I'm not a golfer; I've never made the time for any sport that takes nearly half a day to play a single round. However, a recent study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science might have me change my mind. They found that the death rate for golfers is 40 percent lower than that of other people of the same sex, age and economic status. This corresponds to a five year increase in life expectancy, say the study authors. They credited the life extending effect to the fact that golfers are outside for hours at a time, walk about for miles and are engaged in a stress-reducing social activity. That all sounds good to me... the only thing I have to worry about is skin cancer from that much sun exposure.
