# How many calories does a round of golf burn?



## North Mimms (Apr 18, 2015)

After today's round, one of the ladies said she had a phone app running which said 2000 cal !

Sounds way too much, that's nearly a day's calorie allowance.
If that was the case, I should be rail thin.

The app only measured how far the phone (in her bag) had travelled so obviously doesn't know how many times she swung the club, Or in my case- how many bunkers I raked (at least 500 cal I guess)


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## Fish (Apr 18, 2015)

North Mimms said:



			After today's round, one of the ladies said she had a phone app running which said 2000 cal !

Sounds way too much, that's nearly a day's calorie allowance.
If that was the case, I should be rail thin.

The app only measured how far the phone (in her bag) had travelled so obviously doesn't know how many times she swung the club, Or in my case- how many bunkers I raked (at least 500 cal I guess)
		
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When I was using the My Fitness Pal app to lose weight, which I did very successfully, a 240 minute round of golf pulling my clubs was circa 1800 calories, I questioned this in my mind and set my GPS watch to calories on the next round and it was only 150 calories shy, so, its not far off the mark


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## Green Bay Hacker (Apr 18, 2015)

Sounds way too much to me. My guess would be more like 500 max and that was if she was walking. If she was in a buggy it would be more like 150.


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## ruff-driver (Apr 18, 2015)

5 miles carrying = 600 cal 

http://walking.about.com/library/cal/uccalc1.htm


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## North Mimms (Apr 18, 2015)

I don't carry and I use an electric trolley.

But I did rake a LOT of bunkers today!


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## AmandaJR (Apr 18, 2015)

500-600 calories imo. 5-6m walk plus some extra effort swinging and extra time on your feet than a regular walk would take. Oh and of course raking of bunkers and tired shoulders from carrying HID...


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## brendy (Apr 18, 2015)

According to S Health on my galaxy note 4, 11,000 paces is about 5.5 miles and burns off 875 calories.


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## Old Skier (Apr 18, 2015)

And - how many calories burnt to eat a bacon bap afterwards.


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## delc (Apr 18, 2015)

In my case obviously not enough calories, because I play 4 or 5 rounds a week and am still slightly more rotund than I would like to be.  This could be related to the 19th hole though!


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## North Mimms (Apr 18, 2015)

Old Skier said:



			And - how many calories burnt to eat a bacon bap afterwards.
		
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Ah, bacon baps......


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## Fish (Apr 18, 2015)

delc said:



			In my case obviously not enough calories, because I play 4 or 5 rounds a week and am still slightly more rotund than I would like to be.  *This could be related to the 19th hole *though!
		
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or 2 others, 1 being larger than the other :smirk:


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## MendieGK (Apr 18, 2015)

Oh here we go. another post for the Golf Monthly Forum DRs. Whose opinion goes against all the scientific evidence. 
 My fitness pal and others must have just guessed when calculating what exercise burns


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## Liverpoolphil (Apr 18, 2015)

Didn't they have a study that showed on average it's about 1500 for a 4 hole,round ?


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## GreiginFife (Apr 18, 2015)

S Health says my round this morning was 5.5 miles (11,585 steps) which burned 582Kcal based on my height, weight and age. Not exactly scientific but at least a guide.


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## North Mimms (Apr 18, 2015)

MendieGK said:



			Oh here we go. another post for the Golf Monthly Forum DRs. Whose opinion goes against all the scientific evidence. 
 My fitness pal and others must have just guessed when calculating what exercise burns
		
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But different apps give different answers


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## JohnnyDee (Apr 18, 2015)

What about all those dog rolls and bacon sarnies in our half-way huts though&#128064;&#9888;&#65039;


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## Bazzatron (Apr 18, 2015)

I ran 10 miles this morning and burnt 1700 calories. I'd be surprised if a walk burnt more.


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## AmandaJR (Apr 18, 2015)

MendieGK said:



			Oh here we go. another post for the Golf Monthly Forum DRs. Whose opinion goes against all the scientific evidence. 
 My fitness pal and others must have just guessed when calculating what exercise burns
		
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An educated guess at best and much like cardio machines always on the over rather than under guesstimation imo! Also, is the number with or without the BMR and what would have been burned in calories over 4 hours if lying on the settee??


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## chillicon (Apr 18, 2015)

Am struggling to load the photo using my phone, but I have a picture taken from Sky TV showing Patrick Reed during a round, which says he has burned 1684 calories through 15 holes.


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## Val (Apr 18, 2015)

Myfitness pal is pretty accurate for other activities so why doubt it?


