Golf: A Healthy Game To Play for a Lifetime
Suzy Whaley, PGA, LPGA, Secretary, PGA of America
PGA Director of Instruction at Suzy Whaley Golf, Cromwell, Conn.
Looking for a healthy and fun activity to enjoy with friends and family? Or, simply looking for some “me time?” Look no further than the game of golf.
As members of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and a supporter of their Together Counts™ program, the PGA of America and its 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals across the country are dispelling the myth that golf is a sedentary sport. Some of the health and wellness benefits of golf you’ll gain by hitting the course include:
- Exceeding the daily recommendation of 10,000 steps during an 18-hole round of golf.
- Burning approximately 2,000 calories while walking an 18-hole round of golf carrying clubs or using a pull cart and burning an estimated 1,300 calories when riding in cart.
- Getting a healthy dose of vitamin D – which is essential for strong bones and good overall health.
My husband, two daughters and I are all golfers, and playing as a family affords us amazing quality time together in a healthy and safe environment. Golf is an excellent excuse to put your phones away and fully enjoy each other’s company.
I can also tell you that golf is truly a game to enjoy for a lifetime, and families can play together over multiple generations. In what other sport can my 75-year-old dad play alongside my 13-year-old nephew? Your entire family can tee it up, take in some fresh air and get a healthy dose of exercise and fun competition out on the course.
Whether you are young or young at heart, PGA and LPGA Professionals across the country are ready to teach you the game of golf through fun and affordable programming. Regardless of your age or athletic ability, golf is a sport everyone can enjoy, and it provides you with health benefits every time you play.
It’s easier than you think to get in the game! Get Golf Ready is a great program that offers everything new golfers need to play in just a few lessons. Administered by the PGA of America, PGA and LPGA Professionals work with you and your friends to combine fun, fitness and golf. The program offers a series of group golf lessons that teach you how to navigate the clubhouse, basic golf etiquette, chipping and putting, full-swing techniques and on-course play. Best of all, Get Golf Ready starts at only $99 for five lessons and most facilities provide all of the equipment you need.
While Get Golf Ready is a program for everyone, it has been especially popular with women. Nearly 99,000 people nationwide participated in Get Golf Ready programs in 2014. Of these, 62 percent were women; more than tripling golf’s overall participation rate of 20 percent. With an 86 percent retention rate, Get Golf Ready is generating participants who continue to play and enjoy the game. To find a Get Golf Ready program near you, please visit: www.GetGolfReady.com.
One way to get in the game could simply be to spend an afternoon at the driving range with the family. So, what are you waiting for? Get outside and play golf!
PGA of America Secretary Suzy Whaley, PGA, LPGA, is the PGA Director of Instruction at Suzy Whaley Golf in Cromwell, Conn. She was elected Secretary at the PGA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis on Nov. 22, 2014, when she became the first woman to be elected as an officer of the Association.
A highly decorated golfer, Whaley was a member of the LPGA Tour in 1990 and 1993 and most notably qualified and participated in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for an event on the PGA Tour. She and her husband, Bill, are both PGA members. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Kelly.