Tough Love and Second Chances - EDGA: Recent Episodes
Tony Bennett
The tough love and second chances podcast, reveals remarkable stories of those who refuse to be defined by their disability. The power of the human spirit shines through with examples of how hope, courage and the opportunity to express oneself through the game of golf, makes for a combination that can improve, and even save lives. Written and hosted by Tony Bennett for EDGA.
Visit www.edgagolf.com/profiles for the full story, photos, and raw interview media.
Ireland’s David Quinn always said he would walk again after the car accident in the Wicklow mountains which so nearly killed him.
The significant injuries to his back and right leg left the 21-year-old paralysed for some time; he would take eight months of rehabilitation before he could leave the wheelchair and walk out of the hospital on crutches, but he made it. His reward now is he can smell the cut grass on a beautiful golf course every day.
David loves golf and regularly plays EDGA tournaments. Fortunately, his hell-for-leather days as a champion motorcyclist gave him an appreciation of engines that would lead to his dream job working at the fine golf course at Powerscourt GC.
Enjoy David’s remarkable story here.
In this edition of the EDGA Podcast we feature Michelle Lau, an English golfer who this January made her debut on the G4D Tour, the pinnacle of golf for the disabled (G4D), in the United Arab Emirates.
This was a remarkable achievement for someone who only in May last year, when preparing for her first competitive G4D event, was fearing she would not ‘fit in’ with her non-visible disability.
Thankfully Michelle, who has Autism and ADHD, stuck to her task and received a warm welcome from her fellow players. As a golfer, she is now shining a light on just what is possible for others with related conditions. A great role model, a unique story, and a pretty decent golf swing. Enjoy Michelle’s story here.
In this edition of the EDGA Podcast we write about Italian golfer Luisa Ceola. We featured Luisa a few years back when she was making her way in golf for the disabled after serious health struggles. But we had to chat to Luisa again, as added to her lasting love of the game, a focused competitive streak led to her winning the Italian Open in 2023 and then qualifying for the first ever ‘Net’ tournament presented by the international G4D Tour, held in the United Arab Emirates recently.
A deserved honour, and a great achievement for the player from Padova, near Venice.
Luisa says: “I can't think of my life without golf. It is for this reason that I am very happy to talk about how good golf is for me because I hope that more people will become players and have these fantastic opportunities.”
Enjoy Luisa’s story with EDGA now.
Ryanne Jackson lives in St Petersburg in Florida and loves golf. The 26-year-old is a current US national golf champion. Right from insisting to her family as a six-year-old that she was a left-handed player (even though she was right-handed in everything else), Ryanne has backed her own judgement.
This trust in herself helps Ryanne in dealing with her condition, muscular dystrophy. Although she can’t play as often as she would like to because she needs good rest, Ryanne practises and plays ‘smart’ (ie, thoughtfully), and has found a healthy mindset for playing her best golf.
In school her condition went undetected and classmates accused her of being lazy on the basketball court. With the help of her family, Ryanne would prove many people wrong, gain a golf scholarship to university and qualify for the most prestigious G4D (golf for the disabled) tournaments.
Follow Ryanne’s remarkable story here.
Lachlan Wood does not do things by halves, good or bad: “I can be a little bit obsessive,” says the 32 year-old Australian. He could be accused of that in a negative way when he threw away all the hard hours of becoming a fine golfer in his early twenties, at a point where he hated the game.
To be fair Lachlan, or Lachie to his mates, faced mitigating circumstances in battling a traumatic injury and its aftermath caused by a car crash.
But obsessive behaviour can also help some people to survive. Ten years on from quitting golf Lachlan had practised, played and practised hard again, and there he was in December 2023 winning a major international tournament – the Australian All Abilities Championship; and on that day he would have gladly carried on playing and playing, hole after hole. Even after earning the victory he didn’t want it to end, such was the joy he was feeling through golf again.
Lachlan’s comeback is incredible because it has been so hard fought, and you can experience his story here.
In 1999, Frank Sorber lost his left leg after a motor accident. Four months later he drove a car 1,200km around Ireland. The 62 year-old long time student of the Japanese martial art of Aikido has a mindset of living in the present, enjoying seeking what is here now. And he seems to like what he finds.
Frank had been a non-golfer, but eight years after the accident he went to lunch one day at a restaurant on a golf course. There, he saw on the wall in front of him a large photograph of an older man, a golfer, playing what looked like a great shot out of a bunker. This man had the one leg, like Frank had one leg. His mind started working.
