Golf offers slimline tonic

Golf professionals in Staffordshire are helping to deliver a slimline tonic to anyone looking to shed the pounds and improve overall well-being. 

A study by the Yale University School of Medicine revealed that during the average round of golf players can walk five to six miles and burn off 900 calories helping to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Now the Staffordshire County Golf Partnership has teamed up with the region’s National Health Service to introduce golf as part of its weight management programme.

Says Gareth Shaw, the Staffordshire CGP development officer: “A round of golf is an easy way to take part in the 150 minutes of moderate exercise that the Department of Health recommend that we take every week.

“Not everyone who is looking to lose some weight or lead a healthier lifestyle wants to spend all their time on a treadmill in the gym.

“Golf offers an opportunity to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some healthy exercise, while also enjoying the company of your fellow golfers.”

The Fit4Golf scheme is offering free golf taster sessions at Cannock Leisure Centre and the Mill Street Leisure Centre in Burton.

Follow-on coaching is available with PGA professionals at The Range in Essington and Branston Golf and Country Club with two blocks of four lessons priced at just £30 – cutting the cost of getting into golf to less than £4 a session.

Adds Gareth Shaw: “For those taking part, golf offers a sustainable way of continuing to manage their weight and lifestyle by providing an activity that they can continue to play throughout their lifetime.”

The NHS Waistline Group comments: “Golf fits perfectly into our programme of physical activity and with it being such a flexible sport, it offers a number of different activity formats including street golf, golfing circuits and driving range practice.”

For further details contact:

Cannock: Wendy Anderson - e-mail: wendy.anderson@ssotp.nhs.uk

Burton: Roger Craig - e-mail: rogercraig@ssotp.nhs.uk

For more details of the activities in Staffordshire visit www.staffsgolfpartnership.com.