Golf club teams up with university to launch participation research

Carnoustie Golf Links has linked up with Abertay University to launch a ‘golf research hub’ that will focus on increasing participation in under-represented groups.

The research will also look at health and wellbeing, developing new methods to enhance golf performance and assessing the impact of major events.

They say the aim of the new Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub, which will be based at the historic course, is to make golf more accessible to all.

Lecturer in the division of sports sciences at Abertay University, Dr Graeme Sorbie said innovation and progression will be placed at the heart of the new hub.

Image from Abertay University

He added: “Abertay is proud to be working in partnership with Carnoustie Golf Links in this new research centre. Our mission is to help make golf more accessible for anyone who wants to participate. Our research aims to have a meaningful impact on the people involved in golf, both now and in the future, helping improve how golf is perceived.”

Golf is important to society because of its wide-ranging benefits including helping to improve physical and mental wellbeing as well as developing social, community and economic prosperity. To safeguard these benefits, it’s important that the sport continues to innovate and grow sustainably in order to improve how golf is perceived.

The Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub will provide a base to advance knowledge of the sport through research and innovation of the highest quality, with an emphasis on generating data that can help grow the game and have meaningful impact on the people involved in golf, both now and in the future, he stated.

Michael Wells, chief executive of Carnoustie Golf Links, said: “We have been working with Abertay University for a number of years on some extremely interesting research projects, including our impact study during The AIG Women’s Open, a current project assessing physical activity and health of caddies and ongoing research linked to our high performance junior golf programmes.

“The Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub in partnership with Abertay University is the next step in our mission to help turn the dial on the sport in a meaningful, data-driven, way. As an organisation who strives to lead the way in golf development and growing the game, we believe we will be even better placed to take informed decisions and actions through the data that is provided by our very own research hub. Furthermore, we look forward to making this information available to the industry in order that our learnings can be applied to the wider game.”

Image from Abertay University

Professor David Lavallee, chair of the research hub steering group, said the first project the new facility will be involved in is ‘The Global Golf Census’.

“It will be the first and largest reaching international study assessing how people who participate in golf are supported in areas including wellbeing, mental welfare and inclusion,” he said.

“The most important element in golf is the people involved, whether they are amateur or professional golfers, golf teaching professionals, caddies, greenkeepers or others involved in the game in another capacity. The Global Golf Census will monitor and report data across the entire sport to help grow the game in sustainable ways.”

Visit www.carnoustiegolflinks.com/carnoustie-abertay-research-hub for more information.