The association of golf participation with health and wellbeing
Golf participation is comprised of activities likely to be beneficial to golfer’s health and wellbeing, including regular walking and social interactions. The ukactive Research Institute, England Golf and Mytime Active collaborated on an investigation into the impact of playing golf on health and wellbeing.
The research aimed to use a questionnaire to compare physical activity, social trust and personal wellbeing of golfers with national statistics as well as measure the association between golfers’ physical activity levels and self-efficacy for both golf and general exercise participation.
Over 3,200 golfers at 12 Mytime Active golf courses were surveyed about their participation. Results demonstrated that golfers reported significantly different physical activity levels in comparison to the population of England. Golfers scored significantly higher on social trust and personal wellbeing compared to the population of the UK and England respectively. Golf and exercise self-efficacy were significantly associated with physical activity. It is estimated that golf is saving local authorities in the survey area a total of £3.4m a year in health costs. There are even bigger potential savings if the golfers who play the least continue their participation and become more active.
The findings of the study demonstrate that despite golfers having relatively lower levels of physical activity, golf participation is associated with psychological wellbeing. Implications are for coaches to focus on increasing awareness of the possible benefits of golf participation.
The infographic can be found here and full report can be found here