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- If life's at risk When there's immediate danger to life. Call 999
- Samaritans Free to call, any time, for anyone struggling. Call 116 123
- Prefer to text? Free and confidential, any time. Text SHOUT to 85258
- NHS 111 in England and Wales Choose option 2 for mental health. Free, 24 hours a day. Call 111
- NHS 24 in Scotland Choose the mental health option. Free, 24 hours a day. Call 111
Build connection and belonging
Help everyone at your club feel welcome, connected and part of the club.
But being a member doesn't always mean feeling part of the club. New members may not know anyone yet. Some people play alone or at quiet times. And life changes, like retirement, losing a playing partner or an injury, can mean someone gradually stops coming. This step is about making it easier for people to connect, helping everyone feel welcome, and noticing when someone may be drifting away.
Jump to the game planWhy it matters
Loneliness is common.
Around 7% of people in Great Britain feel lonely often or always. That's more than 3.8 million people.
Loneliness and mental health are closely linked.
Loneliness can increase the risk of poorer mental health, including depression, and each can make the other worse.
Connection is good for health.
A major review of 148 studies found that people with stronger social relationships had a 50% greater likelihood of survival over the study periods than those with weaker ones.
Golf clubs are built for connection.
Most clubs already have what's needed. This step is about making sure it reaches everyone.
What good looks like
New members are welcomed and helped to get to know people.
There are regular, easy ways for people to play and socialise together, whatever their ability.
Different groups across the club mix, not just within their own sections.
The club notices when someone has stopped coming, and someone gets in touch.
People going through changes, like retirement, bereavement or injury, have ways to stay involved.
Everyone feels welcome, whatever their age, background or ability.
Welcoming new members
The first few months are when new members decide whether a club feels like theirs. Simple things can make a big difference:
A welcome evening or new members' roll-up
A buddy scheme, pairing new members with an existing member for their first few rounds
Help getting into competitions and roll-ups, including getting a handicap
An introduction to the different sections and what's on
Making it easy to play and socialise together
Some golfers have a regular group. Others don't, and it can be hard to break into one. Ways to help include:
Roll-ups or drop-in sessions where anyone can turn up and get a game
Social formats like Texas scrambles, mixed competitions and team events
Events that mix sections, like seniors, ladies, men's and juniors, or different abilities
Social events off the course, like quiz nights or club dinners
Volunteering opportunities, which give people a role and a reason to be there
Noticing when someone drifts away
People often stop coming to the club gradually. A member who used to play every week stops entering competitions, or a regular face isn't seen for a while. Sometimes there's a simple reason. Sometimes something's changed in their life.
A friendly message or call from someone they know, like a playing partner or section captain, can make a difference.
Something like
"Hi John, we haven't seen you at the club for a while. Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing"
is enough. It's a check-in, not a chase about fees or entries.
Staying involved through life changes
Some moments make people more likely to become disconnected. At a golf club, these can include:
- RetirementWhen the club may become a bigger part of someone's week, or they may lose the routine that brought them
- Losing a regular playing partnerThrough bereavement, illness or someone moving away
- Injury or illnessThat stops someone playing the way they used to
- Becoming a carerOr having less free time
- Juniors moving into the adult sectionWhere they may not know anyone
Clubs can help people stay involved in other ways, such as social or flexible membership options, shorter formats like nine holes, buggy access, volunteering roles, and invitations to social events whether or not someone is playing.
Start with
Find the members who haven't played for a while, and ask someone they know to get in touch.
Most booking and competition systems can show who hasn't booked a tee time or entered a competition in the last couple of months. Go through the list with your section captains, and agree who will send each person a friendly check-in.
Going further
Start a buddy scheme
For new members.
Run a mixed-draw event
Groups drawn across sections and abilities, followed by time together in the clubhouse.
Set up a "looking for a game" list
So golfers without a regular group can be matched with others.
Repeat the check
For members who haven't played for a while, every few months.
Review membership options
For people who can't play as much as they used to.
Help juniors move up
For example by pairing them with adult members at events.
Create volunteering roles
That give people a role at the club.
Resources for this step
Sources Campaign to End Loneliness: Facts and statistics (ONS data) · Holt-Lunstad et al. (2010), Social Relationships and Mortality Risk, PLOS Medicine
These ten steps are what clubs commit to when they make the free Florio Club Commitment.
Commit to working through them at your own pace, and join a growing movement across the golf community to improve mental health in the game.
Make the commitmentNeed help now?
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Need help now?
- If life's at risk When there's immediate danger to life. Call 999
- Samaritans Free to call, any time, for anyone struggling. Call 116 123
- Prefer to text? Free and confidential, any time. Text SHOUT to 85258
- NHS 111 in England and Wales Choose option 2 for mental health. Free, 24 hours a day. Call 111
- NHS 24 in Scotland Choose the mental health option. Free, 24 hours a day. Call 111