Purpose: Sports in cardiovascular patients (CVP) should serve for risk fact
or management, increase of exercise capacity, and reintegration into daily
Life. Competition of cardiac patients with healthy sportsmen is often disco
uraged and thus reintegration hampered. Golf. with its endurance component
and exceptional rules (e.g., the handicap) should be an alternative. Method
s: In 20 male golfers (65.2 +/- 6.1 yr 1.4 +/- 0.3 W.kg(-1) body weight (co
ngruent to 4.8 METs)) with cardiovascular diseases and eight controls (C) (
62 +/- 5 yr, 2 +/- 0.4 W.kg(-1) body weight (congruent to 6.9 METs)), the p
erformance assessed in the laboratory (ergospirometry, serum lactate) allow
ed for comparison of the cardiovascular load on the golf course (lactate, H
olter monitoring, blood pressure, urine catecholamines). Results: In compar
ison with in the hospital, resting heart rates were significantly (P < 0.00
1) elevated in both groups immediately before the tournament (CVP: 76.1 +/-
10.8 vs 90.1 +/- 8.6 bpm; C: 74.8 +/- 6.3 vs 923 +/- 9.7 bpm). On the cour
se, the mean heart rates of the patients were closer (P < 0.01) to the anae
robic threshold (105.4 +/- 11.0 vs 115.3 +/- 10.8 bpm) in comparison with c
ontrols (100.5 +/- 7.3 vs 125.6 +/- 16.6 bpm) corresponding to 0.9 +/- 0.3
W.kg(-1) (congruent to 3.1 METs) or 76.0 +/- 13.1% (V) over dot O-2max (CVP
) and to 0.9 +/- 0.2 W.kg(-1) (congruent to 3.1 METs) or 55.3 +/- 9.1% (V)
over dot O-2max (C). Serum lactate levels were 1.36 +/- 0.7 mmol.L-1 (congr
uent to 12.4 +/- 6.4 mg.dL(-1)) (CVP) and 1.1 +/- 0.4 mmol.L-1 (congruent t
o 9.1 +/- 3.6 mg.dL(-1)) (C). In patients, arrhythmias were lower in quanti
ty and quality (LOWN) in comparison with other activities as registered by
means of the 24-Holter-ECG. Conclusion: In cardiovascular patients, competi
tive golf reaches an intensity that may positively influence cardiovascular
risk factors, depending on the type of the course and may provide patients
the desired integration with healthy sportsmen.