Background
My interest in aging began decades ago as a young PGA Golf Professional at Morro Bay Golf Course. I noticed a striking difference between the older golfers who walked the course and those who rode in carts.
The walkers consistently displayed better balance, mobility, breathing, mental sharpness, and resilience at the end of the round. They seemed to live more engaged lives—socially, physically, and emotionally. It was as if walking preserved a decade of youthfulness, and their aging trajectory was visibly healthier.
Over the years, I’ve seen how golf—especially walking golf—can serve as a powerful tool for maintaining health as we age
These observations seeded what became a decades-long study of aging and longevity that has led to founding The Healthspan Extension Project.
This study belongs in Pillar #6: Functional Mobility and Purposeful Exercise. A powerful pillar that promotes purposeful exercise and whole-body training to prepare and preserve our musculoskeletal system, muscle mass, strength, endurance, balance, range of motion, stability, coordination, and proprioception—to prevent, delay, and mitigate the challenges of living actively and independently in late life, and to responsibly delay early reliance on others as we age.
In this article, we revisit those early insights through a modern lens, using wearable tech to quantify the differences between walking and riding. This father-son observational study uses data from an Apple Watch 7 (on the leading wrist) and Whoop 4.0 (on the trailing upper arm) to compare heart rate, and calories burned across walking and riding rounds. Efforts were made to duplicate the ball positions in each round to better mirror distance and steps traveled.
In the Further Discussion and Next Steps section we lightly explore broader physiological implications of walking the course on the pace of aging, cardiovascular and metabolic health, fall prevention, resilience, proprioception, social connectivity and living independently for longer. Walking instead of riding is perhaps one of many simple longevity lifestyle choices that deliver substantial, outsized health advantages over time.
I conclude with a proposal to conduct a rigorous crowd-scale, citizen-science project where together you and I are principal investigators and the subject of our own aging-research study.
Study Results and Conclusions
Noting significant data variances between the devices, we propose that the Whoop armband reading more realistically reports caloric energy expenditure (Calories Burned) than the Apple Watch worn on the wrist. Whoop data may also reveal surprisingly large age-related variation in caloric rate (kcal) and heart rate (HR) between a 56-year-old and a 17-year-old.
For me, a 56-year old male — we observed 400 incremental kcal burned (for 18 holes walked) at an average HR of *75 bpm. In comparison, the riding effort duplicating the same ball positions and time of day burned 162 fewer kcal with an average HR of 59 bpm.
For my son, a 17-year old male — we observed 812 incremental kcal burned (for 18 holes walked) at an average HR of 97 bpm. In comparison, the riding effort duplicating the same ball positions and time of day burned 394 fewer kcal at an average HR of 88 bpm. Given the game of golf involves cycles of walking up and down hills, hitting the ball, standing at rest between shots we find our observations correlate closely with research studies involving walking and mothers pushing baby strollers equivalent distances.
*Note: my results in this study are confounded by an unusually low bradycardic resting and active HR that is about 20 - 35 bpm lower than the average person due to a lifetime of exercise, a genetic thyroid receptor mutation, and a beta blocker drug for atrial fibrillation that reduces active HR 10-15 bpm. My current HR riding in a cart is in the 80-90 bpm range without the drug. Because HR is used in the calculation of calories burned — my 400 / 238 kcal Whoop estimate would be nearer to 500 / 300. This may reveal an age-related decline in metabolic BMR.
Interpreting this data I’ve arrived at surprising and actionable conclusions.
Riding burns 40-50% less calories than walking 18 holes. However, the incremental total calories burned are relatively small (200-400 kcal) over 18 holes played.
For walkers and riders, it would be very easy to consume more incremental calories than were burned that day. 4+ hours of outdoor activity in the sun can be exhausting and promote a strong desire to refuel with a heavy meal and to rehydrate with calorie dense beverages. For golfers, we know it is common to consume snacks and caloric beverages (Sodas, Gatorade, Beer) throughout the round, and maybe grab a burger and soda at the turn and then feast and drink with friends afterwards at a restaurant. This is not limited to golfers, how many of you have sat through endless travel baseball, football, or soccer tournaments and then join the team for a heavy restaurant meal late that night?
A 20 OZ Gatorade is 140 calories, Beer is 147
1.69 OZ pack of M&M’s is 230, Trail mix 560
Banana, handful of blueberries, and unsweetened ice tea at the turn is 165
A Burger and Fries lunch at the turn is about 1,083 calories
A nice sit-down or fast-casual restaurant meal after golf with drinks is 1,500 – 2,500+ calories
My personal data may hint at a significant age-dependent reduction in calories burned as we age through our 5th to 8th decades. In the 60+ population, the rate of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) decline is about three times faster than it was between ages 20 and 60. Imperceptible to many, this insight may lead to excessive weight gain over decades in active older persons.
