. Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the RFEG: “Health is paramount in our lives and golf contributes to it.”

. José Antonio García Donaire, MD: “Playing golf is linked to improvements in cardiovascular and respiratory risk factors and to a longer life expectancy.”

. Andrew Murray, physician and researcher: “Playing golf is good for your health. It lengthens life and contributes to the happiness of those who practice it, in addition to saving governments a lot of money through prevention.”

Playing golf is a beneficial activity that lengthens the lives of those who practice it – in addition to contributing to their happiness – is the main conclusion put forward during the presentation of the Golf is Health Program promoted by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, which took place during the celebration of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters and in which, in addition to Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the RFEG, doctors Andrew Murray and José Antonio García Donaire participated.

The Golf is Health Program, in which Solán de Cabras actively collaborates, is part of the RFEG's strategy to spread the values and benefits of the sport of golf throughout Spanish society.

Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the RFEG, emphasized that “health is paramount in our lives, and golf contributes to this. It is essential to highlight the magnificent work carried out by Dr. Andrew Murray, a comprehensive study, endorsed by the University of Edinburgh and the scientific community, which must be communicated to society as a whole.”.

The president of the RFEG emphasized the importance "of having this study, with its recognized scientific basis, which expands on the benefits of our sport, which, in addition to being healthy, is good for tourism, creates jobs, and generates a significant economic impact. The next step is to collaborate with doctors and health centers so that they prescribe golf to their patients as an activity that contributes to improving their health.".

For his part, José Antonio García Donaire, a medical doctor, praised the RFEG's sensitivity to this important issue. "The leading healthcare expense is cardiovascular disease, and the best approach is to tackle it through non-pharmacological treatments, through prevention, and in this sense, golf is a perfect activity," he stated during the presentation before emphasizing the importance of the scientific study conducted by Andrew Murray, "with a focus on public awareness, which consists of a review of more than 300 studies that meet specific scientific criteria.".

José Antonio García Donaire believes it has been proven that "the practice of golf is related to the improvement of cardiovascular risk factors -fewer heart attacks, fewer strokes and kidney improvements-, apart from improving respiratory capacity, both for those who are sick and for those who are not.".

The next step, already underway, is to implement this Golf is Health Program, initially through the Madrid Regional Ministry of Health, "so that professionals in the sector, primarily those working in health centers, are aware of these findings. The goal is for doctors, nurses, nutritionists, etc., to learn about golf and recommend it, to be prescribers of golf as a moderate physical activity that activates the heart, muscles, lungs, and more.".

Finally, Andrew Murray, who spearheaded the University of Edinburgh study detailing the health benefits of golf, emphasized that “playing golf is the best gift you can give your children because they will live longer, get better grades in school, and be happier. The WHO considers lack of exercise to be the fourth leading cause of poor health. We have studied more than 5,000 documents, and the conclusion is irrefutable: playing golf is good for your health.”.

Andrew Murray stated that “according to a study conducted in Sweden with a very large sample size, golf extends life by at least 5 years and those who practice it have a better body composition and better cholesterol levels, in addition to being happier and more content.”.

The Scottish doctor explained that “we are going to investigate the benefits of attending golf tournaments as spectators, since, on average, spectators take about 11,500 steps per day. Our ambassadors – Gary Player, Annika Soretam, Padraig Harrington, and others – help us convey that lack of physical activity contributes to the deaths of 5.3 million people. This project is also very important because, through prevention, we help governments save a lot of money.”.