Enjoy Frank’s story with EDGA here.
It was a treat for our latest EDGA podcast to meet Norwegian golfer Mette Havnaas.
Mette hears when she plays a good shot, she doesn’t see it. ‘Top notch’ is how she describes the sound when a putt has fallen to the bottom of the cup.
It takes courage for someone who has lost their sight as an adult to learn a completely new sport as Mette has done, and then to travel to different European venues to play in tournaments.
Central to her giving this interview Mette wanted to make other people with visual impairment aware that golf can be a game for them. At ‘G4D’ (golf for the disabled) events and ‘regular’ competitions, Mette is now a standard bearer in this area. We said hello to Mette, and her guide/companion on the course and husband, Birger, on the Algarve in Portugal when she was playing in the second of her first two EDGA tournaments outside of her home country.
Enjoy Mette’s fascinating story here.
“I lost a leg, others have lost legs and arms, it’s not the end of the world,” Robin Singh explains. “I had an accident in 1991 and had the amputation carried out in 1992, and I never looked back. That’s life. If you are confident in what you’re doing, nothing is going to stop you.”
Fast forward to January 2024, and Robin ‘Rambo’ Singh was able to feel the intense satisfaction of competitive honours when he lifted up the handsome trophy at the end of the G4D Tour @ Ras Al Khaimah Championship, in the heat of the United Arab Emirates.
Taking this title – the G4D Tour being at the pinnacle of golf for the disabled (‘G4D’) – was a special victory for the South African.
Today Robin is 66 years-old. As a boy he fell in love with golf, and worked as a caddie to learn the layers of the game. In 1991, the game that drove him on and which he could play so well, was snatched away in a car accident. The sport then lost Robin for a decade and only a chance meeting in a supermarket with a fellow injured player would bring him back.
It has been quite the comeback. Enjoy Robin’s story with EDGA today.
A genial and friendly white-haired Spaniard, Carlos Álvarez Rodero has the look perhaps of a typical golf traveller when we meet him in Portugal. However, though his story of how he arrived in golf is far from typical, what is possibly less surprising is how much the game has given this man who overcame severe injury and trauma.
A keen motorcyclist, when he was 32 years-old and heading to work he collided head-on with a car. The damage was severe.
Carlos’s life changed again in a highly positive way when he discovered golf.
He tells us: “I discovered something that has excited me and offered me great personal growth, giving me huge confidence in myself, boosting my wellbeing and self-worth, while meeting a fine group of people who helped me by sharing their experiences.
“It is important we all try to encourage more individuals with a disability to try this fantastic game.”
Enjoy Carlos’s story with EDGA today.
Swedish golfer Gustav Stigsson-Andersson, 18, says: “I think golf is the best thing ever, mostly mentally as it is so much fun. I strive to be a role model for golfers, not only for golfers with disability but also juniors at my club.”
Gustav had followed his Dad to the golf range aged 13, thinking it might be fun. “I had my left arm amputated below my elbow. I usually describe it as: ‘I don’t have a left hand’,” he explains to youngsters at Karlstad GC.
With a handicap near scratch and impressing at the EGA European Championship 2023, he was chosen for the Sweden team, inspired by teammates, G4D Tour winners Rasmus Lia and Johan Kammerstad. Of the G4D Tour he says: “It would mean the world to me, competing against the game's best players.”
Discover more about Gustav’s remarkable rise in golf here with EDGA.
Belgian golfer Liliane Cambré smiles and chats with her fellow golfers on the clubhouse terrace. Her relaxed politeness belies at first the adventurous spirit that has long been within her, and perhaps more lately the courage she has had to draw upon. The other G4D (golf for the disabled) players at Vila Sol for the EDGA Algarve Open clearly respect her and enjoy talking to Liliane. She tells us: “We must always enjoy it, that’s what we are here for.”
At these EDGA events Liliane says she is always impressed by the players and their will to perform well on the course but also have a great time together after the round. This also serves to remind her that the serious accident with the truck in 2017 could have been so much worse for her. “The spirit here, it gives you energy,” says Liliane. “Meeting up in something we all love.”
Enjoy Liliane’s story with EDGA here.
“Positivity is my gasoline,” says Finnish golfer Timo Pessi.
