How much golf could you play if you weren't limited by anything except your own endurance?

[TJBam]

Man, I'd kill to find out.

[Fourputt]

I'm not sure where my endurance would run out, but I really don't have any interest in playing more than about 3 times a week at most.  I simply have several activities that I enjoy, and golf is just one of them.  No matter how much I like something, I've never found any activity that I could do without any limit and continue to enjoy.

[sjduffers]

I routinely play 3 times a week, walking about 90% of the time. I have played 27 and even 36 holes walking in one day, but not often (and I pretty much need a one day rest after that).

I have managed some weeks of 4, 5 and even 6 days in a row but I'd say that after 4 days in a row, I need a break, both to recover from the aches and pains and to rest the mind and not fall in a rut.  When you're not excited to start the next round is when you know it's too much!  So to answer the poll, between 4 and 5 is probably the right amount for me (I checked the 4 rounds box).

[Shindig]

The most I've ever played in a row was three days, 18 holes each. I've done that twice; once in 2009 during a summer visit to Palm Desert (all three rounds were with cart), and once last August for my club championship (walking, but was more or less dead for the final nine). The most I've ever played in a week was four: I did this regularly for about a two month period in 2008, when I went from a ~25 hcp to ~18. 36 holes Monday, 18 Thursday, 18 Saturday. I would love to be able to do that again! Based on last August, I think two days on, one day off, two days on, two days off, repeat would be the limit of my endurance.

[dsc123]

I went with 5.  If I had a week off and no family obligations or financial restraints, and good weather, I'd probably play 10 rounds.  That wouldn't last long term, though.  So I went with 5.

[14ledo81]

I could play 5 in one day if I used a cart. Realistically, I would like to play one round a day starting at day break.

[Fourputt]

To expand on my previous answer of 3 times a week.  I have in the past played as many as 72 holes on a weekend, walking.  The last time was more than 20 years ago.  As recently as 4 years ago I played 54 holes riding in around 30 hours, 36 one day after a 3½ hour drive, then 18 the next morning and the same drive for the return trip.  On the same trip I played 7 rounds in 5 days.  Right now I couldn't do that because I just haven't been playing enough to keep my body in playing shape.  Give me a few weeks this spring and I'll probably be right back there, although these days I ride instead of walking because of other issues.

That was a special situation - visiting my brother in Idaho for the express reason of playing a lot of golf.  For an entire season I'd rather play a more reasonable schedule.

[nevets88]

[QUOTE name="nevets88" url="/t/79805/how-much-golf-could-you-play-if-you-werent-limited-by-anything-except-your-own-endurance/18#post_1102261"]   I'm not sure what this question is getting after. If you put a gun to my head and made me play as many rounds as I could endure without injuring myself, I'm guessing I could walk at least 7/week and sustain that for awhile. Maybe 10.5 (a round and a half). I ran 30-40/miles a week for years, no problemo. Walking that obviously is vastly less strenuous. If I had no responsibilities, I'd play 4, maybe 5 rounds a week. In real life, 2, maybe 3 a week. [/QUOTE] Actually what I am finding is that the walking part is a pretty decent workout. Pushing a cart or carrying take about the same amount of effort. What I am getting at is that your body should be getting a pretty good workout from the walking combined with making the strokes. So, I've noticed that I although I am hitting 20 yards farther with all my irons and 25-40 yards further with my woods and hybrid, it takes a huge amount of bodily effort. Not just my shoulders, but my legs, torso, abdominal muscles, everything. At the end of 18 holes, I feel really worked out. This was not the case prior to gaining this distance. I was kind of wondering if other people on this site felt the same way? I know some of the people I play with daily feel that it is a workout. [QUOTE name="chasm" url="/t/79805/how-much-golf-could-you-play-if-you-werent-limited-by-anything-except-your-own-endurance/18#post_1102196"] I carry my bag. I've played 36 holes in a day plenty of times, so I suppose the answer is I could play 12 or 14 rounds a week. Of course I wouldn't - I have a life. Golf is just a walk. There's nothing difficult about walking ten miles a day, even for a 60 year-old like me, so I find it a bit difficult to conceive of one's physical stamina being the limiting factor unless one is elderly or in poor health.[/QUOTE] Not from my experience. . .

I guess whether you feel walking is a workout depends on the individual. Walking doesn't feel like a workout to me maybe because the heart rate doesn't sustain at high bpms and I do a lot of walking. I found full court basketball was especially tiring. Or a day of skiing, especially w/wet snow or icy conditions, common in the NE.

[stevejason]

I play every day (walking), sometimes 36 holes. I'd like to play 36 every day, but I start to wear down after four or five consecutive 36 hole days.

