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<\/p>\nDescribed by Mark Twain as a \u201cgood walk ruined\u201d, golf has long divided opinion as to whether it is a bona fide sport. <\/p>\n
The game, long associated with networking, business and diplomacy, has again been ensnared in the classic debate over whether it counts as exercise or it is just leisurely recreation. <\/p>\n
The war of words was sparked by a piece in The Wall Street Journal published earlier this week in which Harvey Spevak, a managing partner of the luxury gym company the Equinox Group, claimed that golf was not exercise. <\/p>\n
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Harvey Spevak<\/p>\n
RICHARD DREW\/AP<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re hitting a little white ball around a golf course, using a golf cart, and drinking at the ninth hole,\u201d the executive, who describes himself as \u201chuman guinea pig\u201d because of all the health and wellness trends he\u2019s tried, said of the sport. \u201cIt\u2019s fun, it\u2019s recreation. But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The assertion has stirred up the ire of the golf world, with England Golf, the governing body for amateur golf in England, mounting a vigorous defence of the game and espousing its health benefits. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s improved cardiovascular health, strength, balance, or burning calories from walking around a course, golf provides vital exercise which individuals might not be able to access through other activities,\u201d a spokesman for the body said. \u201cNot just that, but we know golf has significant mental health and social benefits.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Moderate exercise \u2018as effective as therapy or drugs for depression\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt provides an opportunity to be outdoors, providing essential vitamin D and fresh air, which can benefit the immune system and overall health. For many, it\u2019s a chance to switch off and relax, reducing stress, improving brain health, and playing alongside people certainly helps build social connections.\u201d <\/p>\n Giulio Merolla, 48, the founder of the North London Golf Academy, said his novice students were often surprised by the physical impact golf can have. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re definitely sweating when they\u2019re here hitting shots, so it\u2019s definitely exercise, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d he said. Referring to wearable health trackers, the coach added: \u201cHalf of my clients wear Whoops and they\u2019re always going to me: \u2018Hang on a sec, I\u2019ve got to turn it on,\u2019 because they consider it a tough workout.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re moving, you\u2019re rotating, and you\u2019re swinging a club that may weigh about 150g or so, but you\u2019re swinging it up to 100 miles an hour so it feels a lot heavier than it is,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
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