This high octane energy he is only too happy to share with both his friends and the new players he embraces in G4D (golf for the disabled). After a motorcycle accident 17 years ago, Timo balances the tough times with an infectious live-for-the-moment attitude, which is particularly in evidence when enjoying one of the loves of his life, golf.
Timo estimates he has played in around 50 international G4D events over the last decade. Meanwhile, at his home golf club, KanavaGolf in Vääksy, southern Finland, he has organised six golf camps for golfers with brain injuries/conditions in recent years.
Timo is one of those rare people who whenever they smile at you it lifts your spirits. “The accident happened and you can't reload that,” he explains. “Life is too short for negativity and if you stay positive the people around you will be too. Life is much better that way.”
Enjoy Timo’s story here today.
Phil Meadows is a golfer who, aged 53, is still improving.
Thinking closely about golf, and what it has given him, are part of what makes him tick. A motor scooter accident when he was 17 put him in a wheelchair. More than 30 years on, golf is now a consuming activity he would recommend to anyone.
Phil says: “Golf is massive in my life. It’s about getting out there, meeting new people, making new friends, competing, and hopefully coming out with a win. I absolutely love it.”
The ‘challenge against the self’ that golf offers resonates with Phil. He knows he must work on his game with discipline to improve shot by shot. Golf is a test of technique, rhythm and timing, Phil says, but also precision and concentration.
“We can’t get it right every time in golf, we're only human, aren't we?” he smiles. “We can't be a machine every single shot, but you try your best.”
A successful student requires a thirst to learn, clarity of thought, an even temperament, and plenty of patience. And perhaps a little resilience. If this summary is correct, then Italian golfer Jacopo Luce fulfils the brief in exemplary fashion.
The 29-year-old, who hails from close to Venice, explains his mantra: “Focus, patience, and also never surrender. Never give up.”
This is a game of millimetres. Jacopo was born with a disability described as bilateral ‘hemiparesis’, a neurological impairment that affects both sides of his body, while he also has a related vision impairment. Some of his movements have to be deliberate to maintain balance and this, along with using his core strength well, are factors he will remember for every swing. Jacopo is not the first dedicated golfer to understand the frustration of millimetres, nor is he the first G4D player to appreciate the joy golf can bring.
Enjoy the latest EDGA Podcast here today.
This edition of the EDGA Podcast features Issa Nlareb from Cameroon, a professional golfer who, thanks to a lot of guts and determination, is demonstrating his very fine golf swing once again.
In 2018, Issa faced bacterial meningitis that led to sepsis, double leg amputation and severely damaged hands.
This August, he savoured the moment of arrival on the first tee at Galgorm Castle Golf Club, County Antrim, for his debut on the G4D Tour.
Issa says: “Throughout my life I wanted to write a story of the street child that I was, for the benefit of future youth. Today, through my level of play, I can demonstrate to another person with reduced mobility that they can also achieve, and enjoy life through golf.”
Follow Issa’s story with EDGA today.
A young man who loves being out in nature, jumps into a sparkling woodland pool for a swim and breaks his neck as he collides with a rock under the surface of the water.
But life can surprise us. Some 30 years on, Niclas Amundsen is able to revel in the natural splendour all around him. He can walk again, and that he often chooses to do so on a golf course speaks volumes as to how much he values the benefits of the game.
The friendly Norwegian lost a lot of movement in his left side as a result of the accident. He relearned how to play golf, changing from being a right-hander to a ‘leftie'. Today, he delights in being able to breathe in the fresh air on a good golf course. Niclas has a golf club in his hand as he looks along the next fairway to the flag. He is at home.
Enjoy Niclas’s story in our latest EDGA Podcast here.
Kim Moore, the Head Women's Golf Coach of West Michigan University, offers a broad smile when talking about golf: this is a person who is passionate about the game, both as an accomplished player herself and professional mentor to new players.
We met up with Kim when she was playing in the inaugural ‘G4D Open’ (golf for the disabled) at Woburn, England, which is linked directly to The Open itself. Kim would win this landmark tournament and lift the trophy to deserved international acclaim.
Leg amputee Moore has a message for all her university students: that good work and enjoying the game brings the reward. Kim said: “Golf is a game in which you get out what you put into it. If you work hard, have a great growth mindset, and are purposeful in your preparation, you will succeed. Stay positive, stay patient… have fun!”
Coach Kim’s positive mindset is also helping many other golfers with a disability to start in golf and reach their potential in the game.