[bkuehn1952]

"How much golf could you play if you weren't limited by anything except your own endurance?"

Based on prior experience, I could walk & carry 18 holes a day, 7 days a week and play effectively.  More than that and I suspect both mental and physical fatigue would diminish my results.  I have walked/carried 36 in a day and played better on the second 18.  I am pretty sure, however, if I tried to do 36 several days in a row, I would burn out or wear out.  Throw in a cart and the physical wear & tear is greatly diminished but mentally it is still a task to focus for that many holes day after day.

I don't expect that when I retire I will actually play every day.  I love to play golf but there are other interesting activities, too.

[Pretzel]

Last summer I would hit at least 100 balls and play 1-3 rounds each day. It was a blast, but I did pay most rounds with a cart. I'd I was walking the most I'd ever really want to play daily is 36 holes just because my feet would get a bit sore. With a cart however, I'd be more than happy to play from 9-9 every day provided I had no responsibilities other than golf. In that time I could probably get at least four rounds in per day, plus warming up before I start.

[dave s]

If I could afford to retire today (at age 54), I'd practice 1-2 days and play 3-4 full rounds each week.

dave

[Lihu]

I guess whether you feel walking is a workout depends on the individual. Walking doesn't feel like a workout to me maybe because the heart rate doesn't sustain at high bpms and I do a lot of walking. I found full court basketball was especially tiring . Or a day of skiing , especially w/wet snow or icy conditions, common in the NE.

I used to ski 20-25 long double blacks (at places like Baldy and Alta) per day, and a few diamond and intermediate to warm up prior. After every ski day my legs would feel like rubber, if I skied more than 2 days at a time. I just wouldn't be able to make the walk up off the trails. One day was more comfortable, and I would be happy the rest of the trip. The question is about how much actual golf you can sustain, and not really just the walking part. Although, walking does take something out of us when we walk briskly.

[Yukari]

I played 10 days straight some days 36 holes last year.

[chasm]

I wonder if taking more time helps. How long do you take for 18?

In a two-ball on my home 6400 yard course I'd expect to be finished in under three and a half hours. I'm afraid I just disagree with you about golf being much of a workout, unless you're unfit to start with. The golf swing requires flexibility, and muscular power certainly helps, but it isn't mainly about power - you just have to watch some of the 120 lb female pros knocking it 250 yards off the tee to know that. A couple of months ago I went for a weeks hiking with a friend of mine - he's a relative youngster, at 58 - and we had no difficulty covering about 80 miles in five days over relatively hilly terrain, carrying our packs. That's about as far as one would walk playing three rounds of golf per day. Swinging the clubs doesn't really add much stress. Playing golf, like any activity, is obviously good for you, and it may even be enough exercise to keep you healthy. But a workout? Certainly not.

[Lihu]

[quote name="Lihu" url="/t/79805/how-much-golf-could-you-play-if-you-werent-limited-by-anything-except-your-own-endurance/18#post_1102201"] I wonder if taking more time helps. How long do you take for 18?

In a two-ball on my home 6400 yard course I'd expect to be finished in under three and a half hours. I'm afraid I just disagree with you about golf being much of a workout, unless you're unfit to start with. The golf swing requires flexibility, and muscular power certainly helps, but it isn't mainly about power - you just have to watch some of the 120 lb female pros knocking it 250 yards off the tee to know that. A couple of months ago I went for a weeks hiking with a friend of mine - he's a relative youngster, at 58 - and we had no difficulty covering about 80 miles in five days over relatively hilly terrain, carrying our packs. That's about as far as one would walk playing three rounds of golf per day. Swinging the clubs doesn't really add much stress. Playing golf, like any activity, is obviously good for you, and it may even be enough exercise to keep you healthy. But a workout? Certainly not.[/quote] So, time is possibly a factor. 6400 yards in 3.5 hours is a lot less than 7200 yards in about 2.5 hours. Unfortunately as of late, I have been hitting all over the course, and am actually walking a lot more than the course yardage indicates. :-(. I'm possibly hovering between speed golf and regular golf? A female pro is going to be in pretty great shape, so that's not exactly a good counter argument. ;-) There's no argument, we obviously play different ways, and I'm not exactly built for endurance like you appear to be.

[Osmond]

If I didn't have a family, I'd play 6 to 7 times a week. The golfing season, though, is only around 7 to 8 months for me. If it was a 12-month season, I'd probably play four times a week. 200 rounds a year sounds good.

[mcanadiens]

I don't rightfully know, but my guess is 5 rounds in three days. Play a morning round, eat lunch and then an afternoon round on the first two days. The last round would come on the morning of the third day and then I'd give it a rest before going back to work.