Golfers Get a Health Warning on the Fairway in New PETA Campaign

For Immediate Release:
September 29, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

Golfers at premier courses in Austin, Houston, Nashville, and Scottsdale are in for an eye-opening ride courtesy of PETA, which is plastering the courses’ golf carts with sobering reminders that one of the biggest threats to staying in the game may be what’s on their plates. The striking messages feature a golfer succumbing to a hazard far more serious than anything on the fairway: cholesterol-packed meat, eggs, and dairy—and point out that going vegan can reduce an individual’s risk of heart disease by up to 40 percent.

“Golfers go to great lengths to stay out of the rough, but what they order at the clubhouse grill could cut their time on the course short,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is encouraging golfers everywhere to take a swing at vegan eating, which can help keep them in the game longer and leaves animals in peace, a hole in one for everyone.”

PETA notes that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and that diets high in meat, eggs, and dairy can contribute to cardiovascular disease. These foods contain cholesterol and saturated fat, which can contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. In contrast, studies have shown that healthy vegan eating can help prevent and even reverse heart disease and reduce the risk of major cardiac events.

In addition to the health risks, the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy contributes to animal suffering on a massive scale. Pigs are soothed by music, cows form close friendships, and chickens dream when they sleep—but in the meat, egg, and dairy industries, animals are commonly confined in filthy, crowded conditions, trucked to slaughterhouses, and violently killed. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a pig is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.