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## North Mimms (Apr 18, 2015)

I'm going on the 5:2 diet. 
5 days playing golf,  2 days off


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## shortstuff (Apr 19, 2015)

brendy said:



			According to S Health on my galaxy note 4, 11,000 paces is about 5.5 miles and burns off 875 calories.
		
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Baloney! The earlier estimates of 500-600 is about right.


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

As someone said earlier it's around 1500 calories according to a study carried out by reebok.


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## MadAdey (Apr 19, 2015)

The calorie counters say that it is around the 600 mark for the distance walked. But then you have to take into account that is walking on the flat. If you go up and down a lot of hills then that will increase calories burned. Also add in the swinging of the golf clubs. An average golfer goes round in roughly 85, if he has 36 putts then that leaves 49 swings of the club, add in a couple of practice swings every time and know you have had 147 swings. 

So take the 600 calories burned for the walk, add in the for going up and down hills, add in swinging the clubs. I can see how these studies soon get up over the 100 mark.


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## freddielong (Apr 19, 2015)

My fitness pal must us some sort of formula that includes time exercising to work out the calories but is miles out, 600 is closer to the mark.


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## shortstuff (Apr 19, 2015)

JT77 said:



			As someone said earlier it's around 1500 calories according to a study carried out by reebok.
		
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That is also baloney. More than half of your daily calorie limit in one round of golf?? 1500 cals is equivalent to running a half marathon!


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## AmandaJR (Apr 19, 2015)

Val said:



			Myfitness pal is pretty accurate for other activities so why doubt it?
		
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freddielong said:



			My fitness pal must us some sort of formula that includes time exercising to work out the calories but is miles out, 600 is closer to the mark.
		
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I use a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor and it has a "rough" calculator based upon gender, weight, age, time exercising and heart rate - MFP without fail always gives 50%+ more calories per exercise.

I've also used a Sensewear Armband and the same applies.


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

What are u basing the figure 500/600 cals on?
If it is walking 5 miles then u need to factor in every swing, carrying 12-15kg bag and the time involved, also as was said u have to account for the terrain.

http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm

Shows cals burned per sport per hour


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## Sweep (Apr 19, 2015)

The average person burns 100 calories for every 1 mile run. So a round of golf should burn around 500 calories.


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## 6inchcup (Apr 19, 2015)

not enough to counteract the big breakfast in club house,the mars bars and drinks while playing,the few pints and lunch in the club after playing and the special coffee and mint slims,o how i love company expence accounts ( playing partners )


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## shortstuff (Apr 19, 2015)

JT77 said:



			What are u basing the figure 500/600 cals on?
If it is walking 5 miles then u need to factor in every swing, carrying 12-15kg bag and the time involved, also as was said u have to account for the terrain.

http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm

Shows cals burned per sport per hour
		
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These figures suggest that a 200lb bloke like me would burn something like 1600 calories over a 4-hour round. It just isn't true. A 5 mile walk (ok with a bag and over terrain) and about 100 swings (including practice swings) does not add up to this amount of calories. It's not continuous walking/swinging - there's a lot of standing around waiting to play etc in those 4 hours. I still think 500-600 is about the right figure.


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

Based on what? 
Bear in mind you burn calories just doing nothing. 
These figures are scientific not just 'I think it's...' 
For the record I agree that it seems a lot 
But take that as a man you need say 2000 calories a day just to be. That means over a 4.5 hour round you will burn 375 calories without doing anything. 
Now add that to your excercise and maybe that's where the higher figures come from. 
I'm no expert like


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## chillicon (Apr 19, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			These figures suggest that a 200lb bloke like me would burn something like 1600 calories over a 4-hour round. It just isn't true. A 5 mile walk (ok with a bag and over terrain) and about 100 swings (including practice swings) does not add up to this amount of calories. It's not continuous walking/swinging - there's a lot of standing around waiting to play etc in those 4 hours. I still think 500-600 is about the right figure.
		
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You will burn the best part of 500 calories sat watching golf on TV in 4 hours.


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## Ethan (Apr 19, 2015)

chillicon said:



			You will burn the best part of 500 calories sat watching golf on TV in 4 hours.
		
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Indeed. The question is how many extra colours do you burn playing golf. It really can't be 1500. I have just been to the gym and rowed for 14k on a Concept 2 and burned an estimated 750 calories, based on average body weight, presumably. No way is a game of golf twice as collier burning.


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## North Mimms (Apr 19, 2015)

The real question is... Why am I not thin?


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## chillicon (Apr 19, 2015)

Ethan said:



			Indeed. The question is how many extra colours do you burn playing golf. It really can't be 1500. I have just been to the gym and rowed for 14k on a Concept 2 and burned an estimated 750 calories, based on average body weight, presumably. No way is a game of golf twice as collier burning.
		
