Moore Park golfer shares mental health benefits for members and elderly golfers

A full-time carer who relies on hitting the greens to ease his stress says the public ‘underestimates the camaraderie of golfers’ and is fighting for his favourite course not to be slashed in half.

Geoff Weinberg and Roy Eagle on the first hole at Moore Park Golf Course.

While many perceive golf to be an elitist sport, with millions of dollars being thrown at professionals around the world, they often don’t consider the game’s meaning to the everyday golfer.

It was an outlet for so many amateurs during the pandemic and kept those players’ mental health in check.

While 68-year-old Roy Eagle isn’t scoring eagles very often, the game of golf has become an important break from reality after his wife Helen’s dementia diagnosis.

He plays at Moore Park every Wednesday and enjoys the championship 18-hole layout of the city’s best golf course.

But after hearing the state government’s decision to cut Moore Park Golf Course in half so it can be used as a public park Mr Eagle isn’t as energetic as NSW Premier Chris Minns.

A hole at Moore Park Golf Course. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“I can’t particularly leave Helen for long periods of time,” he said.

“So a round of golf on a Wednesday with the boys … to get a chance to get my head completely out of here … it’s great.

“The opportunity to talk about different things … it works really well … because being somebody’s carer is a relentless thing.”

With each round of golf offering Mr Eagle a different set of challenges, he said regardless of the outcome, there was nothing better than being out in nature and with your mates.

“A lot of people underestimate the camaraderie of golfers,” he said.

“From a mental health point of view there’s a lot of guys on the golf course … we’re never going to be like Cameron Smith or Adam Scott, but we really enjoy the company of the people we play with.

“That can’t be underestimated. They keep telling us about mental health and people looking out for you.”

The seventh hole at Moore Park Golf Course. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Mr Eagle said “you get that from golfers all the time” and it was easy to notice when one of your friends had been acting different, given you’re stuck with them for at least four hours over 18 holes.

“You know yourself because if you don’t turn up one week, everyone’s asking if you’re OK,’’ he said.

However, Mr Eagle is uncertain about his beloved Moore Park’s viability.

It’s one of the busiest courses in Sydney and is on track to have 90,000-100,000 rounds played this year, but he believes it won’t have the same taste of success when it’s a nine-hole course.

He said most players used the course because of its 18 holes and “if push comes to shove” he will have to travel further, which will take him away from his wife for longer.

Mr Eagle aims to help the Save Moore Park Golf Course campaign by emailing Heffron MP Ron Hoenig to express his concerns.

“I’m optimistic we might actually see a bit of common sense,” he said.