Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned playing golf

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 158 kcal in 30 minutes of playing golf (General), and about 315 kcal in an hour. That is 4.5 METs.

30 minutes: 158kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 315kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 270kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 360kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

How you get round the course matters more than the swing. The Compendium rates walking and carrying your clubs above riding in a power cart, and a driving range or mini-golf session is lower still. Rest between shots is included in the time.

Calculate calories burned playing golf

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of playing golf at 4.5 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned playing golf by weight and time

Kilocalories for playing golf at 4.5 METs (General), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned playing golf at 4.5 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	56	113	169	225	338	450
60 kg (132 lb)	68	135	203	270	405	540
70 kg (154 lb)	79	158	236	315	473	630
80 kg (176 lb)	90	180	270	360	540	720
90 kg (198 lb)	101	203	304	405	608	810
100 kg (220 lb)	113	225	338	450	675	900
110 kg (243 lb)	124	248	371	495	743	990

Playing golf: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates playing golf on 5 lines, from 3.5 METs (Mini golf or driving range) up to 4.5 METs (Walking, pulling clubs). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned playing golf by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
Mini golf or driving range	15270	3.5	105	123	140	245
Using a power cart	15290	3.5	105	123	140	245
Walking, carrying clubs	15265	4.3	129	151	172	301
General	15255	4.5	135	158	180	315
Walking, pulling clubs	15285	4.5	135	158	180	315

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 15270, “Golf, miniature, driving range”; 15290, “Golf, using power cart”; 15265, “Golf, walking, carrying clubs”; 15255, “Golf, general”; 15285, “Golf, walking, pulling clubs”.

What changes the number for playing golf

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of playing golf (Walking, pulling clubs) is rated at 4.5 METs, 1.3 times the 3.5 METs of the gentlest (Mini golf or driving range). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 315 kcal an hour against 245 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 4.5 METs of playing golf for 30 minutes comes to 113 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 248 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 19 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): mini golf or driving range is 123 kcal; using a power cart is 123 kcal; walking, carrying clubs is 151 kcal; general is 158 kcal; walking, pulling clubs is 158 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For playing golf at 4.5 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 4.5 × 70 × 0.5 = 158 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn playing golf in 30 minutes?

About 158 kcal at 4.5 METs (General). The whole range for playing golf on this page runs from 123 kcal (Mini golf or driving range) to 158 kcal (Walking, pulling clubs) in the same half hour.

How many calories does playing golf burn in an hour?

At 4.5 METs, about 270 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 315 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 360 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does playing golf take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 19 minutes at 4.5 METs (General). At the gentlest listed pace (Mini golf or driving range, 3.5 METs) it takes 24 minutes, and at the hardest (Walking, pulling clubs, 4.5 METs) about 19.

Does the number for playing golf include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 4.5 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 22% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 123 of the 158 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for playing golf?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For playing golf that average already spans 5 entries from 3.5 to 4.5 METs, a 1.3-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for playing golf?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “General”, about 100% of the way up the 3.5 to 4.5 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (15270, 15290, 15265, 15255, 15285).

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.