Is Disc Golf Good Exercise? What the Step Data Shows
If you are asking whether disc golf is healthy, the strongest disc-golf-specific evidence answers a narrower question: how many steps players take.
Pedometer research and UDisc tracking show that a round can add thousands of steps. They do not establish calorie burn, exercise intensity, fitness gains, weight change, or other health outcomes. This article stays with what the data measured.
How Many Steps Is a Round of Disc Golf?
A 2016 pedometer study by Justin Menickelli, David Barney, Dan Grube, and Chris Cooper analyzed 335 players across 15 courses. Participants averaged 311 steps per hole, equal to 5,613 steps over 18 holes.
An earlier PDGA-supported dataset published in 2010 included 413 players across 38 courses. The PDGA reported an average of 6,064 steps per outing. Because the page does not define every outing as an 18-hole round, that figure should not be labeled an 18-hole average.
Both figures are group averages, not predictions for an individual round. The 2016 study found that gender and score were associated with step counts in its sample. The 2010 PDGA report also recorded close to 9,000 steps for players using the long tees at one mountain course.
What UDisc Step Tracking Shows
UDisc published average step counts from millions of rounds tracked through its app on more than 14,000 courses. Its December 2023 table reported:
| Holes | Course length | Average steps |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Short | 1,906 |
| 9 | Mid-length | 2,210 |
| 9 | Very long | 3,064 |
| 18 | Short | 3,829 |
| 18 | Mid-length | 4,360 |
| 18 | Very long | 5,886 |
These are app-tracked averages rather than results from a controlled study. They still show the same practical point: the number of steps changes with the course and the round.
What a Step Count Does Not Tell You
The cited figures measure steps. They do not directly measure:
- Heart rate or exercise intensity
- Calories burned
- Changes in fitness or body weight
- The effect of elevation or terrain
- Health outcomes from playing disc golf
The PDGA's 2010 report explicitly says it did not measure elevation change or time spent in a target heart-rate zone. The 2016 study used pedometers to count steps per hole. Neither source tested whether playing disc golf caused a health improvement.
So, Is Disc Golf Healthy?
The step data supports one narrow conclusion: playing disc golf gets players walking, often for thousands of steps in an outing.
It does not prove that disc golf improves health. That broader claim would require data beyond step counts, such as heart rate, exercise intensity, repeated participation, and changes in health over time. The available step data tells us how much walking took place, not what that walking did for each player.
Why This Article Does Not Give a Calorie Number
The cited disc golf research counts steps, not calories. Converting a group step average into one calorie figure would add assumptions that these sources did not test.
If a watch or app gives you a calorie number for a round, treat it as that device's estimate. It is not a result established by the disc golf step studies cited here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does disc golf count as exercise?
The disc-golf-specific research cited here shows that players walk thousands of steps during an outing. It does not measure whether a round meets a particular exercise target.
How many steps is a round of disc golf?
The 2016 pedometer study averaged 311 steps per hole, equal to 5,613 steps over 18 holes. The earlier PDGA report found 6,064 steps per outing. UDisc's app-tracked averages ranged from 3,829 steps on short 18-hole courses to 5,886 on very long 18-hole courses.
How far do you walk in a round of disc golf?
The research gives step counts, not directly measured distance. A PDGA summary of the study describes 5,613 steps as almost three miles, but the distance covered by a given number of steps varies with stride length.
How many steps is 9 holes?
UDisc reported averages of 1,906 steps on short 9-hole courses, 2,210 on mid-length 9-hole courses, and 3,064 on very long 9-hole courses.
How many calories does disc golf burn?
The cited disc golf studies do not establish a calorie figure. They measured steps, so this article does not convert those results into calories.
Does the amount of walking change by course?
Yes. UDisc's averages rise across its short, mid-length, and very long course categories. The PDGA also reported close to 9,000 steps from the long tees at one mountain course.
Ready for Your First Round?
If you are heading out for a first round, the next decision is what to bring.