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Were you rowing for 4 hours? I find it strange that you would trust implicitly the concept2 calorie burning output, but not the scientific results showing calories burned playing golf.


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## Fish (Apr 19, 2015)

chillicon said:



			Were you rowing for 4 hours? I find it strange that you would trust implicitly the concept2 calorie burning output, but not the scientific results showing calories burned playing golf.
		
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I agree, I was wearing a watch showing calories burned and filled in my daily intake of food and declared the exercise I was doing whether it was playing golf, walking the dog and even some gardening, all of it being matched to the profile and target I chose to lose a certain amount of weight, which I comfortably did. If playing golf was only around 500-600 calories I'd have put weight weight on and not have lost over the 1 stone I did in a very short period., an 11 stone person will burn 95 calories per hour when sleeping so why would it only be the same when playing golf!!


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## chillicon (Apr 19, 2015)

North Mimms said:



			The real question is... Why am I not thin?
		
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Is it a glandular thing?


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## North Mimms (Apr 19, 2015)

chillicon said:



			Is it a glandular thing?
		
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I think it's a chocolate thing...


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## shortstuff (Apr 19, 2015)

chillicon said:



			You will burn the best part of 500 calories sat watching golf on TV in 4 hours.
		
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Ok here's where the confusion may be. My daily TDEE is 2400 calories, so 100 per hour. This is calculated from a number of standard formulas you can look up on the web, which take into account your weight and typical daily activity (say day at the office). 

Watching TV I will burn calories at the same rate, so there is no extra calories burned here. At the end of the day it's another 2400 calories. So watching tv for 4 hours does burn 400 calories.

Playing golf for 4 hours, you have the 400 calories (as above). Then there's the calorie burn from playing which I estimate at 500 - 600. I'm not sure if that means you can add the two figures and say that 900-1000 calories were burned in that 4 hour period or if there's some double accounting here. 

It's confusing but I'm still sure it doesn't add up to 1500. Most of us would be a lot slimmer if it did.


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## Fish (Apr 19, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			Ok here's where the confusion may be. My daily TDEE is 2400 calories, so 100 per hour. This is calculated from a number of standard formulas you can look up on the web, which take into account your weight and typical daily activity (say day at the office). 

Watching TV I will burn calories at the same rate, so there is no extra calories burned here. At the end of the day it's another 2400 calories. So watching tv for 4 hours does burn 400 calories.

Playing golf for 4 hours, you have the 400 calories (as above). Then there's the calorie burn from playing which I estimate at 500 - 600. I'm not sure if that means you can add the two figures and say that 900-1000 calories were burned in that 4 hour period or if there's some double accounting here. 

*It's confusing but I'm still sure it doesn't add up to 1500. Most of us would be a lot slimmer if it did.*

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Not necessarily if they enjoy a few pints, a curry, eat high fat items and late night snacks during the week and between rounds, you could burn bucket loads of calories a day by playing golf but if your shovelling it in at the other end your not going to lose weight or look slimmer!


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## shortstuff (Apr 19, 2015)

Fish said:



			Not necessarily if they enjoy a few pints, a curry, eat high fat items and late night snacks during the week and between rounds, you could burn bucket loads of calories a day by playing golf but if your shovelling it in at the other end your not going to lose weight or look slimmer!
		
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This is true. From Drinkaware: "To burn off the 180 calories youâ€™d find in an average pint of lager (4% ABV) a typical man would have to spend: 13 minutes running on the treadmill or playing football; 15 minutes cycling or 20 minutes swimming or half an hour on the golf course."
So 4 pints and you have blown most of it away. This also suggests that a 4-hour round would expend 1440 calories. I'm staggered.


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## Ethan (Apr 19, 2015)

chillicon said:



			Were you rowing for 4 hours? I find it strange that you would trust implicitly the concept2 calorie burning output, but not the scientific results showing calories burned playing golf.
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No I wasn't rowing for 4 hours but was expending much more energy per unit time for about an hour or so. As for the C2's estimates, allowing for an assumption for weight (which makes the actual result an underestimate) then the calorie consumption is otherwise pretty darned accurate. The estimate for golf uses many more variables (length of course, undulating or flat, carrying or pushing, distance between greens and tees etc.) as well as the basal consumption rate.


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## chillicon (Apr 19, 2015)

Ethan said:



			No I wasn't rowing for 4 hours but was expending much more energy per unit time for about an hour or so. As for the C2's estimates, allowing for an assumption for weight (which makes the actual result an underestimate) then the calorie consumption is otherwise pretty darned accurate. The estimate for golf uses many more variables (length of course, undulating or flat, carrying or pushing, distance between greens and tees etc.) as well as the basal consumption rate.
		
