Club purchases defibrillator following medical emergency

A group of members at Woodsome Hall Golf Club in West Yorkshire have provided the funds for an additional defibrillator to be situated on the course.

The donation follows a medical emergency recently when a player suffered a serious heart attack on the course.

Along with expert care from a playing partner, the clubhouse-based defibrillator was crucial in ensuring a positive outcome.

However, 26 members of the Wednesday Wastrels group had been raising funds for some time for a defibrillator on the course itself, situated by the 14th tee.

The incident fast forwarded plans and within weeks the group had raised sufficient funds to cover the £5,000 cost of the advanced unit that is powered by both solar panels and wind turbine.

Richard Williams, spoke on behalf of the group and explained: “One of our traditions is to hold lunches on our significant birthdays, when one of our members has a zero or five in their age. As part of our celebrations, we donate an amount into our charity fund and we had already identified the need for a defibrillator some way from the clubhouse.”

He added: “When the medical emergency occurred, we decided that we should try to get the unit installed as soon as possible and so we all donated an additional amount to reach the target.

Within just four weeks we had raised the additional money, placed the order and had the defibrillator installed. We hope that it will never have to be used, but if anyone does get into difficulties, it is positioned in a place that will save what could be crucial minutes.”

Meanwhile, Royal Dornoch has become the first golf club in the world to install an insulated unit in its halfway house to ensure the defibrillators housed there will still work, even in freezing or very hot temperatures.

In 2023, the Highland club decided to fit potentially life-saving defibrillators to all its buggies on the Championship Course.

Now Code Blue CPR campaigner David Sullivan has selected Royal Dornoch for the pioneering defibrillator unit which can be relied on to operate even when the mercury dips.

“While Royal Dornoch enjoys our own microclimate here in the north of Scotland, it is reassuring to know that this casing will protect the defibrillator even if the temperatures tumble well below zero over the winter,” noted general manager Neil Hampton.

“Another positive from our perspective is that the insulated cabinet doesn’t require electric cabling to operate an internal heater. That is a big plus.

“I really do think this will make a huge difference in terms of where defibs can be installed easily and economically on golf courses and elsewhere.”

Surrey-based businessman and former military trainer David has been championing CPR training and defibrillators after losing four golfing friends to cardiac arrests.

“More than 350 people die on British golf courses every year and that is unacceptable in this day and age with the technology at our disposal,” he said.

“We lag way behind other countries in cardiac arrest survival rates because we have been reactive rather than proactive.

“If you can get a defibrillator on a patient within three minutes the chances of survival leap from seven or over 70 percent.

“We have harnessed aerospace material to keep the defibrillator at an ambient temperature and fully operational anywhere between plus 45 and minus 15 degrees Centigrade.

“Until now, a power source has been required to trigger a protective thermostat.

“That’s not the case with this insulated unit so it is ideal for the far reaches of any golf course, outside business premises, in vehicles or even up mountains and in national parks.

“You don’t need an electrician to install them, there’s no electricity bill or maintenance.”