Research says playing golf could help seniors live longer

Listen up, golf fans. The game might be important to your future here on Earth.

According to some preliminary research at the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute, one study found that people who play golf could be lowering their risk of early death. Dr. Adnan Qureshi, the head of the study, spoke with CNN earlier this month, citing golf’s “social nature and controlled pace” as assets for maintaining exercise into a person’s later years.

“While walking and low intensity jogging may be comparable exercise, they lack the competitive excitement of golf,” Qureshi said. “Regular exercise, exposure to a less polluted environment and social interactions provided by golf are all positive for health.”

But does it mean golfers will automatically stave off early death because they peg it once a month? Not necessarily.

This feels like a classic example of a report that hopes to find correlation, and it just might be there. It just isn’t a foolproof cure against aging. The human body is a system by which inserting occasional golf rounds does not solve the complex riddle of long-term health.

The research found that golfers experienced early death at an 8% lower rate than non-golfers. Connection? Perhaps!

Golf, by nature, gets people out of the house and moving with purpose. There is a competitive aspect that cannot be duplicated elsewhere, and at the same intensity level, than over the course of 4-5 hours on a sprawling property. It combines the benefits of walking, socializing, mental focus, etc., which we can all stand to incorporate into our daily lives.

But chances are if you’re reading GOLF.com, you’re already committed to being a golfer. Even into your senior years. Now you’ve got even more reason to get out there, so go convince a friend to come along with you.

To receive GOLF’s newsletters, subscribe for free here.