Cuppa Catch Up with Hall and Stephen

Georgia Hall and Iona Stephen are encouraging golfers and non-golfers to take a break from daily routines and join them for a ‘Cuppa Catch Up’ this week, as part of The R&A’s #GolfAtHome campaign.

The R&A ambassador and leading golf broadcaster have come together to produce a series of exclusive short video conversations – discussing life in lockdown, Hall’s career highlights and tips on how to boost physical and mental health. To be released daily at 11am this week on The R&A’s social media platforms, the videos encourage golf fans to take a mid-morning break from working from home, assisting with home schooling or other daily tasks by making a ‘cuppa’ and enjoying the films.

Boost mental health

The series builds on the teaching drills filmed by Hall as part of Georgia’s #GolfAtHome Guide, as well as videos from fitness enthusiast Stephen covering exercise, nutrition and more. This week’s ‘Cuppa Catch Up’ is also released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week (18 – 24 May), a UK charity initiative this year placing a focus on kindness. Regular physical activity such as golf has been proven to decrease the risk of anxiety, depression and dementia and been shown to improve confidence and self-esteem. During her time away from tournaments, Hall has been keeping fit in her new Bournemouth home, as well as painting and pancake making! The 2018 Women’s British Open Champion offers various insight into how to stay active physically and mentally during her discussions with Stephen.

Stay active

Hall said, “I’ve missed the travel and competing, but enjoyed time at home. I do a bit of running and basic stretching, but also use a foam roller to help keep my body flexible and loose. It’s very easy for your body to get tight and not feeling like you want to do much because of the situation. “There are great apps I use for the mental side too, like on meditation. There are little mental things I’m doing when I’m at home, if sometimes you can get a bit stressed with what is going on. “I think it is very important to keep energy levels up, eat the right foods and keep as fit as possible for when we do re-start. There’s nothing better than travelling to your tournament, sitting on the plane and thinking in the last couple of months I’ve put in all the work I can.” Hall’s simple home tutorial drills on The R&A’s social media channels are targeted at beginners and young golfers, while also placing an emphasis on fun.

Fun drills

The 24-year-old, awarded an MBE last year, explains, “I think it’s great if a child’s parents, older brother or sister are with them when they first pick up the game, or a close friend. Most importantly, it’s about enjoying it, making short drills or short games you can play with friends. “When I was aged seven or eight, I didn’t have the longest attention span so an hour or two is perfect. At the end, we would play a tournament for a chocolate bar! A lot of fun.” Hall looked up to Suzann Pettersen as a girl, going on to play in two Solheim Cups with the Norwegian and watching on as she memorably sank the winning putt to defeat the USA in Scotland last year. Now she is enjoying trying to inspire the next generation, as she also highlights with Stephen.

Inspiring young golfers

Hall adds, “I’m trying my best to inspire girls and boys. When I did win the Women’s British Open, that picture of children all standing around me is very special and I’ve got it saved in my phone. I get a lot of texts and social media messages saying: ‘my daughter has now taken up the game because of you and you’ve inspired her’. That’s a really special feeling.” Keen to get involved in #GolfAtHome activity? All you have to do is tag The R&A on social media and use the hashtag #GolfAtHome so we can share your content. We look forward to again posting and retweeting the best, so keep them coming. And don’t forget ‘Cuppa Catch Up’ this week!

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