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So based on your post #34, if you did that for 4 hours that would be 3,000 calories and twice the burn of golf and not the other way round? Right?


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## jpxpro (Apr 19, 2015)

ive lost 6lbs this week, eating healthy around 2000 calories a day but playing golf 6 of the last 7 days, not doing much else in terms of exercise.  app i used suggests around 800 calories for a 4 hour round which i recon is pretty close to reality.


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## HomerJSimpson (Apr 19, 2015)

I'm not bothered and play for fun, not to get fit. How many calories I'm burning is the furthest thing from my mind in the middle of a monthly medal. I do think the figure given by the PP in the OP is wildly inaccurate though


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

I have to agree with homer about my level of care on calorific loss over the course of a round but I find it amusing the way people question things. 
For me, I'm more likely to believe a scientific trial than some one on a forum going 'nah that's not right, I think it's more like this '


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## AmandaJR (Apr 19, 2015)

JT77 said:



			I have to agree with homer about my level of care on calorific loss over the course of a round but I find it amusing the way people question things. 
For me, I'm more likely to believe a scientific trial than some one on a forum going 'nah that's not right, I think it's more like this ' 

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Do you have a link to the scientific trial and its protocols?


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

I posted one earlier Amanda, I will look for the reebok one now 

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/04/do-the-walk-of-life.html

That's the golf digest bit on it. 

As an aside I assume u have scientific proof it is 500/600 calories 

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903EFDC153EF931A3575BC0A9669D8B63

http://www.landrumgolf.com/fw/main/health-benefits-of-golf-1603.html


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## Val (Apr 19, 2015)

Do calories burned change if you carry a provisional all the time in your pocket and does it make provisions for carrying more than 2 ball marker?


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## North Mimms (Apr 19, 2015)

JT77 said:



			I have to agree with homer about my level of care on calorific loss over the course of a round but I find it amusing the way people question things. 
For me, I'm more likely to believe a scientific trial than some one on a forum going 'nah that's not right, I think it's more like this ' 

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But it's not surprising that people question it,  considering various fitness apps and calculators come up with wildly different figures.


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## JT77 (Apr 19, 2015)

I don't disagree. I just find it amusing that people are more inclined to guess than believe studies. I get it though as I myself do to. I also question my range finder distances too. It's just human traits I guess.


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## AmandaJR (Apr 19, 2015)

Only study I have access to is on my own body and if those numbers were accurate I'd have wasted away by now...I'm on the lean side but playing golf 6 times a week isn't the major factor in that. A careful diet plus cardio and weights regimes (plus golf) all add to the mix.

I think the calories that would have been burned anyhow are included and shouldn't be if people are using the data regarding calories burned to build a deficit into their lives and lose weight.

For me golf really isn't very much more physical an endeavour than walking the same distance without hitting balls - extra time on my feet for sure but that's about it.


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## shortstuff (Apr 20, 2015)

jpxpro said:



			ive lost 6lbs this week, eating healthy around 2000 calories a day but playing golf 6 of the last 7 days, not doing much else in terms of exercise.  app i used suggests around 800 calories for a 4 hour round which i recon is pretty close to reality.
		
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I think this figure is about right. Jogging I burn 600 cals in an hour. Walking is 300. So 4 hours of walking would be 1200 cals but on a typical round you are only walking for about 50% of the time. That brings it back to 600. Add another 200 for the heavy bag and shuffling about on the greens and that brings you up to 800. I don't care how these scientists think they have measured it, it's never going to be as high as 1200 - 1500 calories because of the standing around / waiting that's involved in every round.


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## Val (Apr 20, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			I think this figure is about right. Jogging I burn 600 cals in an hour. Walking is 300. So 4 hours of walking would be 1200 cals but on a typical round you are only walking for about 50% of the time. That brings it back to 600. Add another 200 for the heavy bag and shuffling about on the greens and that brings you up to 800. *I don't care how these scientists think they have measured it,* it's never going to be as high as 1200 - 1500 calories because of the standing around / waiting that's involved in every round.
		
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:rofl:

Thats almost as bad as saying I don't care what the doctor says is wrong with me, he's wrong.


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## Slab (Apr 20, 2015)

I've seen many different guesstimates and some 'scientific stuff' from a few hundred calories to a few thou (I'd suggest towards the lower end of the range but that's just my guess) but I think I'd take it all with a pinch of salt. As an activity its clearly not going to lose you weight and if you're lucky will negate the calories in the pint or two you down afterwards  

As was pointed out to me last week, the easiest calorie to get rid of is the one you don't eat 



(I'm on day 6 of my 40 days of hell)


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## Driverkilledabirdie (Apr 20, 2015)

Don't be forgetting those golfers who spend bit of time in the rough floating about the rough looking for that ball that got away. (Extra distance walked so to speak?)


