Bay Area Lyme Foundation partners with AJGA to provide critical education about tick-borne disease

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the US, and the AJGA have announced a new partnership aimed at educating young golfers about Lyme disease and providing tips for preventing tick bites.

For this partnership, Bay Area Lyme Foundation will provide prevention materials, tick removal keys, Tick Tock Naturals® organic tick repellent and Sawyer® picaridin lotion to all AJGA members. In addition, Bay Area Lyme Foundation will become a Leadership Links charity partner, and two tournaments will be named for the Foundation by the end of 2023.

"As former AJGA and Harvard Division 1 golfers, my brother and I wish we had been educated on the risks associated with Lyme disease and the prevalence of ticks throughout the U.S., and ways to prevent being bitten. Few golfers seem aware of the risks and even fewer take precautions, and it’s imperative for us to change this."

Nina fairbairn (ajga ’13, harvard ’17), an investment partner who volunteers for bay area lyme foundation as an advisory board member and is spearheading this partnership for the foundation.

Golf courses are a hotbed for ticks that can carry Lyme disease. Ticks flourish in areas between woods and open spaces, which is the exact terrain of golf courses, and live on the small forest animals that often occupy golf courses. Lyme disease is the most common vector borne illness in the United States with at least 476,000 new cases each year.

Interested in learning more? Head here to read more about Lyme Disease and how the AJGA plans to provide education surrounding it.