From this two-person personal study, I propose a hypothesis: it is common for riders and walkers to perceive that more calories were burned than actually were — leading to unhealthy levels of overfeeding for the rest of the day. When extrapolated across the number of rounds played per month, year, or decade, this could be a hidden source of weight gain and unhealthy visceral fat accumulation, contributing to increased rates of metabolic disease in the golfing population.
Beyond the golfing community, if older active adults don’t adjust and moderate their feeding habits after exercise by progressively reducing calorie intake to align with their reduced and declining BMR — we may find excessive calorie consumption on exercising days is a root cause of hidden, creeping weight gain in active older populations.
Further Discussion and Next Steps
For walking golfers, the outlook may be especially promising. In future studies, we may find that post-round overfeeding is offset by healthier, longevity-adjacent lifestyle habits—more frequent physical activity, better nutrition, improved sleep hygiene, and stronger circadian alignment.
These individuals may be aging more slowly, not in appearance but in measurable physiological terms. Their organ systems cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological may be functioning up to a decade younger than their chronological age.
Recent research in the last decade clearly indicates an individual’s biological age, functional age, and their risks of age-related diseases becoming chronic can (from a epigenetic and multitude of useful biomarkers) indicate their bodily systems on the inside are functioning a decade younger or older than their chronological age. I made that connection early in my life and it has served me well.
Perhaps this is something golfers can relate to – a powerful and memorable demonstration of how consequential seemingly small lifestyle choices can be.
Topics we can explore in a future study include:
Musculoskeletal Preservation - Walking preserves joint mobility, muscle mass, and bone density—key factors in preventing frailty and falls. Riders may experience more stiffness and reduced range of motion and injuries due to prolonged sitting and jostling in a moving golf cart and less dynamic movement on and off the course.
Postural Stability, Range of Motion, Balance, and Proprioception - Walking improves gait mechanics, balance, range of motion in the hips and sacroiliac, and proprioceptive feedback — critical for fall prevention in older adults. Riders may lose some of this feedback loop due to reduced physical engagement with the terrain over 3-5 miles and if they generally live less active lifestyles.
Metabolic Health & Visceral Fat - Even modest calorie burn from walking may help regulate insulin sensitivity and reduce visceral fat accumulation. Riders and walkers may be at higher risk of metabolic syndrome if post-round caloric intake consistently exceeds expenditure, especially if they play a few times per month and for all months of the calendar year.
Respiratory Efficiency and Endurance - Sustained low-intensity movement over 4+ hours may improve respiratory endurance and oxygen utilization. Walking golfers may maintain better breathing mechanics, lung capacity, and endurance over time.
Circadian Alignment & Sleep Quality – playing golf in the morning and evening can reinforce circadian rhythms which beneficially align gene expression and protein synthesis with when in the day and night your body needs them, leading to better sleep onset, glymphatic clearance in the brain, and enhanced immune function.
Immune System Resilience & Inflammaging - Extended low-intensity exercise for 4 or more hours may help enhance immune response to pathogens and vaccinations, and also triggering anti-inflammatory processes that can mitigate age-related low-grade inflammation—often referred to as “inflammaging.” This type of sustained movement supports lymphatic circulation, stress hormone regulation, and immune cell mobilization, potentially lowering the risk of infection and autoimmune flare-ups in older adults.
Cognitive Health & Neuroprotection - Walking may stimulate neurogenesis and improve cerebral blood flow, potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. The rhythmic nature of walking combined with social interaction may enhance executive function, memory retention and delay onset of age-related dementia and neurocognitive diseases.
Social Connectivity & Emotional Health – Golfers often play in consistent groups, fostering deeper social bonds and emotional resilience. The act of playing golf and walking together may promote more meaningful conversations, shared experiences, a heightened sense of purposeful existence and also extend the drive and motivation to continue other forms of recreation and perhaps the period they are willing to travel to visit remote family. Sustaining and nurturing lifelong relationships can form the basis for a continued desire to navigate and persevere through the numerous challenges and obstacles of late life.
Concluding Thoughts
Golf, walking or riding offers a unique blend of physical activity, social engagement, and outdoor exposure that sets it apart from sedentary living. Walking the course may deliver exponentially greater benefits than implied by this small two-person study with my son. Further study, we may find significant physiological benefits across cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, immunological and emotional domains. Could educating riders on these advantages and supporting their transition to walking catalyze a cascade of whole-body benefits the delivers exceptional aging outcomes?
Everything that matters requires a wellspring of amazing good health.
-Bill Theurer
The Golf Longevity Challenge: Converting 10,000 Riders to Walkers
Because I care, I’ve cared for decades and because you matter to me — I want to do more than talk about it. I want to help people earn an extra decade or more of extended healthspan and lifespan. For these reasons, I propose we band together to do something amazing.
The Healthspan Extension Project includes a crucial Crowd Scale Catalyst Program component which intends to resolve pressing health and longevity issues of our time.