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## delc (Apr 20, 2015)

Driverkilledabirdie said:



			Don't be forgetting those golfers who spend bit of time in the rough floating about the rough looking for that ball that got away. (Extra distance walked so to speak?)
		
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Our course is 6350 yards long off the white tees, which is about 3.6 miles. I have an odometer function in my GPS watch which shows that I actually walk about 5.5 miles during a round, and I am a reasonably straight hitter. We do have a few long walks between holes though.


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## freddielong (Apr 20, 2015)

I am guessing the main confusion seems to be due the amount of calories you would use anyway just being alive your basel metabolic rate and whether the calories are extra to that or inclusive.


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## North Mimms (Apr 20, 2015)

freddielong said:



			I am guessing the main confusion seems to be due the amount of calories you would use anyway just being alive your basel metabolic rate and whether the calories are extra to that or inclusive.
		
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It all comes down to me taking in more calories than I expend!


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## palindromicbob (Apr 20, 2015)

Rather than being disappointed that I'm not thinner by playing golf I'm thankful I play otherwise I'd be a lot fatter!


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## delc (Apr 20, 2015)

palindromicbob said:



			Rather than being disappointed that I'm not thinner by playing golf I'm thankful I play otherwise I'd be a lot fatter!
		
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The problem is that exercise makes you hungrier. I always fancy a nice big curry or fry up after a round of golf!  :mmm:


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## shortstuff (Apr 20, 2015)

Val said:



			:rofl:

Thats almost as bad as saying I don't care what the doctor says is wrong with me, he's wrong.
		
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You obviously don't question anything. Here's another source but this time showing only 238 cals per hour: http://calorielab.com/burned/?mo=se&gr=15&ti=sports&q=&wt=150&un=lb&kg=68
So this brings a 4 hour round to 952 cals.


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## delc (Apr 20, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			You obviously don't question anything. Here's another source but this time showing only 238 cals per hour: http://calorielab.com/burned/?mo=se&gr=15&ti=sports&q=&wt=150&un=lb&kg=68
So this brings a 4 hour round to 952 cals.
		
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So nearly 1000 calories burned during a 4 hour round of golf. Not too bad then, but easily made up for by a curry and a pint afterwards!


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## Val (Apr 20, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			You obviously don't question anything. Here's another source but this time showing only 238 cals per hour: http://calorielab.com/burned/?mo=se&gr=15&ti=sports&q=&wt=150&un=lb&kg=68
So this brings a 4 hour round to 952 cals.
		
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I do, I questioned you.

With a source I can accept but with a guess, nah not for me im afraid.


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## Ethan (Apr 20, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			I think this figure is about right. Jogging I burn 600 cals in an hour. Walking is 300. So 4 hours of walking would be 1200 cals but on a typical round you are only walking for about 50% of the time. That brings it back to 600. Add another 200 for the heavy bag and shuffling about on the greens and that brings you up to 800. I don't care how these scientists think they have measured it, it's never going to be as high as 1200 - 1500 calories because of the standing around / waiting that's involved in every round.
		
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I rarely walk all 4 hours when playing golf. I sometimes stand around waiting on playing partners to hit, people to clear the green, lining up a shot to putt etc. I doubt I actually walk much more than an hour or so.


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## delc (Apr 20, 2015)

shortstuff said:



			You obviously don't question anything. Here's another source but this time showing only 238 cals per hour: http://calorielab.com/burned/?mo=se&gr=15&ti=sports&q=&wt=150&un=lb&kg=68
So this brings a 4 hour round to 952 cals.
		
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Ethan said:



			I rarely walk all 4 hours when playing golf. I sometimes stand around waiting on playing partners to hit, people to clear the green, lining up a shot to putt etc. I doubt I actually walk much more than an hour or so.
		
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A 6500 yard golf course is 3.7 miles plus any walks between greens and the next tee. As I have already pointed out in this thread the total walking distance around our course is at least 5.5 miles, even with straight hitting. A good walking pace is 3-4 mph, so you are probably walking for an hour-and-a-half. Then add on the energy for standing up and actually swinging the golf clubs and it must add up. Our course is also relatively hilly, so that also adds to the energy output tally.


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## North Mimms (Apr 20, 2015)

I must have used up at least 500 extra calories with all the bunker raking i had to do on saturday!


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## AmandaJR (Apr 20, 2015)

North Mimms said:



			I must have used up at least 500 extra calories with all the bunker raking i had to do on saturday!
		
