
By Pam Swensen
CEO of the Executive Women’s Golf Association
You drive the ball down the fairway, play with fourteen clubs and yell FORE when your ball strays toward another player. Golf is a game with its own language and traditions and offers four compelling reasons to take up the sport – fitness, fresh air, friendship and fun.
Think again if the mention of golf conjures up images of pot-bellied players in plaid pants. Studies show that golfers live longer and there are numerous health benefits for those who play the game (business golf included).
A study conducted by a Swedish medical university and published in a 2008 Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports shows the beneficial health effects of golf. Based on data from 300,000 Swedish golfers, the death rate amongst golfers is 40 percent lower than the rest of the population, which equates to an increased life expectancy of five years.