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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
Choose who will lead your club's mental health work
Give your club's mental health work clear owners.
Choosing who will lead your club's mental health work is one of the most practical things a club can do to support the mental health of everyone in it.
Jump to the game planWhy it matters
Someone keeps it going.
With named people in place, someone champions the work, brings it together across the club, and keeps it on the agenda when the season gets busy.
People know who to talk to.
Members and staff know exactly who they can talk to.
Good intentions last.
Everyone at the club has a part to play, but clear roles are what turn good intentions into something that lasts.
What good looks like
A named Mental Health Lead heads up the club's mental health work, with someone to cover when they're away.
A senior sponsor in the club's leadership backs the Lead and keeps the work moving.
People in support roles have training suited to their role. Having a Mental Health First Aider is optional.
Everyone in these roles, including the welfare officer, knows what they're responsible for and how they work together.
The people in these roles have role-appropriate training and feel confident and equipped to carry them out.
Members and staff know who these people are and how to reach them.
The roles we recommend
Everyone at the club has a part to play, but two roles make the biggest difference: a senior sponsor and a Mental Health Lead. We also recommend training a Mental Health First Aider, and making sure your Lead works closely with your club's welfare officer.
No one person should carry this alone. The roles work best when they work closely together, and everyone knows how they fit.
Your club’s mental health work
Senior sponsor
Backs the Lead and keeps the work moving.
Senior sponsor
Someone in the club's leadership who backs the work.
- What they do
- Keeps mental health on the committee or board agenda, supports the Mental Health Lead, and helps with anything that needs a decision or a budget.
- What they don't do
- Run the day-to-day work.
- Look for
- A chair, director, owner or general manager who believes in it and will be around for a while.
Mental Health Lead
Brings it together across the club, with someone to cover when they're away.
Mental Health Lead
Champions and organises your club's mental health work.
- What they do
- Coordinates the ten steps, keeps things moving, works with the committee, and is a friendly first point of contact who knows where to point people for help. As well as being someone people can go to, the Lead champions everyday wellbeing at the club. That might include supporting activities for golfers, club communications and ways for people to connect.
- What they don't do
- Counsel, diagnose or treat anyone.
- Look for
- Someone approachable, well known around the club, organised, and comfortable talking about mental health. They could be a member, a member of staff or a volunteer.
Mental Health First AiderOptional
Supports anyone who's struggling and guides them towards help.
Mental Health First Aider
Trained to support someone who's struggling.
- What they do
- Spots the signs that someone might be struggling, has a supportive conversation, and guides them towards the right help. They've completed a recognised Mental Health First Aid course.
- What they don't do
- Diagnose, provide therapy, or take responsibility for someone's recovery.
- Look for
- Someone people already find easy to talk to. Ideally, members and staff can both reach them easily.
MHFA England covers England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own providers.
Welfare officer
Works alongside the Lead and First Aider. Any safeguarding concern goes to them.
Welfare officer
Leads on safeguarding at your club.
- What they do
- Handles safeguarding concerns, especially those involving juniors and adults at risk, and makes sure the club follows its safeguarding policy.
- How it fits
- The Mental Health Lead and First Aider work alongside the welfare officer. Any safeguarding concern goes to them.
- In England
- Golf clubs should already have a club welfare officer as part of England Golf's SafeGolf safeguarding standards.
At a larger club, build a small team: for example a member, a member of staff and the pro.
What's the difference?
The Mental Health Lead and a Mental Health First Aider are easy to mix up, but they do different jobs. The Lead looks after the club's mental health work as a whole: organising it, championing it and keeping it going. A First Aider supports individual people: noticing when someone is struggling, talking with them and helping them find support. Both matter, and at a small club one person can do both.
| Mental Health Lead | Mental Health First Aider | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | The club as a whole | The person who's struggling |
| Main job | Organising and championing the club's mental health work | Supporting someone in the moment and guiding them to help |
| Training | Florio's Lead training (Partner Clubs) | A recognised Mental Health First Aid course |
| Think of them as | The organiser | The first responder |
Start with
Agree who your senior sponsor and Mental Health Lead will be, and who will cover for the Lead when they're away.
Going further
Train your Lead
Partner Clubs get Florio's Lead training.
Train a Mental Health First Aider
Or more than one at a larger club.
Write the roles down
In a volunteer role description or a staff job description.
Build a small team
At a larger club, for example a member, a member of staff and the pro.
Introduce them to members
Through the newsletter, the noticeboard or the AGM.
Resources for this step
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