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Don't forget the extras when pp won't ever replace the flag


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## Val (Apr 20, 2015)

Ethan said:



			I rarely walk all 4 hours when playing golf. I sometimes stand around waiting on playing partners to hit, people to clear the green, lining up a shot to putt etc. *I doubt I actually walk much more than an hour or so*.
		
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I'd suggest you're a bit out with that Ethan, i don't think you are only doing on average 3 mins of walking per hole including walking from green to the next tee etc. I know for sure I'm walking more than 3 mins per hole on average.


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## Jimaroid (Apr 20, 2015)

The real answer to this question is "it depends". 

I've been involved in making some health tracking software in the past and like nearly all of the GPS/Phone Apps it's a formulaic estimate based on data published in the "Compendium of Physical Activities" which gives us a table of activities and their energy costs. You can learn all about that starting here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent

The physical activities compendium tells us that golf(carrying clubs) uses 4.3 MET where 1 MET = 1kcal/kg/hour. Which means for me, weighing 56Kg, I use approximately 268.8 calories per hour playing golf. That tells me a 3.5 hour round of golf uses 843 calories.

The problem with that answer is that it's wrong. It's an estimate based on old and somewhat flawed scientific study. Studies that have been done in the last 10 years or so have shown that the energy consumption between individuals can vary by as much as 76%. The original value of 1MET was created from a sample of just one man! 

The differences between individuals and their energy consumption can be huge. Together with the very wide range of physiological and external factors at play (different heights, age, weight, fitness, environmental conditions etc.) mean that the estimates being created aren't all that good. More recent science suggests that the compendium values are likely to be 20-30% over-estimated. So for me, a 3.5 hour of golf _might_ use between 590 and 843 calories.

Basically, estimating calorie expenditure is full of inaccuracies and the only way to be sure about how much one person consumes is to use some very expensive (and not portable) lab equipment. I should also point out that the compendium above can be corrected if you know your resting metabolic rate to give more accurate results but that also needs lab equipment.


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## Val (Apr 20, 2015)

So there's your answer, cheers Jim


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## stevek1969 (Apr 20, 2015)

https://www.facebook.com/1283189906...41825.128318990650140/428543750627661/?type=1 Found this on our clubs page


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## ruff-driver (Apr 20, 2015)

So if i eat three mars bars and drink two cans of non diet cola per round , how many holes does it require to burn off ?


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## AmandaJR (Apr 20, 2015)

Jimaroid said:



			The real answer to this question is "it depends". 

I've been involved in making some health tracking software in the past and like nearly all of the GPS/Phone Apps it's a formulaic estimate based on data published in the "Compendium of Physical Activities" which gives us a table of activities and their energy costs. You can learn all about that starting here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent

The physical activities compendium tells us that golf(carrying clubs) uses 4.3 MET where 1 MET = 1kcal/kg/hour. Which means for me, weighing 56Kg, I use approximately 268.8 calories per hour playing golf. That tells me a 3.5 hour round of golf uses 843 calories.

The problem with that answer is that it's wrong. It's an estimate based on old and somewhat flawed scientific study. Studies that have been done in the last 10 years or so have shown that the energy consumption between individuals can vary by as much as 76%. The original value of 1MET was created from a sample of just one man! 

The differences between individuals and their energy consumption can be huge. Together with the very wide range of physiological and external factors at play (different heights, age, weight, fitness, environmental conditions etc.) mean that the estimates being created aren't all that good. More recent science suggests that the compendium values are likely to be 20-30% over-estimated. So for me, a 3.5 hour of golf _might_ use between 590 and 843 calories.

Basically, estimating calorie expenditure is full of inaccuracies and the only way to be sure about how much one person consumes is to use some very expensive (and not portable) lab equipment. I should also point out that the compendium above can be corrected if you know your resting metabolic rate to give more accurate results but that also needs lab equipment.
		
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So the sceptics amongst us were right to be sceptical :thup:

600-800...not 1200-1500!


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## Val (Apr 20, 2015)

AmandaJR said:



			So the sceptics amongst us were right to be sceptical :thup:

600-800...not 1200-1500!
		
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No, he said for *him* it *might* be between 590 and 843. I've met Jim and believe me he doesn't need to be losing anything through burning calories


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## AmandaJR (Apr 20, 2015)

Val said:



			No, he said for *him* it *might* be between 590 and 843. I've met Jim and believe me he doesn't need to be losing anything through burning calories



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Fair enough. Anyone weighing around 2.5 x Jim might strike it lucky at 1200-1500 then


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## HomerJSimpson (Apr 20, 2015)

Having read the myriad of answers I'm still firmly in the "who cares" camp


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## Jimaroid (Apr 20, 2015)

AmandaJR said:



			Fair enough. Anyone weighing around 2.5 x Jim might strike it lucky at 1200-1500 then 

Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. The research is showing its not as simple as weight or build or fat content or whatever. That's partly why things like BMI are being looked on so skeptically as a measure these days. Two people with the same height and weight might have quite different metabolic rates. Equally a small and large person could be the same.

