(CNN) When Louise Tulip picked up a set of golf clubs for the first time since her teens, she had no idea the sport would consume her -- much less provide any health benefits.
The recent retiree had spare time on her hands and picked up the hobby she previously disdained as "a game for old people."
Four years later, Tulip plays golf three to four times a week at her local club in north London, dropping her handicap to 15 while brisk walking 15 to 20 miles a week.
The 58-year-old credits the sport for a variety of health benefits, and has turned both her husband and 24-year-old son into golfers.
"My blood pressure is lower, and my cholesterol readings are lower; generally, my weight is very stable without doing any other exercise," she says. "It's been very beneficial."
With golf participation falling drastically over the past decade in both the US and UK, the sport's insiders have been preaching its health benefits as a way to stem the decline.
Tiger Woods: From highs to lows
Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and 15th major title with victory at Augusta in April.
The former world No. 1 had not won the Masters since 2005, and it was his first major win since 2008.
A month after winning the Masters, Woods received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump.
Woods won the season-ending Tour Championship in September 2018. It was his first title in five years following a succession of back injuries.
Signs that Woods was back to his best were obvious at August's PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka. It followed an impressive showing at July's British Open, where he briefly topped the leaderboard.
Woods made an impressive return to competitive golf in 2018 after multiple back surgeries in recent years. He played his first Masters in three years in April 2018.
The four-time champion had back fusion surgery -- his fourth procedure -- in April 2017 and returned to the game pain-free in December. He finished tied 32nd at Augusta.
Woods was touted as one of the favorites after impressing in his early-season events. He also set tongues wagging by playing a practice round with old rival Phil Mickelson, right.
Woods finished tied second at the Valspar Championship in March 2018 and followed it up with a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The hype needle moved into overdrive.
Woods set out on his legendary path by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters -- at 21 -- with a record 12-shot win in 1997.
One of his most remarkable feats was winning his first US Open by an unprecedented 15 shots at Pebble Beach, California, in 2000, sparking a streak never seen before or since.
Woods' victory in the 2001 Masters meant he held all four of golf's major titles at the same time, dubbed the "Tiger Slam."
Woods' win rate, his dedication to fitness training and his desire to succeed were changing golf. Prize money rocketed because of Woods. Off the course, he married girlfriend Elin Nordegren in 2004.
Woods showed rare emotion when he broke down in tears on the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams following his win in the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, months after his father and mentor Earl passed away.
Despite being visibly hampered and in pain from a knee injury, Woods won the US Open in breathtaking fashion at Torrey Pines, California, in 2008. It was his 14th major title to leave him only four behind the record of Jack Nicklaus. He was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and two fractures of his left tibia. He missed the rest of the season after surgery. It is still his last major title.
In December 2009, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his home. As the big picture emerged it was discovered Woods had been conducting a series of extra martial affairs. He took three months away from the game to sort out his private life.
In February 2010 Woods addressed the world's media to explain and apologise for his actions. His infidelity led to divorce and was the beginning of a downhill slide in Woods' playing career. By October he lost the world No. 1 ranking, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeks
Back in the fold, Woods earned his first win in two years at the
Chevron World Challenge in December 2011, a charity tournament he hosts that does not count on the PGA Tour money list.
Woods was back in the winner's circle in 2013, lifting five titles, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, to get back to the top of the rankings.
In March 2013, Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced
they were dating on Facebook. In January that year, the champion skier had finalized her divorce from Thomas Vonn, after initializing proceedings in 2011. In May 2015, Woods and Vonn announced their breakup, with the golfer claiming he "hadn't slept" in the days following.
Later in 2013 there were signs all was not well as Woods was seen to be in pain as he picked the ball out of the hole at the Barclays tournament in August. He missed the Masters the following April for the first time since 1994 to undergo back surgery.
Woods pulled out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February 2015, and struggled with injury and form for the rest of the season.
Woods cut a dejected figure at that year's US Open as he struggled with his game and carded rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut.
In August 2015 Woods made his last appearance for 15 months to undergo follow-up back surgeries. At one stage during his rehabilitation, Woods spoke of there being "no light at the end of the tunnel" -- and with one eye on his fading career, he suggested "everything beyond this will be gravy."
