Golf might just be the most powerful health boost hiding in plain sight. While millions gear up for the Dubai Fitness Challenge, there’s no better time to shine a light on a sport that helps you live longer, feel better, and stay active – all while having fun in the great outdoors.
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As someone who has spent more than a decade studying the relationship between physical activity and long-term health, I can say with confidence that golf is one of the most powerful and perhaps most underestimated forms of exercise available to people of all ages and abilities.
Scientific research commissioned by The R&A, golf’s global governing body, shows that golfers live, on average, five years longer than non-golfers. That same body of evidence demonstrates that playing golf can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and dementia.
Moderate-intensity exercise such as walking the course improves cardiovascular health, metabolic function and strength. For older adults, golf significantly boosts balance and muscle endurance, which are two key factors in maintaining independence later in life.
Just as importantly, golf offers something that is often hard to come by in a busy modern life: genuine social connection. Loneliness is one of the greatest health threats of our time, yet the golf course remains one of the few places where phones are kept in pockets and conversations flow naturally.
Whether you play nine holes with friends, learn alongside others on the practice range, or simply enjoy green space and fresh air, golf enriches wellbeing in a way few other sports can replicate.
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It is for all of these reasons that at The R&A, we are proud to see golf return to the Dubai Fitness Challenge through the expanded Golf is Good x Dubai Fitness Challenge initiative, delivered in partnership with The R&A and the Emirates Golf Federation. Throughout DFC, you can enjoy over 100 free golf activities across ten venues, including lessons, simulator game time, fitness sessions, and even a Walk to Win challenge at the DP World Tour Championship – one of several prestigious international events taking place during DFC.
For many, this will be their first time trying the sport. It is an opportunity to discover that golf is not inaccessible, not overly technical, and certainly not limited to those who already play. It is an activity that can be enjoyed by children, families, complete beginners, and older adults. You do not need expensive equipment or years of experience to reap the benefits. You simply need to start.
DFC provides the perfect platform to do just that. With the entire city focused on building healthier habits, trying golf for the first time becomes both convenient and inviting. The Challenge’s emphasis on daily movement aligns perfectly with the evidence: if you play golf – or even practice or walk the course – for at least 150 minutes per week, you are meeting the World Health Organisation’s global exercise guidelines.
Crucially, the initiative also extends beyond golf clubs and championship venues. Through Unleash Your Drive in Schools, children across Dubai will be introduced to golf in environments that support learning, confidence, and physical literacy. Early positive experiences of sport can shape lifelong behaviours, and this programme ensures young people can discover golf in a playful, engaging, and inclusive way.
In a world where physical inactivity contributes to more than three million deaths each year, we urgently need sports that welcome people in rather than shut them out, and golf in Dubai is doing just that.
So this month, as Dubai takes on its annual 30×30 challenge, I encourage everyone, especially those who have never considered golf before, to take advantage of the free sessions on offer. Step onto a driving range, pick up a club, walk along the fairways, or join a fitness session at one of the participating venues. You may just discover a sport that keeps you healthier, happier, and more connected – not only for the next 30 days, but for life.
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