Major new golf and health project launched in Scotland

The project - Golf at the Heart of Healthy Ageing Across Scotland - is being led by Golf in Society, with support to the tune of £100,000 being provided by The R&A Foundation along with backing from both Scottish Golf and Active Scotland.

Launched at Hollandbush Golf Club in Lanarkshire, it aims to help families and individuals living with long-term health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s and depression by creating opportunities through tailored golf sessions.

Ten ‘Golf Heath Hubs’ are being created. Hollandbush, Palacerigg and Carluke will be the centres in the west of Scotland while Dunnikier Park and Wellsgreen in Fife are in Scottish Golf’s central region.

Royal Dornoch (north), Balnagask/Nigg Bay (north east), Kelso (east), Newton Stewart (south west) and an Orkney islands hub centred on facilities at Kirkwall will be the other venues.

Speaking at Monday’s launch, Maree Todd, MSP for Drugs, Alcohol Policy and Sport, said: “Being physically active is one of the best things we can do to improve our physical, mental and social health.

“Golf is a sport for people of all ages with wide-reaching health benefits, and I wholeheartedly support Golf in Society’s plans to offer hubs that help people with longer term health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, strokes, frailty and loneliness.

Ten ‘Golf Health Hubs’ being created

“The ten hubs will help people to live more active, happier lives and I thank Golf in Society, The R&A and Scottish Golf for moving this venture forward.”

Golf in Society Founder Anthony Blackburn added: “This exciting project is a wonderful opportunity to expand our life-changing programmes into ten more communities across Scotland and prove the importance of collaboration between like-minded stakeholders.

“Providing more families with the opportunity to access and discover the profound impact simply picking up a golf club can have on their overall health and happiness will be transformational.

“By taking our golf-inspired wellbeing programmes into the wider community, we will inspire more people to enjoy a happier, healthier, better-connected life through this amazing game we call golf.”

Hollandbush was chosen for the launch after it successfully completed a community asset transfer to ensure that golf could remain at the heart of local life.

General manager Mags Cathcart said: “We are incredibly proud that Hollandbush Golf Club was chosen to host the launch. As a community-owned club, projects like this are exactly why we fought so hard to secure the future of the course.

“This programme further strengthens our links with the community, bringing new people into the club who may never have considered golf before. Golf has the power to bring people together, and Hollandbush is proud to be a place where people can connect, stay active and feel part of something."