Golf Is Good For Your Health And Can Save Local Authorities Millions

Research from England Golf, Mytime Active and ukactive emphasises the health and social benefits to playing golf

Golf Is Good For Your Health And Can Save Local Authorities Millions

Golf is good for your health and society, and we need to shout about the positive health impacts of our game more.

That's because research by England Golf shows that golf is good for your physical and mental health and can save millions of pounds for local authorities.

Related: The future of golf club membership

The investigation has been undertaken by England Golf, Mytime Active and ukactive, with over 3,200 golfers at 12 Mytime Active courses surveyed.

The findings estimate that golf is saving local authorities in the survey area £3.4m per year in health costs, and the savings could increase if less-active golfers up their participation.

Golf attracts a significant amount of people who haven't been getting enough exercise and the research shows that when these people get into the game they're likely to keep playing and keep improving their fitness levels.

The research also shows that golf is good for mental health - the golfers who were most active scored well above the national average for mental wellbeing.

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England Golf say the findings will be used to look at the possibility of making golf available on referral by GPs.

Abbie Lench, England Golf Head of Club Support, commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to show that golf is both good for you and could save the country considerable sums of money. Golf clubs and ranges have a really important role to play in helping people become fitter and happier and we look forward to developing this.”

Steven Ward, CEO of ukactive, said: “Golf is another great way to stay physically active while enjoying sport. This research provides further evidence that simply by undertaking regular moderate intensity exercise, such as brisk walking during a game of golf, you can improve your overall health and happiness.”

Stats

Over 70% of those surveyed didn't participate in 150 minutes of exercise each week, the recommended amount in the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) guidelines.

More than 70% were 'positive' that they would play golf regularly in the next year - emphasis that golfers like to stick with the sport.

78% of golfers surveyed are satisfied with the lives and the survey sees their mental wellbeing increase with the more they play. The most active golfers scored an average 8.35 out of 10, when assessing how satisfied they were with their lives; the score fell to 7.12 for inactive golfers.

To read the full report click here.

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