"GOLFERS are never short of an excuse to take a few swings but a new study has given them a legitimate reason - golf prolongs your life.

According to research from Europe's leading medical research institute, playing golf can add five years to a person's life.

A study of 300,000 golfers revealed that they were 40 per cent less likely to die at any given age than those who did not play.

The study, by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, revealed the best players, as measured by handicaps, were the healthiest of all.

Despite the lack of physical activity involved in golf, golfers who play a single round of 18 holes usually walk more than 6km.

Golfers have a lower death rate regardless of sex, age and social group, the study found.

The effect is greater for blue-collar workers than for those from white-collar backgrounds.

Professor Anders Ahlbom, who led the study, said while not all golfers had a healthy lifestyle, it is believed playing the game has a significant impact on health.

"Maintaining a low handicap involves playing a lot, so it supports the idea that it is largely the game that is good for the health," he said. "



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