So here's a thought. It's currently impossible to predict where a person falls on the metabolic spectrum. It's science fiction territory but if someone cracks that problem it would transform human existence. No diets, no obesity, no hunger, no starving children, no food poverty... Or maybe it'll just start another war.


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## delc (Apr 21, 2015)

There are other benefits to playing golf apart from calorie burning. I am just coming up to 69 years old, and I seem to be a lot fitter and healthier than my non-golfing contempories, some of whom are starting to look and walk like real old men!


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## GeneralStore (Apr 21, 2015)

Jimaroid said:



			Maybe, maybe not. The research is showing its not as simple as weight or build or fat content or whatever. That's partly why things like BMI are being looked on so skeptically as a measure these days. Two people with the same height and weight might have quite different metabolic rates. Equally a small and large person could be the same.

So here's a thought. It's currently impossible to predict where a person falls on the metabolic spectrum. It's science fiction territory but if someone cracks that problem it would transform human existence. No diets, no obesity, no hunger, no starving children, no food poverty... Or maybe it'll just start another war.
		
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Jimaroid, thats very interesting. 2 questions for you:
1) What are your thoughts on claims by activity tracking products such as Jawbone UP3 (about to be released) that claim to measure resting heart rate and active heart rate and being able to therefore calculate metabolic rate and how many calories are being used? Do you think thats a bogus claim?
2) I am extremely curious as to why you believe that discovering somebodies metabolic rate would eliminate hunger, starvation etc...?


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## MendieGK (Apr 21, 2015)

Jimaroid said:



			The real answer to this question is "it depends". 

I've been involved in making some health tracking software in the past and like nearly all of the GPS/Phone Apps it's a formulaic estimate based on data published in the "Compendium of Physical Activities" which gives us a table of activities and their energy costs. You can learn all about that starting here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent

The physical activities compendium tells us that golf(carrying clubs) uses 4.3 MET where 1 MET = 1kcal/kg/hour. Which means for me, weighing 56Kg, I use approximately 268.8 calories per hour playing golf. That tells me a 3.5 hour round of golf uses 843 calories.

The problem with that answer is that it's wrong. It's an estimate based on old and somewhat flawed scientific study. Studies that have been done in the last 10 years or so have shown that the energy consumption between individuals can vary by as much as 76%. The original value of 1MET was created from a sample of just one man! 

The differences between individuals and their energy consumption can be huge. Together with the very wide range of physiological and external factors at play (different heights, age, weight, fitness, environmental conditions etc.) mean that the estimates being created aren't all that good. More recent science suggests that the compendium values are likely to be 20-30% over-estimated. So for me, a 3.5 hour of golf _might_ use between 590 and 843 calories.

Basically, estimating calorie expenditure is full of inaccuracies and the only way to be sure about how much one person consumes is to use some very expensive (and not portable) lab equipment. I should also point out that the compendium above can be corrected if you know your resting metabolic rate to give more accurate results but that also needs lab equipment.
		
Click to expand...

You weigh 8.5 stone?? assuming you are female?


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## Jimaroid (Apr 21, 2015)

GeneralStore said:



			1) What are your thoughts on claims by activity tracking products such as Jawbone UP3 (about to be released) that claim to measure resting heart rate and active heart rate and being able to therefore calculate metabolic rate and how many calories are being used? Do you think thats a bogus claim?
		
Click to expand...

It's not bogus but it's worth understanding that it has the same type of issues. What it's doing is comparing your heart rate with data that's been determined by measuring a group of other people. The data is more accurate (by virtue of it being more modern research) but it's not measuring you directly, it's just comparing your heart rate to a set of observed averages from others and coming up with an estimate. Yes, it's more accurate but it's still not an exact measure of your individual performance.



GeneralStore said:



			2) I am extremely curious as to why you believe that discovering somebodies metabolic rate would eliminate hunger, starvation etc...?
		
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It's a jigsaw piece but a significant part of the bigger puzzle of fully understanding the biological processes in the body. Specifically, how food energy is absorbed, stored and converted for use. That process is poorly understood at the moment - it's a complex one - but if we knew exactly how that worked to allow the body to thrive it would radically change our lives. Dieting, obesity, starvation, etc., they could all be wiped out if we knew how to precisely manage our energy intake.


