The Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction of Golfers: A Cross-Sectional Study in German-Speaking Countries

Abstract

Golf is an outdoor sport played worldwide, and golfers of all ages benefit from regular exercise and social contact. The COVID-19 crisis has led to lockdowns, curfews, and closures of golf courses and other indoor and outdoor sports facilities. This study aimed to retrospectively assess how golfers perceived the impact of the crisis on physical activity and life satisfaction. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among 1,115 golfers (61% men, mean age 55.0 years) in German-speaking countries, mainly Austria and Germany, from March to June 2021. When comparing ratings before and during the COVID-19 period, participants reported exercising more indoors at home independently or with online instructions. Likewise, the popularity of exercising outdoors in publicly accessible open spaces increased overall, especially in rural areas by about 10%. Life satisfaction decreased significantly by 24.2% (p < 0.001) during the pandemic. From a public health perspective, access to outdoor sports facilities such as golf courses might alleviate the negative psychosocial and health effects of home confinement and restricted access to indoor sports facilities. Further research is recommended to evaluate the longer-term impact of COVID-19-related measures on the physical activity and life satisfaction of golfers.

Sports and the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Active Living and Life Satisfaction of Climbers

“…An explanatory text defined that "before COVID-19" means the time period before 16 March 2020, and "during COVID-19" means the time period after this date [4]. The survey items were adapted to climbing from previously used questionnaires on physical activity and in view of COVID-19-related recommendations for safe climbing [10,14,16]. The link to the online survey was distributed using the snowball system via commonly used social media pages and designated groups on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Signal addressing climbers and outdoor enthusiasts.…”

“…Although physical activity during lockdowns was important for health and wellbeing, training at home differs from the usual setup, e.g., in a gym, and might be more challenging for people who have to be considerate of family members, flat mates, or pets. Additionally, it is not possible to practice all sports in the home environment, for example, installing a climbing wall at home or playing golf [16].…”

“…Many people kept in shape during the lockdown period with walking, running, and fitness exercises, with or without the support of digital offers [10]. Impacts of the pandemic on general recreational sports patterns and social interactions have been studied in different contexts all over the world [6,16]. However, the climbing community is currently understudied, despite the associated economic investments and job opportunities in recent decades [24].…”