1、Golf and Health 2016-2020.3 2 Golf and Health 2016-2020|IntroductionGolf and Health 2016-2020|ContentsThese facts alone have long been known by golfers themselves.However,it is important to educate those beyond the sport about its many health benefits,including non-golfers,public health professional
2、s and governments.As two-time Champion Golfer of the Year,Padraig Harrington,said,“People who play golf do realise the benefit of it.But the wider public doesnt understand it the health benefits of playing golf for your physical and mental health.I have seen how impactful golf can be on peoples well
3、being;now it is time to get the message out there.”Put simply,golf has underplayed its health benefits.Against a background of busy modern lives,competing interests and more sport and leisure pursuits than ever,golf has perhaps not effectively positioned itself as a health-enhancing activity that ca
4、n be enjoyed by people of all ages,abilities and backgrounds.Nevertheless,an opportunity exists for golf.An epidemic of physical inactivity-related disease in most of the worlds populations physical inactivity is responsible for more than three million deaths worldwide has led to the World Health Or
5、ganization(WHO)calling for action by sports.Since 2016,The R&A and its partners,including the World Golf Foundation(WGF),the United States Golf Association(USGA)and the European Tour,have sought to:raise awareness of the health benefits of golf to encourage interest in participation by people of all
6、 ages and abilities;improve the sports image;and increase advocacy for golf by government agencies and public health bodies.The Golf&Health Project,supported by The R&A and the other WGF partners,was formed to achieve these aims by producing and publishing high quality science that evidences golfs p