Mytime Active launches ‘wellbeing hubs’ at its golf clubs

Golf club operator Mytime Active has launched ‘wellbeing hubs’ at two of its golf clubs to benefit their local communities.

The project started in January and the clubs, Hatchford Brook Golf Centre and Gym and Pype Hayes Golf Course and Gym, both based in Birmingham, have so far seen more than more than 150 referrals made via health care professionals and social prescribers, as well as through self-referral, and 85 wellbeing sessions delivered.

The hubs offer ‘Fresh Start Friendly’, a supportive six-week introduction to the gym environment, as well as ‘ESCAPE-Pain’ and ‘Good Boost’, which are both part of a wider musculoskeletal health hubs project to support people living with chronic joint pain. The two programmes provide exercise, rehabilitation and wellbeing support to help people maintain mobility and reduce pain, as well as improve their health before and after surgery.

The hubs also offer ‘Golf on Referral’, which enables participants to acquire new skills while fostering social connections, and acts as a pathway into Mytime Active’s ‘Get Active Golf’ programme.

On completion of the six-week programmes, more than a third of participants report feeling happier, almost half report feeling less anxious than before and a third say they feel the things they do in their life are more worthwhile.

Amy Brittain, healthy lifestyle programme manager for Mytime Active, says: “Feedback from our participants has been amazing! It’s so lovely to hear how it’s given them a new lease of life and a sense of purpose; even recommending us to friends who have joined too. One gentleman doing our Golf on Referral programme, who is also making changes to his diet and taking prescribed medication from his GP, lost 4kg in weight and 10cm from his waist, bringing him into a lower risk category. His blood pressure also came down from stage 1 hypertensive to within normal guidelines. It’s been wonderful to support them on their journey to a healthier, happier lifestyle.”

One participant, Andrea, 59, said: “I felt really comfortable in the little community that we built during the programme. I spoke about having anxiety around exercising and the staff were really supportive. The course gave me the confidence I needed to take my first steps into being active.”

Whilst Dave, 63, said: “Mytime Active has changed my life”.  And Mally, a Golf on Referral participant said: “Golf on Referral is great. It’s giving me and my husband something to do in our retirement. We are really enjoying learning new skills, making new friends and the coaching and facilities are fantastic.”