The Health Benefits of Playing Golf: 10 Reasons Why You Should Play

Last Updated July 8, 2025

Golf is challenging yet also can be exhilarating. The game rewards regular players with more than just some fresh air and the elusive hole-in-one. Playing golf also benefits your cognitive and physical health. Here are 10 benefits of playing golf, in particular for older adults:

1. Golf Improves and Extends Longevity

Golfers, on average, live five years longer than their non-golfing counterparts. One long-term study revealed that golfers experienced a 15.1% lower death rate compared to non-golfers (at 24.6%).

More than just “living longer,” golf improves your healthspan, or the number of years you feel healthy, stay active, and enjoy the vitality of both your mind and body.

2. Golf Enhances Brain Health

Playing golf can have positive benefits for the brain, as well as the body. A National Institutes of Health study found that golf enhances focus and attention in individuals who experience “subjective memory complaints.”

Exercise itself can produce numberous brain health benefits, including: 

• Increased blood flow to the brain
• Sharpened focus
• Increased stimulation of the cerebellum, one of the areas of the brain responsible for coordination

3. Playing Golf Promotes Healthier Sleep

A good night’s rest is one of the key factors to physical and mental health and well-being. During deep sleep, the body and brain perform restorative and repairing processes, which can help you function at an optimal level in your waking hours. 

After a day on the links, your body is ready for a well-deserved rest, and science supports this. Research shows moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of deep sleep a person gets. Exercise also helps stabilize your mood and decompress the mind,  a process important for naturally transitioning into sleep.

4. Playing Golf Fosters Socialization

Socialization is another benefit of playing golf, as participating in a group activity can also help your health. Socializing has been proven to:

• Stave off loneliness and depression
• Sharpen memory and cognitive capacity
• Increase feelings of happiness and well-being
• Help you live longer

Socializing triggers the nervous system to release certain neurotransmitters that regulate the body’s response to stress and anxiety. Social connections also release dopamine, the “feel-good” hormone.

5. Golf Reduces Stress

It might be hard to believe, because golf can be such a frustrating activity, but a prime mental health benefit of golf is that it helps reduce stress. 

A round of golf can help reduce cortisol (the “stress hormone”) and spur the release of endorphins—the chemicals that help to relieve stress and boost happiness. Spending time outdoors in nature can help you feel calmer and more clear-headed. Plus, engaging in a fun activity is always a great stress reducer.

6. Golf Offers a Low-Impact Physical Activity and Burns Calories

Despite what many may think, golf is an excellent workout! The average 18-hole game burns between 800-2,000 calories (amounts vary depending on whether you walk or ride in a cart). Burning those extra calories will help keep you at a healthy weight. Less extra baggage leads to even more health advantages, such as reducing the risk of certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, infertility, arthritis, sleep apnea, and more.

But because golf is a low-impact sport, you’ll be less likely to be injured while playing. Golf is also easier on your joints than many other sports.

7. The Entire Family Can Enjoy a Round of Golf

Why not bring along your kids or grandkids on your next golf outing? Golf is a family-friendly activity that people of all ages and fitness levels can enjoy. 

Golf coaches say five is a great age to teach kids to golf, but kids as young as two can learn the basics. That’s the beauty of a sport like golf. You’re never too young (or old) to learn.

8. Golf Gets You Outside in the Fresh Air 

The long-term impact of COVID-19 made some of us more accustomed to staying indoors. Golf is a healthy reason to get out of the house and stay active in the fresh air.

Playing golf means spending time outdoors, and time outside can help: 

• Fight seasonal depression
• Boost creativity 
• Improve concentration levels 

Being outside also produces additional positive effects. For example, fresh air increases the flow of oxygen in the body, leading to other benefits like healthy digestion and improved cell function.

9. Time Outdoors Increases Vitamin D Exposure

Vitamin D is one of the essential vitamins in the human body. It’s most known for promoting healthy bones, but this crucial vitamin also supports immune health, muscle function, and brain cell activity.

Sun exposure is one of the benefits of playing golf and a natural way to get the vitamin D your body needs for peak performance. Just be sure to wear sunscreen.

10. You Can Practice Golf Anywhere

If you’re looking to improve your game, you can easily practice your swing at home with a mat and net or launch monitor in your backyard. 

You can also practice your grip and posture in front of a mirror and do swing drills from the privacy of your own home. Practicing putting is even easier: All you need is a club, a ball, and a carpeted floor. 

Discover Even More Health Benefits with the Aviv Medical Program

The Aviv Medical Program can help you take your golf game to the next level by helping you regain your stamina and optimize your brain and body performance. 

This innovative, science-backed treatment can include a unique hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol, plus cognitive and physical training, nutrition coaching, and the industry’s most comprehensive assessments to tailor a personalized program to your individual needs.

Watch how PGA Tour golfer and Ryder Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood elevated his golf game through the Aviv Medical Program.

Contact us to learn more about how to improve your brain health and elevate your physical performance with the Aviv Medical Program.