ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2010 December;169(6):281-5

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Influence of the golf course on the physical performance of bogey senior golfers: a comparative study

Cancela J. M., Ayán C., Varela S., De Brito A.

Special Didactics Department, Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain

Aim. Golf is a highly recommendable sport for elderly people, however, there are few studies that focus on the physical demand that it involves for this kind of population. Previous studies have included a small number of people and they usually have not taken into account the influence of the course’s characteristics on the physical performance of the game. The purpose of this study is to analyse the physical performance carried out by bogey senior golf players in relation to the value of the course in which the game is played.
Methods. 327 golfers over 55 years old were randomly divided into two groups which were organised depending on the course rating: Group A (CR<70) and Group B (CR≥70). During the execution of a whole twosome match, heart rate and total playing time were analysed and energy expenditure was estimated.
Results. The average heart rate (bpm), energy expenditure (Kcal/min) and metabolic cost of golf (MET) were 108±3.86; 4.09±0.73; and 3.02±0,53; for Group A and 110.42±4.64; 4.28±0.63; 3.12±0.45 for Group B respectively. No significant differences were observed between the two groups.
Conclusion. In bogey senior golfers the course rating is a value which depends mainly on the technical level expected from the player, although it seems that the difficulty of the course does not affect their physical performance.