This leads us to the virtuous next step: a crowd-scale citizen science challenge to convert 10,000 riders to walkers and objectively analyze the physiological changes through the lens of long-term aging outcomes. You and I will walk the talk, track the data, and share the journey together.
If these topics resonate with you, I invite you to join me in a bold experiment — where we become the principal investigators and subjects of our own aging research.
Participating in this study is the first step to launching your own epic aging journey.
By committing to walk the course and track your progress and if you are a lifetime walker playing at least 10 rounds per year, by participating in the study you’ll gain deep insight into your individual physiology, your risk of common age-related diseases and your aging-trajectory compared to the general population and to those that are on track to enjoy an extra decade of high-quality healthspan and a decade or more of lifespan extension.
You’ll be part of a community exploring the frontier of Healthspan Extension, learning how small changes can deliver outsized benefits that result in exceptional aging outcomes, uncommon wellness, vitality, and longevity.
This experience may inspire you to adopt additional longevity-aligned behaviors, better sleep, smarter nutrition, more movement, and deeper social engagement. This is your opportunity to take ownership of your aging outcomes, and become an example for others of what Healthspan Extension truly looks like.
With enough support in the spring of 2026, we’ll launch Phase 1 of the crowd-scale citizen science project to objectively analyze the physiological changes in a pool of riders converted to walkers and long-term walkers. Together, we’ll track the transition using wearable tech, manual logs, and shared insights. You’ll self-pay for any products or services you choose to use and manually input your results into a secure, anonymized database.
With lessons learned from our collective data — we will launch a campaign to convert 10,000 riders to walkers in 2028.
Our goal to get out of the gate requires at least 500+ committed participants to fund initial due diligence, study design, and marketing campaigns. Once we hit that threshold, we’ll begin enrollment and endeavor to attract industry support to offset costs and offer promotional discounts.
This is your chance to be part of something transformative—where your data, your story, and your journey help shape the future of aging science.
But don’t wait for this project to launch in 2026 — your fastest and most direct route to a future where you can stay-younger and live better-for-longer starts with taking the flagship course, The New Science of Aging: Introduction to Healthspan and Lifespan Extension and also joining this Healthspan Extension Substack community.
For those that donate to causes that matter, please consider donating to the GoFundMe campaign. It makes it possible to produce content that matters to you and those you love and care for - and it also seeds Crowd Scale Projects that are designed to enhance and enable you aging journey.
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Study Framework for a Crowd-Scale Citizen Science Project
Study Title
The Golf Longevity Challenge: Converting Riders to Walkers
Timeline
Walk More, Age Less Article and Campaign Proposal: Sept 2025
Enrollment Opens: Winter 2025 contingent on attaining 500 person threshold
1,000 Persons Phase-1 Study: Spring 2026, Active Participant Duration: 18 months
10,000 Person Phase-2 Study: (Design Q1-Q2 2027, Funding Q3-Q4 2027, Active Participant Duration 2028-2030
Participation Requirements
Primary Study: Rider to Walker Conversion Study - must currently ride in a golf cart, be willing to transition to walking
Secondary Study: Lifetime Walker Study: individual biomarker testing and data collection of life-time walkers to gather and compare biomarkers of riders and sedentary population baseline
Self-pay for testing and gear (e.g., Whoop, Apple Watch, push or electric golf caddie)
You’ll manually log data into a secure, anonymized portal
Commit to at least 12 eighteen-hole walking rounds per year
Agree to share anonymized results and participate in surveys and social media campaigns to promote the overall success of the project
Threshold Trigger
500+ participants required to proceed — to fully fund Phase-1 and properly power the study results with at least 100 participants per age-band to detect a medium effect size with 80% power and a 0.05 significance level.
Fees will support: paid expert research support from early career PHD students or post-doctoral researcher(s), a project management professional, administrative support, and information technology platform tools, and portal development
Industry support may follow that could partially offset participants costs
Substack Polls and a Kajabi interest list will be used to gauge readiness
Once threshold is met, full enrollment and crowdfunding begins
Individual Insights
Blood-based biomarker panels that provide insights into your current aging-trajectory
Changes in heart rate, calories burned, sleep quality, and perceived exertion
Potential improvements in mobility, balance, and endurance and healthy lifestyle shifts in nutrition, social engagement, and emotional well-being
Collective Insights
Comparative healthspan metrics between riders, walkers, and sedentary matched cohorts from other studies
Biomarker trends: VO2 Max, DEXA, grip strength, blood pressure, biological age and more
Behavioral patterns: adherence, motivation, and transition challenges
Formation of the first Golfing Longevity Community and potential for scalable interventions that enhance and enable their aging journeys.
Please Take the Short 7 Question Survey
Join the waitlist now — to learn more about the Golfing Longevity Project and be among the first invited to participate.
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