Golf Calorie burn off?

Options
t8miller
t8miller Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
This may be a stupid question but here it goes.... My golf league is starting up soon. We play 9 holes every Thursday evening. How can I calculate calories burned off? We don't play on any major course, just a typical public course. We use golf carts. (I would like to try to walk it but a. My golf partner wouldn't go for it & b. I'm really not that good so I would be all over the place.) What do you think the average calories burned off by playing 9 holes?

Replies

  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    Options
    "Golf, power cart" is in the exercise list.

    Unless your partner has a medical condition or is 50+ using a cart for 9 holes is sad, IMO. Getting a push-cart for your bag is acceptable to avoid arm/back strain but that's it.

    If you aren't that good it’s even a better idea to be walking b/c then you can get into the trees and wherever else you land and not have to constantly get on and off the cart sticking to the designated cart path. It often takes longer to golf with a cart depending on the design.
  • tinovr
    tinovr Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    hehe.. If you want to walk, walk... most places rent carts to singles at reduced rates so it won't cost him any more... and think about it, the more you're in the woods, the more walking you'll do, and the more calories you'll burn.. :)

    BTW, the calories are in the exercise database..
  • SheehyCFC
    SheehyCFC Posts: 529 Member
    Options
    I won't be as harsh as heather - but yeah... not that much. She is correct, it is in the exercise list, but it is a big overestimate. Mine says 120min (9 holes) is ~600 calories... that's the same as 5 miles of RUNNING. So be careful on logging
  • wooddie14
    wooddie14 Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    I have researched this before...I found that an average of 250 calories an hour are burned golfing while riding in a cart...more obviously if you are walking.
  • jrueckert
    jrueckert Posts: 355 Member
    Options
    Where are the calories burned in golf? When you swing? I don't understand 250 calories being burned by swinging a bunch of times...
  • tinovr
    tinovr Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    there's an article here which seems to substantiate the numbers.....

    http://golf.about.com/od/fitnesshealth/a/golfphysical.htm
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
    Options
    I Have been looking into this as well and what I did was wear my heart rate monitor for 4 rounds in a row (18 holes) and over a 4 hour round I would average about 1000 calories. BUT I felt this was too high especially since I was in a cart as well. I did see a post inhere from December where it was suggested we had to "back out" calories as if we had not been playing golf. The formula was to take 1.5 x number of minutes playing (240) = 360 and deduct this from what my HRM showed (1000 cals). That gave me a total burn of 640 and that is what I enter in my log for the day. I believe the 1.5 used in the formula was based on what we burn on average a minute for that level of exercise??? Can't remember exactly now but if you search the message boards for golf it should come up. I think I will do it again now to satisfy my curiosity again.

    Interested what others may have found.
  • SheehyCFC
    SheehyCFC Posts: 529 Member
    Options
    The formula was to take 1.5 x number of minutes playing (240) = 360 and deduct this from what my HRM showed (1000 cals). That gave me a total burn of 640 and that is what I enter in my log for the day.
    The 1.5 x minutes is typical BMR. So it is what you would burn just sitting around, that is why it should be subtracted from the HRM calculation. But thanks for the research (4 rounds) - good to know where you were at.

    **edit - had BMR as BRM - whoops.
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
    Options
    Where are the calories burned in golf? When you swing? I don't understand 250 calories being burned by swinging a bunch of times...
    Your swinging a club, your doing a good bit of walking over several hours, especially when I play because I end up searching for my ball a LOT!!
    If people can log "walking the dog, housework, cleaning, etc......" why shouldn't you burn calories playing golf??
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
    Options
    The formula was to take 1.5 x number of minutes playing (240) = 360 and deduct this from what my HRM showed (1000 cals). That gave me a total burn of 640 and that is what I enter in my log for the day.
    The 1.5 x minutes is typical BMR. So it is what you would burn just sitting around, that is why it should be subtracted from the HRM calculation. But thanks for the research (4 rounds) - good to know where you were at.

    **edit - had BMR as BRM - whoops.
    BMR!!! Thats it!! Knew it was something simple like that . Thanks!!
  • donby
    donby Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    this site is fairly accurate

    sounds high but has worked with me and will fluctuate as your weight decreases

    http://www.internetfitness.com/calculators/calburncalc.htm
  • jrueckert
    jrueckert Posts: 355 Member
    Options
    Where are the calories burned in golf? When you swing? I don't understand 250 calories being burned by swinging a bunch of times...
    Your swinging a club, your doing a good bit of walking over several hours, especially when I play because I end up searching for my ball a LOT!!
    If people can log "walking the dog, housework, cleaning, etc......" why shouldn't you burn calories playing golf??

    Becuase he said he's riding in a cart. If I was riding a cart while walking my dog, it wouldn't count either.

Categories