Disc Golfers Take Thousands of Steps per Round: New Research Reveals Surprising Trends

Disc golf has long been touted as a fun and active way to spend time outdoors, but just how physically demanding is it? A recent nationwide study on disc golf and physical activity has provided some surprising answers.

Conducted by researchers at Western Carolina University, in collaboration with the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), the study attached pedometers to 413 disc golfers playing 8,029 holes of disc golf across 38 courses. The goal was to understand just how much walking is involved in a typical round of disc golf.

The results were impressive: on average, players took over 6,000 steps per hole, with some even exceeding 9,000 steps on longer courses like the challenging Ashe County Park course in North Carolina. This is well above the recommended daily step count of 10,000 steps for maintaining a healthy level of fitness.

But what's even more surprising is how age and gender affect step counts. Researchers found that women took approximately 60 fewer steps per hole than men on the same course, regardless of their score or age. On an 18-hole course, this adds up to over 1,000 fewer steps for women. This finding was unexpected, as it was thought that men would take longer strides and therefore walk more.

Age also had a significant impact on step counts. For every year older, players took around ten fewer steps per 18-hole round. So, if you're 50 years old, you can expect to take around 300 fewer steps than a 20-year-old on the same course.

The study also looked at how score affected step counts. To their surprise, researchers found that each additional throw taken resulted in just under four more steps per hole, regardless of age or gender. This means that even if you're not hitting the fairway, you're still getting some exercise by walking around to retrieve your discs.

The study's findings have significant implications for disc golfers and enthusiasts. By incorporating pedometers into their play, players can track their physical activity levels and make informed decisions about how they want to improve their fitness.

While this study provides a wealth of information on the physical demands of disc golf, there are still many unanswered questions. Future research should consider examining factors like elevation change and heart rate zones to get a more complete picture of the physical benefits of disc golf.

The researchers would like to extend their gratitude to all the participants who took part in this study, including Brian Graham, Jon Lyksett, Chris Tuten, Des Reading, Jay Reading, David Barney, Chris Page, David Shope, and Chris Cooper.

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/a-good-walk-defined