Golfers CBD Oil Enters UK Market

Article by Matt Holbrook

If you have been paying attention on the PGA Tour, the past year has seen golfers signing endorsement contracts with CBD brands, Bubba Watson was the first when he partnered with cbdMD and Mark Leishman followed soon after joining Cativa CBD.

We have already seen pictures of Tiger Woods chewing CBD gum and Phil Mickelson administering a couple of drops of CBD Oil mid-round at the Masters in 2019.

So, I was already interested to find out what CBD is and how it could help golfers when I came across a UK start-up Golfers CBD.

CBD is short for cannabidiol and is one of 113 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. These chemical compounds can have various effects on the body. Derived from the hemp plant, CBD is legal in the UK as a food supplement. It won't get you high but does it have the potential to make your scores lower?

The human body is teaming with receptors known collectively as the endocannabinoid system. Early research suggests CBD has the ability to positively effect these receptors, which effect things like our mood, stress response, motor-function and sense of well-being.

There is a lot of research into the medical benefits of CBD in treating a range of conditions, everything from Epilepsy (which now has an FDA approved medication called Epidiolex) through to reducing side effects of chemotherapy and helping in the treatment of mental health.

Back in the golf world, we asked Andrew Dixon, one of the founders of Golfers CBD, to discover how the business came about and what are their aspirations are for the UK golf market.

"I'm a member at Tyrrells Wood Golf Club in Surrey and have a daughter who suffers with juvenile absent seizure epilepsy. I became aware of CBD listening to the news about parents struggling to acquire a new treatment for their children to treat epilepsy in early 2019.

"Then one Wednesday, sat in the halfway hut midway through our round the subject of CBD cropped up. To my surprise two members of our four-ball were using CBD for well-being purposes, purchased on the high street at Holland & Barrett.

"My daughter was struggling with traditional epilepsy medications to the point she wasn't taking the correct dose at the right intervals, so in late summer knowing it was available in the UK I decided to try her on CBD.

"Within weeks I saw a significant reduction in her absent seizures, by the autumn they were down by around 80%. The best thing was that rather than administering a dose of gloopy liquid before breakfast she was only now required to swallow a few gummie bears or a drop or two of mint flavoured oil under her tongue.

"That was me converted so I kept tabs on the use at my golf club and eventually asked members if it was available would they purchase CBD from the pro shop. The answers were very positive so with the help of a long-term golfing friend we decided to look into bringing a CBD product specifically for the golf market.

"Early research told us that CBD was in its infancy and the market was unregulated, generic CBD brands were popping up but independent testing showed traces of THC and inaccurate content of CBD.

"We knew we needed a premium product for our market so we approached the manufacturer who supply Boots and Holland & Barrett. We reached agreement to produce a range of products for us that would meet the needs of senior players and also benefit younger players.

"By winter 2019 we were ready to form the company. Three months of hard work later we had our products, we carried out independent testing and were ready to launch - just as the golf world shut down!

"We have launched our initial range anyway, six products, all with an eye on convenient application on or around the golf course.

"Even with courses closed we have experienced a lot of interest in our products and significant sales albeit from a wellness point of view, rather than a golf one.

"We are very optimistic about the future and the benefits our products can bring to golfers of all ages. We are already working on a new formulation of oil with our manufacturer to target debilitating issues like the yips.

"We all have something that holds us back from producing our best golf, from first tee nerves to losing focus mid-round to an attack of the nerves over the last few holes. If we can use CBD to combat these issues we can give players the platform to play their best golf on a more regular basis."

I had long been aware of some of the claims people were making around CDB oil, not just in a golf sense but from a wellbeing perspective. I had previously looked into what products were about but never really knew where to start.

I was given the chance to try Golfers CBD, unfortunately this came at a time when the UK course had closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak which is highly frustration as this was an area of my game I had decided to have a look at this season. But I then found myself in a situation where I was at home for long periods of time with four young children and a baby.

Three days in, I decided that this might be a good opportunity to give CBD oil try, even if at this stage it doesn’t have an impact on my golf game, but I have already been sleeping better.

I have noticed (and not just me noticing) that I am a lot calmer than I had first expected during these times. I am looking forward to seeing what impact it has on my golf game as soon as we are back outdoors and will report back some findings.

You can visit Golfers CBD Website here and use the code SHAKE15 to claim an introductory discount on your order. Or check them out on Twitter.