Golf is a sport that people consider to be an easy one. Most people’s perception of the sport is walking a few steps and hitting the ball with a club.

But only a handful of them realizes that this game requires a player to stay outdoors for a major part of the day. Staying in the open not only enhances the oxygen intake in a person but also gives tons of other physical as well as health benefits.

Here are 3 most important health benefits that a golfer gets during the game:

• Golf improves concentration and boosts brain activity: The game of golf majorly depends on the player’s hand-eye coordination. Not only that, but a golfer needs to focus and concentrate a lot to perform well in the sport. A skilled golfer will know how hard to hit the ball to land it exactly in the area he wants it to land. The golfer develops all these skills and practices within the game. Hence, this helps the player end up with better concentration and enhanced brain activity by the time he becomes a pro.

Read More: How Jack Nicklaus lost his ‘one and only bet on golf’

• Golf is good for the heart: When on the course, the players have to walk for miles and miles to hit a shot. Walking is always good for your heart and when it comes to golf, the walk is noticeably longer. This gradually increases the circulation of your blood inside the body, and therefore encourages the heart to work efficiently. It also helps in maintaining a higher heart rate than it normally is. This results in decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases and issues in the body, along with a healthier and longer-living heart. Thus, golf can help you increase your life expectancy if played regularly.

• Golf helps in weight loss: Other than keeping your heart healthy, golf also helps to keep your body fitter and in shape. Though it is not a sport that requires high energy, it still helps to keep you going in terms of physical activity. It means you can lose all the extra fat without going to the gym, and by simply playing golf regularly.

How can golf help you get fitter?

Golf involves walking for 18 holes and hitting the ball hard enough to get it miles away. Both these things are enough to get you in better shape through time. If played regularly, golf eventually helps a person lose a lot of weight and achieve a visible difference in their physical fitness.

This might help you change your perspective towards the sport a little bit because golf is not an easy sport. After all, golf is not as easy as it looks. But like all other sports, it definitely contributes to your physical fitness and better health.

Watch this story: Here Are 10 Companies That Pay Tiger Woods a Whopping $65M a Year