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## Jimaroid (Apr 21, 2015)

MendieGK said:



			You weigh 8.5 stone?? assuming you are female?
		
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56Kg is closer to 9 stone. Male, very lean, 5'6" tall.

Suddenly this feels like a dating site?


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## RayR51 (Apr 21, 2015)

I use a MyZone heart rate monitor when I'm at the gym and have used it several times on the golf course. It takes into account my age, height, weight, BMR, muscle mass, body fat/water content, heart rate and more in calculating calories burned. My average heart rate is usually just over 100 when playing and 60 odd at rest. A four and a half hour round showed that I'd burned 2325 calories, a three and a half hour round showed about 1800 hundred. My understanding is that these monitors are the most accurate in calculating calories burned.


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## HomerJSimpson (Apr 21, 2015)

RayR51 said:



			I use a MyZone heart rate monitor when I'm at the gym and have used it several times on the golf course. It takes into account my age, height, weight, BMR, muscle mass, body fat/water content, heart rate and more in calculating calories burned. My average heart rate is usually just over 100 when playing and 60 odd at rest. A four and a half hour round showed that I'd burned 2325 calories, a three and a half hour round showed about 1800 hundred. My understanding is that these monitors are the most accurate in calculating calories burned.
		
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Again I don't see what this is proving. Are we saying (and excuse the ignorance) that all these calories being burned is proof golf is a way to lose weight? I don't buy that for a second and apart from the exercise walking around the course exacerbated by bunker raking, picking the flag up and taking my shot, it's hardly at the height of cardiovascular fitness.


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## RayR51 (Apr 21, 2015)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Again I don't see what this is proving. Are we saying (and excuse the ignorance) that all these calories being burned is proof golf is a way to lose weight? I don't buy that for a second and apart from the exercise walking around the course exacerbated by bunker raking, picking the flag up and taking my shot, it's hardly at the height of cardiovascular fitness.
		
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I'm not saying that at all; there's more to losing weight than just burning calories. I often see golfers eating a big fry-up and downing pints at the club. It's like the adverts for slimming meal replacements and zero calorie drinks state - it can only help as part of a calorie controlled diet. I doubt anyone takes up golf to lose weight; there are far more effective ways of doing that.


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## HomerJSimpson (Apr 21, 2015)

RayR51 said:



			I'm not saying that at all; there's more to losing weight than just burning calories. I often see golfers eating a big fry-up and downing pints at the club. It's like the adverts for slimming meal replacements and zero calorie drinks state - it can only help as part of a calorie controlled diet. I doubt anyone takes up golf to lose weight; there are far more effective ways of doing that.
		
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I just don't see the fascination with how many calories are being used and why you'd take kit out to measure that unless it was being used as some sort of fitness/diet regime. As I said elsewhere on here, I've enough going on worrying about finding my ball after the next shot


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## RayR51 (Apr 21, 2015)

HomerJSimpson said:



			I just don't see the fascination with how many calories are being used and why you'd take kit out to measure that unless it was being used as some sort of fitness/diet regime. As I said elsewhere on here, I've enough going on worrying about finding my ball after the next shot
		
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That's exactly why I took it out. I do weight training and HIIT classes and record data on MyFitnessPal. Like many here, I was sceptical about the number of calories that people were stating you can lose playing golf so wore it several times to see. Now that I know roughly what calories are being burned, I no longer wear it when playing. A lot of people on here were guessing so I simply posted to show what these monitors are calculating in case anyone found it helpful.


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## Jimaroid (Apr 21, 2015)

RayR51 said:



			My average heart rate is usually just over 100 when playing and 60 odd at rest. A four and a half hour round showed that I'd burned 2325 calories, a three and a half hour round showed about 1800 hundred.
		
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If you don't mind, what do you weigh? 
Interesting to compare as that seems a little high, so I'm guessing with weight training you're much bigger built than me


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## RayR51 (Apr 21, 2015)

Jimaroid said:



			If you don't mind, what do you weigh? 
Interesting to compare as that seems a little high, so I'm guessing with weight training you're much bigger built than me 

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I'm 5 foot 9 and weigh 84 kg which would be considered overweight but muscle mass is on the higher side according to the read-outs. I do walk quite quickly between shots which helps to elevate the heart rate but it comes down very quickly at rest.


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## Jimaroid (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks, just curious. To put it in perspective, 2325 calories is a 25km run for me. Just goes to show how the numbers can vary so much and why it's difficult to apply what one happens with one person to another.


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## GeneralStore (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks for the answer Jimaroid. Very interesting, didn't know that's how they worked. I would have thought they would have to disclose this more openly in their marketing


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## Fish (Jul 18, 2015)

:smirk:


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