Enjoy the latest EDGA Podcast and Kim’s story here.
Declan Burns grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, in a close family who loved the game of golf. Declan, a talented guitarist, went on to work in London in the music industry but not long before his 30th birthday he had a horrific motorbike accident.
With the help of his family his resilience then kicked in, fighting for small gains through the slow recovery, all testament to Declan’s tough inner core; never giving up.
That the game of golf, and the family memories of watching all the great players on TV in Derry, have all played a central role in helping Declan physically and with his wellbeing, is proof positive of the wonderful things that this sport offers to us all.
Enjoy Declan’s story today with EDGA.
In this edition of the EDGA podcast, we interview Norwegian golfer Paal Angerman.
In 2018, Paal was a good golfer, enjoying life with his family, when he suffered damage to the brain caused by an infection. While the illness affected Paal’s balance, strength and concentration, golf offered a great way of rebuilding his confidence through pushing himself physically and mentally.
The 54 year-old can today play to a 12.7 handicap and is looking forward to his second visit to the RSM European Net & Stableford Play-offs in England in September.
Paal says: “I feel lucky that I have golf, especially now that my life has gone in a different direction than I expected. The results are not the most important thing, but a few birdies certainly feel good! Golf is a lifeline and I love the game and I would recommend it to everyone.”
Enjoy Paal’s story now with EDGA.
In his work as a travel rep and tour guide, helping holidaying customers to find the best bars and restaurants, Matthew Jones would often be driving past golf courses but never gave them a thought.
And if Covid-19 hadn’t ripped the heart out of the tourism business in 2020, Matt may still be out there somewhere in Spain, Ibiza or elsewhere in the Med.
However, Matt’s adventures in sunny climes and his passion for golf, are certainly linked, because both boosted his feelings of positivity – an impressive mindset which he exhibits as a new player.
In June, Matt, who is of short stature, won the Stableford category of The PING Open on the EDGA schedule.
Matt says: “You would be surprised how good it feels just to be out in the fresh air, focusing on a little white ball; it silences everything else out that's going on in the world. If you can find a way to give it a go, you will enjoy the game, you will get to meet new people and it will open up a whole new world for you.”
Enjoy discovering the story of Matthew Jones here.
In this edition of the EDGA Podcast we learn that Australian Julia Bowen’s first days out in Sydney after three months in hospital, following a bad motorbike crash, were very difficult.
“It was a scary thing for me because I've always been this big tough, get-out-there, take on the world type of person. And to feel scared just because there are all these people around me, it's like, ‘Wow, what the hell's happening to me?’ That was a big wake-up call.”
The problems faced by serious injury and a long period of rehab can affect people in different ways.
Thankfully, 27 years on, and that smiling, ‘take on the world’ character has more than recovered her steel. At 60, Julia is playing some wonderful golf after taking up the sport in 2002. She loves golf, and says that she would recommend it – without missing a heartbeat – to anyone who has been injured or is impaired.
Enjoy Julia’s golfing story with EDGA here.
In this edition of the EDGA podcast we meet Patrick Rosenast, a Swiss golfer who fought back with his capacity to see a glass half-full. A remarkable man with some remarkable friends… making a winning combination.
Patrick will tell you he is fortunate to have emerged from a couple of dark places and he is in no doubt of the part that his wife Rovena, his kids, family and friends played in supporting him. It was just in late 2020 that brain surgery led to haemorrhage and the symptoms of stroke, and ironically part of the reason he is now upright, walking, breathing and smiling, is due to his wife’s hobby, golf – which he initially resisted – that had a huge part to play in his rehabilitation.
“I would not be the Patrick of today without golf, definitely not. It is a lifesaver that has allowed me, a little damaged yes, to play one-handed… Golf is everything.”
Enjoy Patrick’s story here with EDGA today.
In our latest EDGA player profile we talk to a remarkable golfer called Rob Walden.
“Seven years ago, I would have never dreamed this would be happening, I was in a dark place,” said Rob, a scratch golfer who lives near Phoenix, Arizona. “I had always loved golf but I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I’ve got to without the support of my wife Julie and my son Jake after the accident. And golf was so important as part of my rehabilitation. Every time I take a shot today it feels like a hammer to the hand, but I wouldn’t swap it for anything.”
