Almost nine in 10 UK golfers report that playing golf has improved their mental health, according to a new study. A third said they had experienced mental health difficulties in the past.
Golf Care polled 1,623 UK golfers on their experiences with mental health problems and the impact of their involvement in golf.
It comes as Rory McIlroy recently spoke out about his decision to drop out of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament at Hilton Head following the Masters at Augusta, to focus on his mental health and wellbeing.
In total, 28% of golfers said they had experienced a mental health problem in their life, while 8% said they were unsure whether they had or hadn’t.
The survey found overwhelmingly in favour of the view that playing golf is good for people’s mental health. A huge 95% of golfers surveyed agreed with this, with 89% saying it had had a direct positive impact on theirs.
Of the golfers surveyed, just 1% said they don’t believe golf is good for people’s mental health, and only 4% said playing had not done anything to improve theirs.
Despite recent progress in mental health awareness – particularly over the last decade – the subject is still often viewed as a taboo.
However, more than a third of golfers (36%) said they’d had conversations about mental health with fellow golfers that they might not have necessarily had with other people or friends.
Nearly half (46%) said they felt comfortable talking about their mental health with other golfers, suggesting that golf clubs and courses are becoming safer and more accepting spaces for mental health conversations. More still said they felt more comfortable talking about mental health with their immediate family (61%).
The survey found that distraction from stress or worry was the leading mental health benefit of playing golf (77%), and 92% said that spending time outdoors was the main driver behind why golf was so beneficial. Improved moods and boosted energy levels were also found as benefits.
In addition, 87% of golfers said that playing golf had improved their mental health because it meant they were able to spend time with others. Meanwhile, only 20% said it was because they were able to spend time alone, suggesting social interaction is what golfers seek most from their game.
Despite its clear benefits, just under half (41%) of golfers said there is still not enough mental health awareness in the UK golf industry, and 45% said they were not sure.
John Woosey, founder of Golf Care, said: “The mental and physical health benefits of playing golf are clear, and although there has been definite progress in recent years, it’s clear there’s still a way to go when it comes to mental health awareness in the industry.
“Everyone in the industry – be it players or non-players – has a responsibility to create an environment in which people feel comfortable talking about their mental health, regardless of their situation or circumstances. For too long, golf clubs have been seen as overly masculine spaces, where people perhaps cannot open up about their thoughts and feelings. This view is outdated and needs to change.”
