Golf and mental wellbeing are once again in the spotlight right now.
With the second major of the golf season getting underway in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Week, not to mention the G4D Open back on British soil at Woburn this week, it is the ideal time to celebrate the partnership between Sport In Mind and The Golf Foundation.
Sport In Mind are set to become The Golf Foundation’s Mental Health Delivery Partner for 2025, helping to raise the benefits of golf for young people’s mental health. Working collaboratively, the two organisations will seek to reach new audiences and increase their impact together.
The Golf Foundaiton launched their Unleash Your Drive mental wellbeing initiative in September 2023, off the back of five years of research, and are now delivering programmes in schools and communities, with golf club-specific mental wellbeing programmes launching this year.
Sport In Mind, meanwhile, is the UK’s largest mental health sports charity, who have to date supported over 31,000 individuals experiencing mental health challenges through their innovative sport and physical activity programmes. Their youth programme focusing not only on supporting those individuals with mental health challenges, but also driving education of the positive benefits of physical activity on positive mental wellbeing- a crucial preventative measure for this age group.
The Golf Foundation’s impacts are already being felt through Unleash Your Drive, with young people showing a 20% average increase in mental toughness understanding – this means that they are better prepared for the challenges ahead in their life.
This partnership will allow the two organisations to bring this impact to more people. The Golf Foundation have trained Sport In Mind staff members to deliver the programme, and will now work collaboratively to bring the games and mental wellbeing coaching to youngsters across 12 weeks of sessions in the Wokingham area.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with the Golf Foundation to provide children and young people facing mental health challenges with access to sports,” said Kayleigh Harris, Head of Growth and Innovation at Sport In Mind. “It’s crucial that our young Sport in Mind participants have the chance to explore new activities because we believe that everyone has a sport that suits them—it’s just a matter of finding it! We are eagerly looking forward to seeing the positive outcomes of this partnership and how it will benefit the young people involved”
Brendon Pyle, CEO of the Golf Foundation, added: “Thanks to this new partnership with Sport in Mind, the leading mental health sports charity, the Golf Foundation is excited to be using its Unleash Your Drive mental toughness programme to improve the lives of young people experiencing mental health problems. The pilot programme in Wokingham will allow the 2 charities to work together operationally and share new learning about how we can help more young people to take ownership of their mental wellbeing.”
