Article published by The R&A in The R&A Developing Golf Magazine Volume III Issue 1

The Finnish Golf Union has cemented its longstanding commitment to the health benefits of the sport by embracing The R&A's 'Golf is Good' campaign. The governing body had long recognised golf's value as a tool to promote health and wellbeing, having commissioned social return on investment analysis to support its efforts. However, it had not rallied around a single unified campaign until it was introduced to 'Golf is Good' at the Players 1st Conference in October 2023.

After discussions with The R&A team, the union unveiled a nationwide campaign to 250 golf clubs in January 2024, receiving a positive response. Marika Voss, the union's Head of Communications and Project Leader, described how support with translating the materials into Finnish and Swedish had paved the way for a smooth implementation. 

"The main challenge was the translations — wordplays don't always translate directly between English and Finnish," she said. "However, once we settled on the translations, things started to roll quickly. Our in-house designer adapted the text into visual materials and videos in a cost-effective way. 

"For the first time, we were working with animated content, which made adaptation easier. With real-life photos, it's more important that the backgrounds and people look Finnish or at least 'familiar' to our audience. In practice, we didn't need to make significant modifications." 

The campaign launched at the Golf Expo in March 2024 and the union ensured widespread coverage across various platforms, including its website, newsletters, social media and magazines. It also launched a seven-week advertising effort at railway stations.

To personalise the campaign, it supplemented the 'Golf is Good' materials with player stories, 'Health Thursdays', and expert blogs on golf's health benefits, particularly supporting its Women & Golf initiative "The reception has been extremely positive," said Marika. 

"On an individual level, people find the topic engaging, and there's a wealth of supporting facts that can be adapted into various formats — interviews, social media, challenges, golf magazine, brochures, lectures — you name it! "Our member clubs have also been actively using the campaign materials and have even asked for more." It was the only campaign run by the union in 2024, a year in which Finland saw a 1% growth in membership. A social media campaign that ran from spring to autumn featured a call to action, leading users to a dedicated beginner golfer website. It garnered 280,000 impressions and over 11,000 clicks.

Asked why the 'Golf is Good' campaign is likely to have struck a chord with existing golfers and new ones, Marika said: "People of all ages care about their wellbeing, and health is a hot topic in the media, especially in discussions around inactivity. Modern devices also allow various ways to track movement, which helps with motivation. "At the club level, the materials are easy to use, and the theme resonates across different age groups." The campaign will remain a key focus for the union through the rest of 2025, with a plan to create more content around mental health and wellbeing.

The union also hopes to develop a greater understanding of a person's journey from seeing the ads, to finding an entry point to golf and converting to club engagement. Another aim is to sign an influential ambassador to lend the campaign a greater profile and reach a more diverse audience, having seen the success Wales Golf had with engaging Gareth Bale.

Marika believes golf has considerable power to be a positive societal influence and is determined for the Finnish Golf Union to play its part. "No single sport, including golf, can solve the issue of inactivity on its own, but we want to be part of the solution," she said. "In Finland, we are the second-largest sports federation in terms of membership, with 156,000 players.

Golf has huge potential to make a difference." Having seen first-hand the benefits that playing the sport can bring, Marika encouraged other affiliates to embrace the campaign. "The best thing about golf is that the physical activity happens almost effortlessly while you play," she said. "I always use my father as an example — he's almost 70 years old. He drives to the grocery store and the gym, but he always walks on his golf round, sometimes even twice a day. "It's also fascinating how the way you play and the focus on health benefits evolve with age. These days, I especially enjoy the relaxed time with friends and family on the course — without my phone. A few years ago that didn't cross my mind." She added, "We highly recommend the 'Golf is Good' campaign. For us, the timing was perfect, but this is a topic that never goes out of date."

Perceptions of golf's capacity to promote good health

In spring 2024, the Finnish Golf Union conducted a brand study on golf, which serves as one of its benchmarks. The words golfers most commonly associated with the sport included affordable, health, community and nature. In contrast, a majority of non-golfers linked it with being expensive, difficult and boring. However, health-related aspects were also present in the word cloud, and they were mentioned as reasons why some people might consider taking up golf. In the same study, non-golfers were shown a video from the 'Golf is Good' campaign and asked how well it matched their perception of golf. More than 60% responded that the video aligned very well or well with their image of the sport, evoking positive or neutral emotions.

The many health and wellbeing benefits of golf

• On average, golfers live five years longer than non-golfers
• Golf can help prevent and treat 40 major chronic diseases
• Golf can help strength and balance, improve quality of life and provide aerobic exercise
• On a regular 18-hole course, most players will walk between four and five miles, burning up to 2,000 calories
• If you play golf for at least 150 minutes per week you are meeting WHO global exercise guidelines
• Spectators walk between 5-6 miles on average and burn more than 1,000 calories per day 

*Findings from The Golf and Health Project