You'll burn anywhere from 700 to 2,000 calories during an 18-hole round of golf, depending on how you play. Walking the course with a push cart burns about 1,436 calories, while riding in a cart only burns around 800 calories; that's a 36% difference per hour! Your mass matters too, since a 190-pound golfer burns 431 calories per hour compared to just 295 for someone weighing 130 pounds. Keep going to see how terrain and other factors stack up.
The reality about golf and calorie burn—the numbers vary way more than you'd think. When you play a full 18-hole round, you'll torch anywhere from 700 to 2,000 calories, depending on how you play. That's a massive range! Here's why it fluctuates so much. If you're riding in a cart, you're looking at roughly 700-1,000 calories. Walk the course instead? You'll burn 800-1,500 calories, sometimes more. The average guy walking with a push cart burns about 1,436 calories over 18 holes, while the same person using a caddie still burns 1,226 calories. Your weight, the terrain, and how many extra shots you take all add up differently for everyone. Carrying your clubs can push calorie burn to around 1,450 calories per round, maximizing the workout intensity. These calculators use MET values to estimate your energy expenditure based on the specific activity and your body weight.
In regard to burning calories on the golf course, your decision between walking and riding isn't just about convenience; it's the single biggest factor that determines how many calories you'll incinerate. Walking with a push cart burns 36% more calories per hour than riding in a motorized cart. Over 18 holes, that adds up fast. If you walk the course, you'll burn 1,200-1,600 calories compared to just 800 when riding. The point is: a study of eight male golfers showed pushing a cart burned 718 calories over nine holes, while driving a cart burned only 411—that's 202 fewer calories! You're also covering 5-7 miles on foot versus half that distance riding, keeping your heart rate heightened longer. The research, conducted by the Colorado Golf Association, used a VO2 device to track energy expenditure directly on the course rather than in a lab setting. Interestingly, carrying your bag burned nearly identical calories to pushing a cart at 721 calories over nine holes, though it may increase fatigue.
While walking versus riding makes the biggest difference in your calorie burn, your body weight and the course you're playing on create a massive secondary impact that many golfers completely overlook.
Here's the thing: heavier golfers burn considerably more calories doing the exact same activity. A 130-pound person pulling clubs burns 295 calories per hour, while a 190-pound golfer torches 431 calories – that's a 46% increase! The MET formula explains why: your calorie burn equals (MET × body weight in kg × 3.5) ÷ 200, so weight directly scales your energy expenditure.
Course terrain matters too. Hilly courses with elevation changes spike your heart rate and calorie burn compared to flat layouts, since you're covering 5-8 miles with constant incline walking that amplifies energy cost. Additional movements like bending and walking between shots also contribute to your total calorie expenditure throughout the round.
Driving ranges and golf simulators offer surprisingly decent calorie-burning opportunities even though you're not walking miles across a course. At the range, you'll burn between 200 and 300 calories per hour, with a 150-pound person hitting around 136 calories and someone at 200 pounds reaching 182 calories in 60 minutes. Golf simulators deliver similar numbers during casual sessions, but the reality is: active play can push you to 300-500 calories per hour, especially during competitive challenges that get your heart rate up. The rapid-fire swinging, bending to tee up balls, and stance adjustments all contribute to your total burn. Your body weight plays a major role, too; heavier golfers naturally burn more calories with each swing. While you're missing the walking component, both options let you rack up hundreds of calories. A 2-hour session with consistent play could help you burn several hundred calories without the pressure of time limits found at traditional ranges. Weather conditions like heat and humidity can also increase your calorie expenditure as your body works harder to regulate temperature during practice.
You might wonder how golf stacks up against heavy-hitting calorie burners like running and basketball, and the honest answer is: it doesn't even come close. If you're a 200-pound person, golf burns just 317–408 calories per hour, while running torches 635–907 calories, depending on your pace. Basketball falls right in between at 544–725 calories per hour. The reality is: golf's intermittent activity, walking, swinging, then waiting, simply can't match the sustained intensity of running's rhythmic movement or basketball's anaerobic bursts. Court-based sports like basketball drive higher heart rates through their anaerobic nature, which helps explain the significant caloric difference. Even casual running at 5 mph (472 calories) beats golf for lighter folks. Running at 8 mph can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour, making it one of the most intense cardiovascular workouts available. So while golf offers social perks and skill development, it's nowhere near these cardio powerhouses for calorie efficiency.
Not really. Swinging harder barely affects your total calorie burn since each swing only lasts a few seconds. Hitting more shots does increase calories, but mainly because you're spending more time on the course, not from the swings themselves. The reality is: walking dominates your energy expenditure at 200-400 calories per hour, while swings contribute only a tiny fraction. So focus on walking, not swinging harder!
Putting practice burns way fewer calories than full swings. The reality is: each full swing torches about 3.5 calories, while putting so low-intensity it's grouped with casual simulator sessions at 200-300 calories per hour. Standing during putting only burns 0.009 calories per minute per pound of body weight. The minimal motion and power in putting can't compete with the full swings' explosive energy!
Yes, golf can definitely support your weight loss goals when you play consistently. Walking 18 holes burns 1,000-1,500 calories per round, which matches a 60-minute intense run. If you're playing twice weekly and walking with a push cart, that's around 2,000-3,000 extra calories burned. Combined with a healthy diet, this moderate exercise helps create the calorie deficit you need for weight loss while being easier on your joints than high-impact activities.
Yes, pros definitely burn more calories than recreational players. During official competition, professional golfers burn around 1,556 calories per round, while amateurs typically burn 700-1,000 calories. The reality is, pros walk the entire course under competitive pressure, which cranks up the intensity. If you're an amateur who walks instead of riding a cart, though, you'll get much closer to those professional numbers, especially on hilly courses!
Yes, temperature affects your calorie burn while golfing! You'll burn about 3-7% more calories in extreme heat or cold because your body works harder to regulate its core temperature. In hot weather, you're burning extra energy through sweating and cooling down. In cold conditions, your body cranks up heat production through shivering and increased metabolism. Either way, extreme temperatures mean you're torching more calories than on mild days.
Golf definitely burns calories, whether you're walking 18 holes or just hitting balls at the range. You'll torch more calories walking the course than riding, and your weight plus the terrain make a real difference in your total burn. While it won't replace your cardio workouts, golf keeps you moving for hours at a time. That's a pretty solid workout disguised as a fun day outdoors!
