Case Study

Golf on Prescription

“The health benefits for me have been 10, 20, 30-fold”

Participants involved in the Golf on Prescription pilot in Fife have reaped the benefits for their mental and physical health.

The R&A and the University of St Andrews’ School of Medicine have collaborated with partner organisations to develop ‘Golf for Health’ – a pilot social prescribing project that aims to connect eligible primary care patients with appropriate golf activities in Fife. Researchers in the School have developed a model with The R&A, Fife Golf Trust, NHS Fife, Scottish Golf, PGA Scotland, the European Tour Group and Ladies European Tour to enable primary care professionals and community link workers to prescribe golf for patients. GP practices in Fife were invited to take part in the study, with participating practices linked to four local golf clubs offering a six-to-eight week, free-of-charge programme. The clubs are Cluny Clays, Dunfermline, Dunnikier Park and Elmwood.

Health benefits

Sarah Thomson is among those who have enjoyed the programme at Dunnikier. She said, “I saw a poster in my GP surgery basically offering a programme to get involved in a series of golf lessons where no equipment was needed. You could turn up and hopefully it would benefit your mental health. “Being part of the programme has helped me as I’ve learnt a new skill and met new people. It’s definitely something I want to continue with now. It’s been really good.” Thomson has received lessons from PGA professional Ally McDonald, including use of the six-hole short form course at Dunnikier. “I’ve gone from not being able to hit the ball at all to actually getting round a six-hole course, three shots a hole, in half-an-hour, which is utterly amazing to tell the truth,” she said. “I’ve found that when I’ve been playing golf I haven’t been thinking of anything else apart from playing. “I would say to anyone to sign up and definitely have a go at it. I turned up and it was very welcoming, informal and there were a lot of women my age or similar. It was all just very relaxed. You didn’t need anything.”

Linda Duncan - Pilot participant

“Golf has become something for me. It’s helped me get out in the fresh air and meet other people. The health benefits for me have been 10, 20, 30-fold. "

Support across local clubs

The initiative has been rolled out in recent months by golf clubs through healthcare professionals to allow patients to experience the widespread physical, mental and social benefits that the sport offers. Around 30 participants have been involved this year with more programmes planned for this spring. Julie McMahon has been among the group involved at Cluny. “Scrolling through Facebook one day, a friend of mine had shared a post from a local GP surgery advertising golf for health,” explained Julie. “I thought ‘oh, this looks quite interesting.’ I read a bit more about it and realised anybody could participate. “I must have been feeling brave that day and I signed up. Having a bit of anxiety working at home through the pandemic, living alone, I felt I needed to get out and do things and meet new people. I almost talked myself out of coming along that morning and I’m so glad I didn’t. I walked in and couldn’t have been more welcomed, met a fantastic group of women in the session and also the staff at Cluny have been so inclusive. I’ve learnt a lot of new things in golf. It’s really made a difference to me.” She continued, “My confidence has come back and just being fitter. I slipped on black ice at the very beginning of the pandemic and fractured my coxic. Having that lower back injury and putting on weight, having this activity has got me back into exercise again and taking care of myself, valuing myself again. It’s just been fantastic for my mental and physical health.”

Golf on Prescription

Around 30 participants were involved in 2022 with more programmes planned for spring 2023 and beyond.

The message that golf is open to all has to go out loud and clear.

Dr. Andrew Murray

R&A Health Consultant

Inclusive atmosphere

Linda Duncan enjoyed time in lockdown walking around the golf course at Dunfermline and thought she might like to try her hand at golf. A friend then pointed her to the ten-lesson programme at Cluny having seen it online. “Golf has become something for me,” admitted Linda. “It’s helped me get out in the fresh air and meet other people. The health benefits for me have been 10, 20, 30-fold. “Sometimes you don’t feel like going out for a walk or socialising, but I never ever felt like that when it came to the golf lesson and coming up to Cluny. It meant that I was getting out in super surroundings, did the lesson, had a wee cuppa at the end of it and talked about our experience. The staff have all been brilliant at looking after us and we’ve found out more about the activities at Cluny. It’s made us want to come back and be part of Cluny – it’s very inclusive. “I would say to anyone keen to try this programme to absolutely go for it. It’s something that you can get away from anything else going on your life and you can have that dedicated time for yourself. In so much as getting time for yourself and just clearing your head, I would recommend it.”

Model to build on

Once testing of the model has taken place, the findings will be evaluated and assessed for the feasibility of a larger-scale roll-out across Scotland and the UK. Ray Walker has enjoyed being part of the pilot at Dunfermline. “I belong to a group called ‘Breathe Easy Fife’ which supports people with lung conditions and their chairperson mentioned this pilot so a few of us decided to sign up to,” said Walker, who used to play as a teenager. “My family are interested in golf and I thought I could try to join them for a few rounds. “Those that have been here have enjoyed the gentle exercise and being out in the fresh air, giving you something to go out and do rather than sitting at home. We have learned so much and it would be nice to complete maybe the nine-hole course and see how we progress from there.” For more information on Golf on Prescription, please visit here.

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