"Disc Golf As Exercise" thread, with actual data

[mark996]

I've been toying with one of those apps that uses GPS to count your steps, time, how fast you go per mile, and calories burned. I compared a walk around my neighborhood with nine holes of disc golf. The walk was 2 1/2 minutes shorter, 0.2 miles longer, and supposedly burned 13 more calories. In both cases, there was minimal elevation involved.

So it might be safe to say that disc golf might be eqivalant exercise to a good walk (provided you're playing solo and not eating along the way), but it's no substitute for running.

To get a good caloric measure you should try getting a heart rate monitor. There's a pretty substantial difference when I use mine during mountain biking or road cycling versus not using it. Both methods, with and without are still pretty ballpark, but with the HR monitor you narrow down the -/+ factor.

Like many things there are a ton of factors that come in to play with using disc golf as exercise. For someone who's obese, out of shape and prone to "Netflix and chill" for a large part of their evenings, just getting outside and walking for an hour or so would help. For an elite athlete, golf alone is not likely an alternative to cardio. On off days I'll play 2 rounds at my local course and get in about 11-12 miles of walking, but I'm still either hitting my morning fasted cardio on my bike trainer and doing dedicated cardio days either trail running or...Lord forbid on a treadmill.

 

[Cgkdisc]

That baseline chart seems to be showing signs of tachycardia. Do you suffer from any heart arrhythmias? I do, and noticed similarities in your chart.

Heart attack in 2001. But those spikes might have been when responding to questions about the ratings system on social media.

 

[ohtobediscing]

DGCR threads stressful?! Nahhh, couldn't be....:wall:

 

[DiscFifty]

Heart attack in 2001. But those spikes might have been when responding to questions about the ratings system on social media.

Gotcha... lol.. hey..good to see you're doing well and playing some dg after the ha. Take care.

 

[Cgkdisc]

DGCR threads stressful?! Nahhh, couldn't be....:wall:

My heart rate chart was done before I was on DGCR and before Facebook. It was the old PDGA Discussion Board that was hot at the time.

 

[tampora]

This is after a 27 hole tournament in ND.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

Well things have changed young lads and newcomers to the game:

When I started playing the game I was in insanely good shape and kept getting in better shape to the point I was doing triathlons and running quite a bit.

So for me disc golf wasn't a good workout but I played for the love not the workout.

Fast forward fifteen/twenty years and I'm not in near that kind of shape. I physically work almost everyday between my maintenance job and homesteading chores that keeps my heart at a reasonable rate. But I would find out I needed more cardio that higher heart rate stuff.

So as I have gotten back into the game I realized that i was in serious need of more cardio but just like an hour or so of it. My ailing knees didn't need a hard banging like running or something. No sir if you got bad knees after pysically working all day from nine to five you need something that isn't going to further abuse them. Golf here folks grass not pavement.

The courses now are longer and physically more challenging. We're carrying more discs more water. That means more weight.

It is clear to me now that the game I have loved and dropped for too long of a spell was keeping me in great shape. It was a catalyst for other workout endeavors. And my heart is thinking me now, finally after years of neglect and abuse that I'm playing dg rounds again!!!

 

[dtuba]

I don't rely on DG for all of my exercise but I do find that it has given me the motivation to tailor my workout to benefit my game. I.e., weightlifting to build up my core strength and wrist/arm muscles, and yoga/tai chi for balance and flexibility. Now if only I could wean myself off beer,

....ah, who am I kidding

 

[DG_Before_Breakfast]

It gets me out of bed to get some exercise ~3 times a week that I would not otherwise have had. So that definitely helps. I like to have a cup of tea to get my metabolism going, and maybe a snack first. Sometimes I do pushups and I always stretch a little. Oh ya, and chasing your discs down ravines helps a bunch - but I avoid that at all costs My best DG buddy just retired and moved away - as much as I will miss his company, my plan is to make my morning DG more of a workout now.