How many steps, miles and calories is 18 holes of golf?

A round of golf is a long walk with interruptions. If you walk the course rather than ride a cart, 18 holes adds up to more steps than most people take in a whole ordinary day.

The short answer

About 12,000 steps. A study at the Mayo Clinic counted the steps of 42 golfers walking 18-hole rounds on three courses and found an average of 11,948 steps a round, with most golfers going over 10,000 whatever their handicap, sex or course. At an average step length that is roughly 8 km (5 miles), although real distances depend on the course and how straight you hit the ball.

Steps in a round

Round	Steps	Distance, roughly
18 holes, walking	about 12,000	about 8 km (5 miles)
9 holes, walking	about 6,000	about 4 km (2.5 miles)

The 18-hole figure is the study’s average. The 9-hole figure and both distances are our estimates from it, using the step length of an adult of average height.

How many calories does a round burn?

It depends on the golfer more than the course. A 2013 study tracked 66 golfers with heart rate and GPS monitors over 9- and 18-hole rounds and found an average of about 830 calories per round, with no difference between hilly and flat courses. Men averaged about 926 calories and women about 556, mostly because of body size. For professionals in tournament rounds lasting nearly five hours, a 2024 study estimated around 1,550 calories a round.

Does golf count as exercise?

Walking golf is light to moderate activity. A 2017 scoping review of 301 studies concluded that golf can provide moderate intensity physical activity and is associated with better cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic health. The 2013 study measured the intensity as light on average, but over four hours of walking, the volume adds up. Riding in a cart takes away much of the walking, and with it many of the steps.

A goal for every walk

The hard part of walking more is not the walking. It is having a reason to go out today. reTrek gives your walks a finish line: pick a famous route, like the Camino de Santiago or the Inca Trail, and every walk moves you further along it, with a short film about the place waiting at each milestone. Instead of fitting in a walk for its own sake, you walk to reach the next milestone.

Everest Base Camp is free. Get reTrek.