Drugs in sport survey

PGA Professionals are being invited to take part in a survey to help develop a plan to tackle drugs in sport.

Laurie Patterson, a research student at Leeds Metropolitan University, is researching coaches' views towards anti-doping or anti-doping education.

She would like to find out what coaches think to the anti-doping education that is available for them (e.g. if you have received any education, who it was from and how it was delivered) and how (or if) coaches would prefer anti-doping education to be delivered in the future. She would also like to know if coaches think they have a part to play in anti-doping efforts.

Patterson is keen to hear from pros regardless of how they feel about anti-doping and whether or not they have received any anti-doping education before.

There are no right and wrong answers and you will not be asked to report your attitudes, beliefs or any personal involvement in relation to the use of banned substances or methods in sport at any stage.

The 10-15 minutes survey can be accessed here https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/anti-doping

Dr Kyle Phillpots, The PGA’s joint chief operating officer and director of education and career development, commented: “When golf returned to the Olympic family, one of the requirements was that the golfing bodies signed up to the rules of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). 

“While there have been those, such as Gary Player and Greg Norman who have hinted at drug use in golf, until Vijay Singh was banned for using a deer antler spray, there was little or no evidence of any transgressions.

“However, the use of performance enhancing drugs in across sport remains a serious problem. 

“It is not entirely new with Strychnine and brandy used by the winner of the 1904 Olympic Marathon. As sport got more serious and the margins of victory ever smaller, performance enhancing drugs were seen as one more way of gaining an edge. 

"High profile figures in some sports such as Ben Johnson, Lance Armstrong and just this year, Tyson Gay and Alex Rodriquez have shown that where the rewards are high, the temptation to cheat with drugs still remains.

“Coaches play a vital role in this by educating their players on the dangers of drugs and coaches from a range of sports, including PGA Professionals, have been asked to help develop the  overall understanding of how best to tackle this problem.”