The 51 year-old from the city of Mesa tells us he has a lot of people to thank, while following his recent debut on the G4D Tour in Singapore, he is finding that a lot of people are also thanking him for being a great ambassador for golf in the US. Rob’s presence at that tournament with fellow golfers with a disability helped to demonstrate how golf can offer new competitive horizons for people who have faced injury or illness.
Enjoy our EDGA podcast on Rob Walden.
In this edition of our EDGA Podcast, Sweden’s Erika Malmberg helps us to remember that although every individual is different, we can all share a love for playing golf.
The G4D Open at Woburn, England (May 10-12), with its connections to the famed Open Championship itself – was a historic affair. The tournament offered a week of firsts for many of the 80 competitors from 17 countries around the world.
Few present will have done more to spread awareness of the benefits, and also the personal challenges of golf and life, than Erika Malmberg.
This bright and erudite 38-year-old from Karlstad in Sweden decided to sacrifice her practice day on the eve of The G4D Open to deliver by invitation a presentation at the official Symposium on G4D (golf for the disabled), running alongside the event at Woburn, attended by assembled delegates from many of the world’s golfing nations.
Find out more on Erika’s story about how autism and ADD affects her, and indeed how golf helps Erika in return, in this podcast – which ends with her taking the very first shot of The G4D Open itself…
This edition of the EDGA profiles reviews The G4D Open at Woburn. It was competed for by 80 men and women with a disability from 17 countries. All types of impairment were represented – playing in nine sport classes in this tournament staged by The R&A in partnership with the DP World Tour, and supported by EDGA.
Many EDGA players who did not hit a shot at Woburn have also played a key part of course. These ‘golfers first’ have created the seismic shift in ‘G4D’ in the last few years: every EDGA player should be proud of their role in making golf a more inclusive sport.
The G4D Open wasn’t just about competition but also EDGA’s work with partners to grow the game and make it better, and we hope you enjoy this episode.
In this latest Tough Love & Second Chances podcast, we talk with the volunteer President of EDGA Tony Bennett about exciting progress for ‘G4D’ (golf for the disabled) and his personal story that is steeped in the game.
EDGA seeks to help any new golfer with a disability to ‘sample’ (try), ‘participate’ (play on a course) and/or ‘compete’ (take your new skill as far as you can in tournaments).
Because of Tony’s rich background in the game (he has been a professional player, a PGA coach and development specialist before volunteering for EDGA), he is as well-placed as anyone to give good answers on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ the game can enhance key aspects of our lives.
“For the individual with a disability, golf can be a fantastic game,” says Tony. “Many of our players who have a serious impairment or medical condition will tell you that golf has made a significant impact in their lives: the exercise, the confidence of learning a new skill, perhaps feeling stronger and making new friends.”
Find out more about Tony’s love of learning and different ways of thinking in our latest EDGA podcast.
David Watts, from Durban in South Africa, was born with a condition called Fibular hemimelia where the calf bone in his left leg failed to develop. Three times by the age of 16, complex surgeries to lengthen his leg by a total of 23cm would each need a year or so of painful treatment and rehabilitation, sidelining him from school lessons and playing sport with his friends.
Unable to play football or rugby, as a 10-year-old David became a golfer, and a very good one. “Over the years, you put a lot into it. Sometimes it's hard, but it always gives back, if you stick with it. It's a huge part of my life, has been for a long time, and I'm sure it will be for the rest of my life.”
Twenty-five years after starting, in February David won the G4D Tour @ Singapore Classic in fine style. Enjoy his story today.
“I live, breathe, and crawl out of bed to be able to play golf.”
Words that show, for those who endure long-term injuries and conditions, that golf can be a vital part of your future.
Spoken by Fiona Gray from Northern Ireland, they resonate for 2023, after the latest surgery on her left knee (her 10th). Fiona is the Junior Convenor at St Patrick’s Golf Club in County Down, offering a weekly welcome to 70 boys and girls as they all learn the game together. This is also the year where she is honoured to be the club’s Lady Captain.
Fiona says that after years of difficult injuries, golf is fantastic for her mental health. “Getting some fresh air, getting out there and being able to smell the air and feel things, feel that club. It's feeling, isn't it? So just to be in a comfortable environment and meet new people, and have some fun.”
Enjoy Fiona’s full story with EDGA today.
