GMAQ - Golf Management Australia Queensland Spring 2017 | Page 20

GMAQ NEWS
RESEARCHERS FIND LINK BETWEEN
GOLF AND DEMENTIA PREVENTION
R
esearch commissioned
by England Golf and the
Professional Golfers’
Association has identified that
golfers are 14% more likely
to report good health than
non-participants, significantly
reducing their risk of some
of Britain’s biggest diseases,
including dementia.
With dementia and Alzheimer’s
disease now the leading cause
of death in England and Wales
and accounting for 11.6% of all
deaths, this ground-breaking
study from the Sport Industry
Research Centre (SIRC) at
Sheffield Hallam University
has established that regular
participants reduce their risk of
dementia and coronary heart
disease by 30%. What’s more,
dementia prevention accounts
for nearly half (49%) of the
recorded health benefits of golf.
At a time when the NHS is
becoming increasingly stretched,
the industry-leading findings
mark the first time the wider
impact of any individual sport
has been determined and reveal
that every £1 spent on golf
generates £1.17 worth of social
benefits, a total of £1.8 billion.
It also identifies the value golf
creates to society by improving
health and contributing to the
reduction of healthcare costs
associated with key diseases
in the process, which equates
to 22% of the total social value,
some £403 million.
Within England Golf and the
game itself this understanding of
the health benefits, particularly
in regards to dementia,
is becoming increasingly
recognised.
Nick Pink, chief executive of
England Golf, says: “We are living
in a time when there are more
people aged over 65 than there
are under 15. But, as we live
longer, we become increasingly
at risk of dementia, which has
recently overtaken heart disease
to become the biggest cause of
death in England and Wales.
“This report and the various
research and initiatives being
undertaken across the country
in regards to dementia and golf
highlights that not only is golf an
important preventative measure,
it also plays a huge part in the
lives of those already suffering
with the disease. We hope that
this important research will
encourage more people to take
up the sport earlier.
“Ultimately, we hope that a
round of golf will become as
much a part of people’s weekly
routine as stocking up on
groceries or enjoying Sunday
lunch with the family.”
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