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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
Help golfers look after their mental health
Help golfers build everyday habits that support how they feel, on and off the course.
This step is about helping golfers understand how they can look after how they're feeling and coping, and giving them practical ways to do it. It means looking after your mental health becomes as normal a part of club life as working on your game.
Jump to the game planWhy it matters
Much of the conversation about mental health focuses on what to do when someone is already finding things hard. But what people do day to day can make a difference to how they feel, and can reduce the risk of things becoming more difficult.
Everyday habits matter.
The NHS recommends five steps to mental wellbeing, based on evidence: connecting with other people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and paying attention to the present moment.
Physical activity is linked with a lower risk of depression.
A 2022 review of 15 studies, involving more than 190,000 people, found that adults who met recommended activity levels had around a 25% lower risk of depression than adults who weren't active.
Getting help early makes a difference.
Noticing changes in yourself and talking to someone sooner can stop things building up, and can make them easier to deal with.
That's why helping golfers look after themselves day to day sits alongside knowing what to do when someone needs help.
What good looks like
Golfers can find practical information on looking after their mental health, made relevant to golf.
The club offers ways for golfers to learn more, such as talks, workshops or guides.
Golfers understand how golf can benefit their mental health, and how the game can add pressure.
What the club offers reaches different groups across the club.
Golfers know where to find support if they need more.
How golf can help
Research has linked playing golf with benefits to both physical and mental health. It also fits naturally with the NHS's five steps to mental wellbeing:
Connect with other people
Playing partners, roll-ups, section events and the clubhouse.
Be physically active
Walking a round can mean covering several miles.
Learn new skills
Working on part of your game, or helping someone else with theirs.
Give to others
Volunteering, helping with juniors, or serving on a committee.
Pay attention to the present moment
Time outdoors, noticing your surroundings on the course.
Your club already offers all of these. This step is about helping golfers make the most of them.
How golf can add pressure
The game can also affect how golfers feel. It helps to talk about this openly, so golfers can recognise it in themselves:
- Frustration with your game, and how long it stays with you after a round
- Pressure in competitions and around your handicap
- Comparing yourself with others
- A drinking culture around the clubhouse
- Injury, illness or age stopping you playing the way you used to
What golfers might find useful
The most useful information is practical and relevant to golfers' lives. That might cover:
Managing frustration and pressure, on and off the course
Sleep, alcohol and physical activity
Staying connected with other people
Talking about how you're feeling
Noticing changes in yourself, and getting help early
Ways your club can help
There's no single right way to do this. Choose what suits your club and your members.
Run a monthly campaign
Florio's campaign packs focus on a different topic each month, with email, newsletter, poster and social media templates. Your club can pick and choose what suits it, and build a focus that runs all year.
Share practical guides
Make information easy to find in the places golfers already look. Step 8 covers how to build this into your communications.
Host a talk or workshop
A short session before a competition, at a section meeting or as part of a club evening.
Include it in coaching
Coaches and PGA professionals can cover the mental side of golf, such as managing frustration and pressure, as part of lessons and junior coaching.
Mark national awareness days
Events like Mental Health Awareness Week in May and World Mental Health Day on 10 October are a natural reason to do something. Our campaign calendar lines up with these, so they fit easily into a monthly campaign.
Ask golfers what they would find useful
A short survey or conversation at a section meeting can shape what you offer.
These are ideas to start from, not a complete list. You might have others of your own.
Reaching different groups
Different groups at your club may need different things, or be reached in different ways. These could include:
Juniors, with age-appropriate content agreed with your welfare officer
Seniors, who may be going through changes like retirement or health issues
New members and beginners, who may not yet know many people
Competitive golfers, who may feel more pressure around performance
The ladies' and men's sections, which often have their own events and channels
Resources to share with golfers
These free resources are a good place to point golfers who want to look after how they're feeling:
Start with
Share our free guide for golfers with your members, through a channel they already use.
Going further
Host a talk or workshop
At your club.
Work with your coaches
To include the mental side of golf in coaching.
Mark a national awareness day
With an event or activity.
Plan for a group
That may need a different approach.
Ask golfers
What they'd find useful.
Resources for this step
Sources Pearce et al. (2022), Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression, JAMA Psychiatry · NHS: 5 steps to mental wellbeing · Murray et al. (2017), The relationships between golf and health: a scoping review, British Journal of Sports 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