In his final-year BSc Top-up Degree research project, PGA Member Lincoln Birch examined how Autistic adults experience and perceive golf. The question had received very little empirical attention before this study.
His findings are now available as a dedicated resource on PGA Learn, providing an empirical foundation for understanding how Autistic adults experience and interpret participation in golf.
Explore the Member resource on PGA Learn here.
His paper, 'Autistic Adults' Experiences and Perceptions of Golf: A Baseline Analysis of Barriers and Participation Factors', provides an empirical account of how Autistic adults interpret, engage with, and disengage from the sport.
Whether golf is accessible to Autistic adults, culturally, socially, and sensorially, had received very limited empirical attention. The research draws on the lived experience of nine formally diagnosed participants. The research began with the question: what does golf actually mean to Autistic adults?
The findings show that golf is not universally suited to Autistic preferences. Some participants valued the open space, self-paced rhythm, and repetitive routines. Because sensory perception varies, the same features produce unpredictability: weather changes, pace-of-play pressure, or unclear turn-taking. This pattern, identified across participant responses, was described as sensory ambivalence. The same environment could offer both regulation and dysregulation depending on circumstances.
Social and cultural aspects of golf were a significant source of critique. Unspoken etiquette, post-round socialising expectations, and competitive framing created dissatisfaction for several participants. Those who valued the game itself often described the surrounding social expectations as incompatible with how they wanted to engage.
"Spending four-plus hours with a group of 'lads' and then being expected to go upstairs and share a pint... has never been my idea of fun." - Participant
Access barriers added further difficulty. High costs, time demands, limited transport, and the absence of clear entry points deterred participants who were otherwise interested in the sport. One participant described golf as "exclusive and cliquey", a view reflected across similar responses.
The research also recorded the depth of connection some participants had developed with golf when engaging on their own terms. Solo practice, repetitive routines, and self-paced play were described as calming, restorative, and cognitively engaging. One participant described it as "a perfectionist sport... somewhere I can go and use my brain to problem solve."
The research identifies several directions for the wider game:
- Reframe inclusion questions around how Autistic people interpret and experience participation
- Examine traditional motivation models that centre competition and social bonding
- Recognise solitary, non-competitive, and non-linear participation as valid engagement
- Address structural and cultural barriers alongside physical access
"Access alone does not equal inclusion. Environments must be intelligible, resonant, and emotionally viable for the people engaging with them."
Birch's research moves the question about Autistic inclusion in golf toward meaning, coherence, and the conditions that make genuine participation possible. It produces an empirical account from which future research and professional practice can develop.
To see Birch’s research in full, as part of a PGA Learn collection, click here.
Pictured: Lincoln Birch (left) and his fellow Top-up Degree Graduates at the 2025 Graduation Ceremony
“Well worth exploring” – Birch’s view on the PGA Top-up Degree
The BSc course builds on the Foundation Degree in Professional Golf, the core education leading to PGA qualification and membership, and provides a route to a full bachelor’s degree. Because the course is in its first cohorts, it’s not yet widely discussed, and many members may not be aware of its full scope.
For members who want to develop their professional capabilities, gain a recognised academic credential, or prepare for research and postgraduate study, the BSc course offers a clear route forward. From my own experience, the programme built on the PGA's foundation education and extended into areas that demanded greater precision, strategic awareness, and applied research capability.
The final module, delivered in an executive report format, required a disciplined approach to distilling complex considerations and presenting them for a defined audience and purpose. That focus strengthened my ability to select and organise relevant material within specific constraints. The Leading and Managing People module broadened my perspective on organisational leadership, showing how organisational design, team roles, and operational planning connect to wider objectives. It reinforced the importance of understanding multidirectional influence in decision making. Integrated Coaching moved well beyond the PGA foundation education, involving longitudinal planning, advanced reflective practice, and consultancy approaches to coaching.
The added responsibility for programme design and mentoring marked a clear step forward in scope and depth. The Research Methods and Skills module embedded both qualitative and quantitative approaches and reinforced the importance of matching research content and presentation to the requirements of a defined output.
When mapped against professional benchmarks in other sectors, the proficiencies developed through the course align in scope with vocational standards at Level 5 (management) and Level 6 (coaching, applied research). This positions the qualification as both academically rigorous and relevant to professional practice.
For any PGA members considering how to expand their capabilities through formal and academically rigorous study, the BSc is well worth exploring.
To find out more about the PGA Top-up degree and register your interest, click here.
