Sport for Confidence on course to deliver golf with a difference
Sport for Confidence has teamed up with Golf in Society to produce a free-to-access guide showcasing how golf can be adapted to deliver life-changingly positive occupational outcomes for those involved.
Aimed at health and social care professionals, the guide demonstrates golf’s therapeutic potential and offers wellbeing outcomes for people who may historically have experienced barriers to participating in physical activity and accessing community spaces.
In 2023, Sport for Confidence partnered with Golf in Society to deliver a year-long programme exploring how golfing interventions, delivered by occupational therapists and physiotherapists, could improve health and strength in those who were frail and living with dementia.
Funded through the UK Research and Innovations’ (UKRI) Scaling Social Ventures competition, this programme led to a 12-week research project delivered in collaboration with the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam and funded through the Healthy Ageing Challenge fund, accessed via Innovate UK.
The research identified multiple, encouraging benefits for caregivers and participants, adding weight to Sport for Confidence’s own evidence of the huge range of holistic benefits physical activity can deliver to those living with disabilities and long-term health conditions, inspiring the creation of the ‘Therapeutic Value of Golf’ guide.
Intended to provide practitioners with a pragmatic and research-informed approach, the guide emphasises the therapeutic potential of golf and is fully supported by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
Using a unique Direct Social Value method, Golf in Society has evidenced that for every £1 invested in its golf intervention programme, £16.46 in social value is delivered.
“Having witnessed first-hand the incredibly positive impact golf and community can have on older adults, Golf in Society is on a mission to re-purpose golf clubs into community health hubs focused on preventing ill health,” said Golf in Society founder and CEO Anthony Blackburn.
“The production of this guide is an evidence-based reference resource for any health professionals keen to use golf as the foundation of their care and treatment plans.”
The guide is also backed by Sport England and is being delivered as part of Sport for Confidence’s broader role as a valued and trusted expert partner of the national governing body.
Sport for Confidence resources
