Welcome to issue number 59 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing. 

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Golf is a surprisingly physical way of waiting for something to happen. Over the four or five-hours of an 18-hole round, you may walk more than 10 km…provided you resist the siren call of a motorised cart. 

Research has found that walking golfers commonly accumulate around 11,000–12,000 steps during a round. So, while it might sometimes look like a leisurely stroll, interrupted by occasional violence towards a small white ball, walking a golf course can be a challenging physical workout producing a growing tiredness that puts pressure on your ability to concentrate for the full game.

So, does the physically fitter golfer have a mental advantage?

Yes and no, but here are 7 thoughts to consider when deciding if you need a little more fitness in your game.

Your brain doesn't get to clock off when your legs get tired…Golf demands concentration on almost every shot, including choosing a club, judging distance, assessing wind, visualising the shot, controlling emotions and executing. The mental challenge exists because the same concentration required on the first tee is also required on the last tee. Research in golf suggests that prolonged play increases mental fatigue and impacts performance, particularly putting. 

Being physically fit may give you a useful advantage…Being aerobically fit means your body can perform prolonged activity more efficiently. Golf isn't an endurance event in the traditional sense, but walking 18 holes is more than a trip to the letterbox. Research on golf's physiological demands has reported moderate cardiovascular loads but substantial energy expenditure over a full round, so a fitter golfer should increase their chances of having more energy when playing the last few holes. 

There is good evidence that exercise improves cognition...A 2025 umbrella review covering 133 systematic reviews, and more than 258,000 participants, found that exercise was associated with improvements in general cognition, memory and executive function. Executive function is particularly relevant to golf because it includes the cognitive control and flexible decision-making to say, “The sensible shot is a layup,” when the impulse is to smash one over a problematic series of hazards. 

Strength matters but for a slightly different reason…Golfers don't merely walk, they repeatedly swing a club, stabilise their trunk, control rotation and, depending on their chosen method of transport, carry or drag a surprisingly heavy collection of metal objects around the countryside. Strength training can improve muscular capacity and resistance to fatigue, but research has not established that muscular strength directly causes better concentration during a five-hour round. 

Walking fitness and the weekend golfer…Of course, just walking the course every weekend adds to your general fitness. A 2025 study confirmed, as you would expect, that walking produced greater physiological and physical loads than using a golf cart. This included higher heart rates, higher core temperatures and greater perceived exertion, as well as greater post-round neuromuscular fatigue. But result wise, the study showed no significant difference in shot performance between walking and riding in a cart. 

Then there’s the exercise fuel to consider…Concentration is difficult when your internal energy-management system is flashing “low battery.” Research in competitive golfers has found that continuous carbohydrate intake during a round reduced perceived fatigue and was associated with higher self-reported concentration across the 18 holes. Another recent study found that carbohydrate intake during a golf round helped maintain blood glucose and reduced fatigue. 

So, what’s the takeaway? Does the physically fitter golfer have an advantage?

It seems the golfer who develops their aerobic fitness, whole-body strength, mobility and muscular endurance isn't necessarily going to become a better player simply by becoming fitter. What fitness can potentially do is make the physical demands of the round less disruptive. Combine that with sensible fuelling, hydration, sleep and some practice on the range, and you may have a much better chance of sustained success.

References

Singh, B., Bennett, H., Miatke, A., et al. (2025). Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(12), 866–876. PubMed 

Ishihara, T., Drollette, E. S., Ludyga, S., Hillman, C. H., & Kamijo, K. (2021). The effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 128, 258–269. PubMed 

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Pühse, U. (2016). Acute effects of moderate aerobic exercise on specific aspects of executive function in different age and fitness groups: A meta-analysis. Psychophysiology, 53(11), 1611–1626. PubMed 

Moreau, D., & Chou, E. (2019). The acute effect of high-intensity exercise on executive function: A meta-analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science. PubMed 

Kobriger, S. L., Smith, J., Hollman, J. H., & Smith, A. M. (2006). The contribution of golf to daily physical activity recommendations: How many steps does it take to complete a round of golf? Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 81(8), 1041–1043. PubMed 

Murray, A. D., Daines, L., Archibald, D., et al. (2017). The contribution of golf to physical activity: A rapid review. British Journal of Sports Medicine/BMJ Open literature review. 

Pan, X., et al. (2025). Mental fatigue in golf: A systematic review. PLOS ONE. 

O'Donnell, et al. (2025/2026). Riding a Golf Cart Versus Walking: A Study on the Physiological and Performance Differences in Tournament Golf. European Journal of Sport Science. 

Nagashima, K., et al. (2023). Effects of Continuous Carbohydrate Intake with Gummies during the Golf Round on Interstitial Glucose, Golf Performance, and Cognitive Performance of Competitive Golfers. Nutrients, 15(14), 3245. 

Mathers, J. F., & Grealy, M. A. (2013). Motor control strategies and the effects of fatigue on golf putting performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1005.

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