The game that’s good for you

One of golf’s greatest advertisements for the health of the game, and good health in general, might be the Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association Senior Championship.

Monday’s 36th annual event tried to limit its field to 100 at Leilehua. Nearly a month out, it had 103 golfers and a waiting list of players 50 and older.

Most astonishing every year is the abundance in Championship Flight — those 80 and older. This year there were 13 competing. That included 91-year-olds Elaine Lee, and Flo and Margaret Miyasaki, who are sisters-in-law.

All started playing in their 40s. Lee and Flo Miyasaki play at least twice a week. Lee’s husband always drives her to the course and waits patiently until she finishes.

It doesn’t take all that long. Monday’s format had everyone teeing off in an 8 a.m. shotgun start. The first finishers cruised in at 12:02 p.m., roughly two hours earlier than anyone can play a muni course on a Saturday afternoon and an hour ahead of most local tournament rounds.

Mira Han won her second senior championship in five years, firing 77, and 24-handicapper Martha Crisp took low-net honors with 68.

Their accomplishments are stellar, but a glimpse at Leilehua was all it took to see what really mattered Monday. Golf’s often-overlooked health benefits were being celebrated by 100-plus women who treasure the chance to be active in a social, often spectacular, setting.

"I clean house, clean the yard and go golf," Lee said. "That’s my exercise."

While the game hardly looks strenuous, golfers who carry their bags burn more than 700 calories over nine holes. In an 18-hole round, they can walk more than seven miles. Even those in a cart, which was a requirement Monday, can put in about three miles.

A Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports study a few years ago looked at 300,000 Swedish golfers and found the death rate for golfers 40 percent lower than others of the same sex, age and socioeconomic status. The conclusion was that regular golfers have a five-year increase in life expectancy.

Walking helps the heart and lungs, improves blood circulation and strengthens knees. The constant twisting and swinging helps keep muscles flexible and bodies limber. The game can also enhance bone density.

Emotionally, golf’s tranquil settings and easy opportunities to interact can also alleviate stress. The game is also good to help alertness and decision making.

The average handicap in Monday’s Championship Flight was 27. Nearly half the women — of any age — who have a USGA handicap index are between 27 and the maximum of 40.

Those indexes give them a different handicap at every course, based on the difficulty of the layout. They also allow them to compete on even terms with anyone else who has a handicap.

And, their age often offers them a discount on green fees at the more than 30,000 golf courses around the world.

What’s not to like, aside from all the things about golf that will make you crazy? Of course, that too has always been part of the crazy game’s charm.

Flo Miyasaki had a one-word description of her 109 Monday — "bad." A week earlier, even with a bad back, she shot 94 at Hawaii Kai — the same score that won her a "Super Seniors" title four years ago in this event.

Her handicap is 28 and her most memorable swing thought is to "touch my chin to my shoulder" on her takeaway.

Beyond that, her advice is to "Go out and enjoy the day, don’t get stressed. I don’t get stressed. My goal is just go out and have a good time."

Sister-in-law Margaret plays to a 31 handicap. While she is still desperately seeking a sub-100 score, she also focuses more on the social aspect of the game.

Lee’s handicap has climbed to 34, but her goal is always to shoot in the 90s — and "keep my eye on the ball."

"The main thing is," she said simply, "we have a good time."