the course. Possible, but that means that the swings and carrying amount to more effort than RUNNING the course.
1500 was the high end that someone threw out - I'm only claiming 1000-1200. (Although 1500 is not a totally unbelievable high end for a large person and a hilly course with long green to tee walks.)
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