Is Golf Really Healthier Than Pickleball? We’ll Wait While You Find Your Ball

A recent round of scientific studies is trying to tell us that golf is better for your health than pickleball. Apparently, leisurely meandering around a manicured field for five hours while chasing a tiny ball and shouting at geese offers more “long-term health benefits” than a sweaty, competitive kitchen battle. Adorable. But here at the Crenshaw Pickleball Club, we respectfully (and energetically) disagree. Sure, golf might be lower impact—if you don’t count the toll of waiting behind a foursome of retirees debating hybrid clubs. Meanwhile, pickleball has you sprinting, swinging, and laughing in actual game-like intervals, not existential contemplation between holes.

To be fair, yes, pickleball-related injuries have increased—because pickleball participation has exploded. It’s not exactly a revelation that more players lead to more incidents. It’s basic math, not cause for alarm. Also: people fall. On pickleball courts, sure. But also on curbs, ice, and banana peels. And unlike golf, pickleball doesn’t let you coast in a cart while your heart rate drifts into nap mode. If you want a real cardiovascular workout that doesn’t require sunscreen reapplication every 30 minutes or a membership at your uncle’s country club, pickleball’s got your back (and your glutes, and your core).

We’re not anti-golf. There’s a place in this world for quiet concentration and swing thoughts. But if you’re chasing better health, community, and joy without having to find your ball in a pond, pickleball is where the real action is. We play in 90-minute bursts of endorphins and camaraderie, not full-day odysseys that end in sore shoulders from carrying too many excuses. So here’s our takeaway: if golf wants to be considered exercise, it’s going to have to start keeping score like we do—in sweat.