After World Mental Health Day which was held on October 10th, we at FORE Management Group wanted to give you a snapshot survey of 250 golfers in the United States, Canada and the UK who were asked why they had joined their respective golf clubs. The results of the survey were quite alarming in that more than half (55%) of those who had joined a club in the past six months cited ‘mental wellbeing’ as their primary reason for joining.

Sporting challenge (50%), physical wellbeing (38%) and social wellbeing (31%) also proved important, while 12% indicated they joined to participate in club competitions.

Whilst golf has its critics as a sport, what can not be taken away from our beautiful game is the stress-relieving benefits of golf and golf courses. The was also pointed out in a recent article entitled ‘The new value of golf’s green spaces’.

In the article, environmental psychologist Professor Jenny Roe of the University of Virginia, explained: “Contact with nature slows down our stress response and induces calm. It is promoting stress resilience, it is improving our mood, it’s decreasing our risk of depression and increasing our social wellbeing, particularly on a golf course where you are interacting with other members of that community.”

Scientific research published in 2019 has also indicated spending at least two hours per week in nature is good for health and wellbeing.

Mark Birchmore, Syngenta’s Global Head of Marketing, Turf and Landscape, said: “While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted issues of stress in day-to-day life, the reality is that the experience of spending time in nature on a golf course has always been one of the sport’s key benefits – it’s just rarely communicated as a marketing message. But it is something clubs might consider as it could be an important factor in the value proposition for golf and club membership.”

With the above in mind, FORE Management is delighted to safeguard all of our clients and customers as well as event participants by making sure that all Covid-19 guidelines as stipulated by the Thailand Government are followed. With livescoring allowing contactless golf events to be held, as well as pre-screening and social distance rules in place at all events, we are proud to be part of this new era for golf event management. You can also keep up to date with Covid-19 news via the FORE website through our very own Covid-19 update page.

If you are looking for a golf event planner to host your event and want peace of mind that you can find a partner that follows all the Covid-19 procedures, get in touch with chris@foremanagement.com - hosting in excess of 70 events per year, we use our expertise to ensure that your golf event is a success.

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