We are living longer…
In 2050, 1 in 4 people in the UK will be 60 and over.
Golf has a role to play in Womens lives,
from the first time we hold a club to our last Putt
Womens Golf is a life long sport, a sport to dip in and out when time and opportunity arises or a competitive sport that keeps women competitive after their amateur or professional career in other sports comes to an end.
The beauty of Golf is that it offers the opportunity to consume Golf in many forms and provides many benefits for everyone involved in the game, from participation, to organising to a professional career providing, Golf provides many physical and mental health benefits.
Golf provides 4 key benefit areas to Women:
Competitive Sport
Many women play golf to satisfy their competitive gene, they look to be the best player they can be, participate in club, county, national and seek out other playing opportunities offered by other organisations creating and delivering womens golf competitions.
While competition is the primary reason for this cohort of women of all handicap ranges, to participate in golf, they enjoy the community within a club environment, participate in all womens events and support the club competitive and friendly teams, many represent their club, county or nation and have supported golf through volunteering on club and other organising committees and groups.
Golf provides the opportunity for competitive women to remain so throughout their life and as such is a sport many return to or enter in later life after their career, their time playing competitive in other sports, the value of golf should not be underestimated for this cohort of women.
Pastime
For many golf is a healthy social pastime, which is focused around being part of a community of women, who met weekly to socialise and play golf.
Central to the golf experience for this cohort of social women golfers, is their enjoyment in the social, fun and competitive nature of golf, the outdoor environment they play in each week, the opportunity to play in friendly competitive matches & events, the opportunity to plan for and go on golf trips and holidays with friends and meet new people along the way.
Social golfers spend time on improving their game to maximise their enjoyment on the course, they enjoy the compwetitive elemtn of golf, but their primary driver is being part of a healthy and happy community of women who enjoy the outdoors and they will play in ALL weathers.
Therapy
Golfers enjoy the many different benefits of golf, from being in an outdoor environment with nature, with the only distractions being the different species of wildlife and birdlife that inhabit the areas in and around courses, to the meditative focus needed to play each shot, if you let life outside in when you are looking to play your shot, then the chances are it may not be as good as it could be…
The benefits of Golf are being recognised as having therapeutic benefits to individuals with different chronic illness which impact them physically, cognitively or mentally.
Recent research from the R&A, working with St Andrews University and local GP’s in Scotland, have demonstrated the positive value of golf on individuals with depression and loneliness.
A larger study and initiative from Golf In Society, a social enterprise, working with Sheffield Hallam University and Sport for Confidence, they have published a body or research HERE and have developed a program for individuals with dementia and have engaged golf clubs and charities to deliver the programs across the UK and will launch their first international program in Germany in 2025.
Purpose
The value of Golf to women is multi-faceted, with purpose at its core.
Walk in to any golf club across the World with a Womens section and you will find a committed group of women where golf is the primary purpose of their own lives and they organise their non-golf life and responsibilities around their annual golf diary.
Womens sections are mostly self organising and self funding committees and groups, that organise an annual diary of weekly, monthly and annual competitions and social events, on and off the course, teams of women playing in friendly and competitive matches and competitions against other clubs in their area and beyond, within each section there will be individuals who choose to add to their club experience through participating in events across their county, country or internationally either competitively or socially.
Women have been creating, developing and delivering the womens golf experience since women first got organised in 1893, and have done so within access they have been given to golf facilities, courses and clubhouses.
The experience for women participating in Golf on and off the course provides a sense of belonging to a community and purpose in an environment where they can enjoy the benefits of sport, nature, social interaction and competitive events with like minded women.
The document below provides further insight in to the exisiting rich and varied Senior Womens Golf Experience in the UK, and the benefits to women participating in golf today and the potential for this experience to be the foundation for the future of womens golf so that all women of all ages can benefit, especially when they reach their senior years.
Please scroll through the presentation below to read…
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Golf and Longevity
In recognising, we are all living longer, in 2021, the United Nations declared, 2021 to 2030, the Decade of Healthy Ageing, with The World Health Organisation taking the lead in activating Governments and Health & Social Care Providers globally. To learn more about this work click the button below:
From a financial and economic perspective, The World Economic Forum (WEF), who engages political, business, academic, civil society and other leaders of society to shape the global, regional and industry economic and financial agendas, has identified 6 principles to support the ageing population, these form the key pillars in “The Longevity Economy“. To read the WEF report on the Longevity economy click HERE
As the population ages
Golf has a role to play in active and healthy ageing.
In 2050, 1 in 4 people in the UK will be 60 and over.
Golf should be part of their lives, especially the womens
Golf In Society
Golf In Society specialises in transforming the lives of our ageing population by introducing them to golf.
Golf in Society puts golf at the heart of local communities, by delivering tailored golf sessions for those living with chronic illnesses like Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Loneliness, Depression & many more.
To learn more – click the button below:
The Theraputic Value of Golf
