The sport has a growing number of senior participants - and there's new research that says playing the game is a longevity booster
If there's a fountain of youth, Tom O'Hara thinks he may have found it on a golf course in southwest Florida.
O'Hara, a 77-year-old retiree who lives in Dunedin, Fla., plays his nearby preferred courses a couple of times a week with friends - a group he jokingly refers to as "a league of old men all of whose first names are no longer than five letters." But O'Hara isn't kidding when he talks about how his golfing routine has helped keep him fit, sharp and happy.
He points to the exercise inherent in all the walking the sport necessitates, plus the flexibility required to execute a proper swing. There's also the social aspect, he adds. And let's not forget the sheer enjoyment that comes from being outdoors on a regular basis.
"It's so beautiful out there," O'Hara says about his time on the course.
O'Hara isn't alone. Seniors constitute a large segment of the golfing community, especially in retiree-rich states like Florida. And there's a growing body of research that shows those who do golf are likelier to live longer and healthier lives.
In terms of the numbers, the National Golf Foundation (NGF) says the ranks of senior (age 65 or older) golfers totaled 5.9 million people as of 2024 - and that participation within that group had grown by 27% since 2019. No doubt, they're a key reason why the sport has grown to become an industry with an estimated $102 billion impact on the U.S. economy.
There are "more seniors playing on-course than at any time in history," says NGF Editorial Director Erik Matuszewski. It's a dedicated demographic too, he notes: This "age group plays with greater frequency than any other cohort."
And yes, it's a cohort that's in good shape, research shows. An oft-cited 2008 study of Swedish golfers found that they had an increased life expectancy of about five years versus nongolfers. A 2020 study had similar findings, concluding that "elderly persons who played golf were at lower risk of death."
Dr. Adnan Qureshi, a professor of neurology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, was behind the more recent study. He thinks the physical activity associated with golf is key to the longevity boost it provides, noting the ample evidence that exercise in general reduces the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
But Dr. Qureshi says seniors, like everyone else, can find many traditional forms of exercise a little boring, so they may not stick with them. With golf, "there's enough engagement that it keeps them going on a regular basis," he says.
It's also a form of exercise that's not too stressful and therefore well-suited to many seniors, others note. There's walking, but not running. And there's movement, but not the kind that might result in a sudden fall.
"Golf is a much more tolerable sport for us as we age," said Phil Hardesty, an exercise physiologist who works with Ornish Lifestyle Medicine.
By contrast, pickleball has become very popular with the senior set, but it's a sport with a fair share of medical risks, such as bone fractures. In 2023, the costs associated with treating pickleball-related injuries were projected to reach $377 million, according to a UBS report.
Not that senior golfers are opposed to other forms of activity. If anything, many work out at the gym as a way to keep in shape and improve their game.
"These things all go hand in hand," says Fareen Samji, a coach with the Canada-based Smashing Golf training program. Samji says the majority of her clients are seniors.
The benefits of golf go beyond the medical, however. The social aspect is indeed critical and ties in with research that links social activity with longevity.
"When people golf, they golf with friends," says Samji.
Other senior golfers point to different benefits that help keep them feeling young.
For Joseph Bronson, a 76-year-old golfer with an 8 handicap who's written books on the sport, it's all about the mental stimulation the game provides. He likens golf to a puzzle of sorts - with every shot equating to a series of calculations based on the distance to the hole, the weather conditions and other factors.
"It's a bunch of variables. You process them and decide what you're going to execute," Bronson says.
There's also the benefit of being outdoors and connecting with nature, which has also been linked to longevity. O'Hara rolls off an impressive list of creatures he's come across while playing 18 holes, from wild turkeys to roseate spoonbills.
Of course, all of this comes at a price. If there's one criticism that's often levied when it comes to golf, it's the expense that can be associated with playing the sport. On the high end, membership to a country club can involve initiation costs in the tens of thousands of dollars and annual fees that run in the four and five figures.
That's not exactly doable for many seniors, especially those on a tight fixed income. But O'Hara, a former journalist and teacher, says he can manage expenses by sticking to playing on a public course as part of a league. He estimates his weekly costs are about $110 and even lower during nonpeak times of the year.
Oh, and there's always the possibility of hitting a hole-in-one. That's something that O'Hara has achieved on a few very rare occasions - and that comes with a $100 prize in his league, he notes, so it's a victory in more ways than one.
"I make money!" he says of the feat.