Woods made a much-anticipated return to golf in December 2016, showing signs of promise with the highest number of birdies in the field -- 24 -- but he also made a number of costly errors to finish third from last in the 18-man event.
He missed the cut in his first event of 2017 in the US and pulled out after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, citing back spasms. He underwent a fourth back prodecure in April.
The golf legend
was arrested Monday, May 29, on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into a local jail in Florida and released a few hours later. He said in a statement he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."
In August Woods entered a first-offender program and pleaded guilty to reckless driving on October 28. He will avoid jail unless he commits major violations of his probation.
Woods returned to golf after 301 days at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on November 30 2017. He carded a three-under first-round 69 and appeared pain-free and hungry to resume his career.
Now a study led by the top doctors on golf's European Tour appears to back up Tulip's claims.
Andrew Murray, who is fresh off his stint as Team Europe's chief medical doctor at the Ryder Cup, and his predecessor of 10 years Roger Hawkes, were among 25 international experts to author the 2018 International Consensus Statement on Golf and Health, which promotes the lifestyle benefits of golf.
The statement analyzed 400 studies on the health effects of golf -- including a Swedish report from 2009 that found golfers have an "increase in life expectancy of about five years" -- and summarized their benefits and risks.
Cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels were all improved by playing golf, says Hawkes, along with better balance and strength for players above 60, reducing the risk of falls and sparing healthcare costs.
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The physical benefits were mostly a result of walking and swinging, so using golf carts annuls much of the upside.
"If you play 18 holes of golf walking at a reasonable pace, you actually feel quite tired in the end," Tulip says.
"Perhaps you don't feel out of breath in the way that you would in football or tennis, but because the game itself takes longer, three to three-and-a-half hours, it can be more demanding than people think."
The one significant risk is overexposure to the sun, according to the report which encouraged wearing sun screen.
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'Undervalued' benefits
The mental gain from playing golf -- especially among seniors -- could prove to be the sport's hidden gem, says Hawkes, who is currently a medical adviser to the European Tour.
"Social interaction is the risk factor which has been undervalued," he says. "Mental health is a big thing in this day and age, and moderate physical activity is associated with a reduction in anxiety and a reduction in depression."
Tulip concurs, noting that golf is "very lovely socially, because you actually talk with the people you're playing with as you play -- rather than most sports where you play the game then talk after."
Furthermore, despite the notorious frustrations of the sport, it helps clear her head.
"When you're playing, you really don't think about anything else other than playing," Tulip says."So it's very good for getting rid of any concerns or worries we may have -- for four hours at least."
To increase participation in golf, the statement calls for methods to reverse "perceptions that it is expensive, less accessible for those from lower socioeconomic groups, male dominated, a sport for older people, or difficult to learn."
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"We'll always have exclusive clubs," says Hawkes. "But we want governments and policymakers to see that there are benefits in playing golf, and that perhaps they should open up golf clubs to more types."
Hawkes points to his involvement in Golf in Society, a Scottish golf organization that grants course access to those with dementia and Parkinson's while analyzing the game's impact.
"Golf clubs are probably underutilized," he says. "There are times that other groups could be using those courses and getting benefits that were demonstrated for most people.
"It's been criticized because it's exclusive, and we want to try and change that."
Britain 'overridden with golf courses'
Whatever action plan British golf leaders call for should exclude the building of more courses, says Paul Cheshire, professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics.
"It would just be a waste of a scarce resource which is land, which could be better used for better purposes," he says, calling for more affordable housing or public parks.
He says that golf courses in the UK cost less than those in the US because of zoning laws which ban building homes on greenbelts -- empty land surrounding cities -- but allow golf courses.
As a result, the land occupying golf courses surrounding London is double the size of the city's Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, home to 160,000 people.
"Yes people need more exercise, and golf is one way of getting more exercise," he says. "There are lots of other ways of getting more exercise. Cycling is a very good way of getting more exercise, walking is a good way of getting more exercise.
"Nothing against golf, it's just that Britain is overridden with golf courses, and that's just land to put houses on."