Energy expenditure compared to mental focus & score in three modes of golf transport/play

How does energy expenditure (EE) vary in golf based on the mode of transport and play? Does walking in some form enhance mental focus and decrease scores? Do all forms of golf play qualify as health-improvement activity? To determine potential golf participation benefits, a pre-study VO2 test was used to compare EE from the trials. The ten subjects (n=10), six males and four females, were all regular golfers at an accessible public golf course. Subjects played nine-hole rounds using a motor cart (MC), pushcart (PC), and electric trolley (ET)while wearing a portable metabolic system. Data points were recorded and averaged for O2/L/min and converted to kcal per hour, oxygen consumption in VO2 ml/kg/min, and heart rate (HR). Subjects kept score and completed a mental focus survey, which rated tee shots, second to fourth shots, and the short game from 100 yards in for each trial. The MC play had the least average expenditure of the three modes of transport and play (211 kcal/hr.), followed by the ET (236 kcal/hr.) and the PC (288 kcal/hr.), p = 0.001. The ET had the highest mental focus score (6.63/10), followed by the PC (5.67) and the MC (5.01), p = .015. The average score to par was one stroke better for the two walking modes versus the MC (10.3 vs. 11.5), p= 0.1906580. Walking while playing had better potential health effects while improving positive focus and scoring benefits compared to a motor cart. Golf in the walking modes is a moderate-intensity physical activity, while MC play is lower in health and fitness benefit.