The principal aim of this study was to determine whether cardiovascular health, assessed by
resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate, was affected by exercise
type (golf vs. tennis) and associated impact (low vs. high). Male and female golfers (n = 40)
and tennis players (n = 40) aged between 40 and 71 years completed a short questionnaire
relating to their main sport and typical exercise habits. Resting blood pressure and heart rate
readings were then taken using an electronic wrist sphygmomanometer. The analysis of
variance (General Linear Model) showed that overall there were no significant differences in
either the resting systolic or diastolic blood pressure, or resting heart rate, of golfers and
tennis players. However, a significant increase in systolic blood pressure with age (F =
10.48, p = 0.002) was observed in golfers, compared with no significant age-related
increases in blood pressure in tennis players. In conclusion, exercise type and impact
appear to have no effect on cardiovascular health in the 40 to 71 year olds age group, but
high impact exercise may have a protective effect against age-related increases in blood
pressure which requires further investigation