There is a golf ball that sits in a glass cabinet in the museum of the United States Golf Association at Liberty Corner in New Jersey, donated by Jeremy Bittner. This ball could be seen as an emblem of a remarkable year for Bittner in 2022, the amputee golfer used it to record the first hole-in-one in the inaugural US Adaptive Open, made at Pinehurst Number 6.
This was just one shot in a blaze of fine shots. The man from Pittsburgh climbed from 170th place in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability to number 11, and qualified to play on the G4D Tour this January.
Jeremy lost his lower left leg in a lawnmower accident when he was four years old. Despite this difficult start in life, encouraged by his father and always included by his young friends, he emerged as a sporty and energetic youngster. Dad got him into golf: in his early teens he joined the high school golf team and he has never looked back.
Enjoy listening to Jeremy’s unique story today.
In this episode we catch up with Alessandra Donati, whose love of golf has helped her deal much better with her condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a progressive neuropathy disease. Every year life can become more challenging but at this time her passion for golf only increases, the sport helping her physically and mentally.
Rather than her own game, Alessandra, or Ale (pronounced “Aleee”) is keen instead to talk about helping more people with a disability to try golf; to enjoy the nature, the friendship and the great feeling that golf can offer us all. For these reasons, she has in recent times volunteered as an ‘EDGA Advocate’, promoting the game to new players in Ale’s international region, a role which has inspired her.
More good news: after working hard for a bank for 30 years, reaching the position of senior credit analyst, Ale retired last September. At last she can enjoy some great time off, relaxing, practising and playing more golf, including some travel adventures also.
Alessandra wrote to us recently: “The doctors diagnosed me with a rare disease, for which there is no cure. But I know they were wrong: I found the cure and it's called Golf.”
Enjoy listening to Ale's story now.
In 2017, Dylan Baines was involved in a car accident in south Wales which could easily have killed him. He would wake up in hospital with a broken neck, paralysed, to be told by a doctor it was unlikely he would walk again. He was 22 at the time.
The rehabilitation has been slow but also careful. Just under five years later it was remarkable to be talking to Dylan in the sunshine of Portugal for the last EDGA Tour golf event of 2022; with Welshman Dylan Baines the popular winner in the Net category, applauded by new friends among 80 players from 15 countries.
From lying on his back paralysed for six weeks, to shooting a Net 71 to secure an EDGA trophy, Dylan’s story is about, resilience, faith, friends and family, and the joy of golf.
Nick Carroll, from Western Australia, loves golf. A player who really cares about their sport tends to have certain qualities. Simply feeling respect for the game is an important one; striving to improve and be the best golfer you can be – well that’s worth playing the game for in itself. Similarly, a genuine desire to help others to enjoy golf should also earn you a lucky bounce or two on the fairways.
Nick Carroll certainly makes the cut in all of the above. He lives with the condition of autism and this can get in the way for him at times. But his progress in playing golf, and his job working in golf, both say a lot about how he views the game, while at the same time perhaps reflecting what his friends and supporters think about Nick.
His advice to others underlines it all: “Making new friends, enjoyment, and having a really good time playing the sport you will always love… I would say go out there, enjoy the experience… And anyone can help you out there. Don't be frightened to go out and play.”
Enjoy Nick's story with EDGA today.
This EDGA Profile is a little different as though it features one of our golfers, Rasmus Lia, we are delighted to talk with his father, Trond Lia, who is a very proud Dad and for a good reason.
It was an exciting trip when Trond travelled with his son Rasmus from their home in Sweden to Dubai, in November 2022. 21-year-old Rasmus had qualified for the season-ending G4D Tour Series Finale @ DP World Tour Championship.
This was a dream for Rasmus very much hard-earned. The young man had recovered from a serious skiing accident as a youngster and put in so many hours of golf practice at their home in Dalarna, often when the snow had been falling outside.
In Dubai, Rasmus – who played in his first EDGA event back in 2017 at the age of 16 – would shoot an excellent 72 on the final day to win the title by four shots. Listen to this remarkable story, all told to us by his super-supportive Dad, Trond Lia.
Darren Grey’s passion in learning the technique of the golf swing has led to him not only becoming a very good player in his own right but, all being well, he is soon to fully qualify as a PGA Professional and therefore able to share his joy of coaching the game with others.
Born without a lower left arm, this genial 37-year-old from Darlington in the North East of England always loves talking technique, and loves seeing the faces of those he coaches light up with pleasure when they hit a good shot. Darren himself had to put in a great many hours of practice to swing the golf club as well he does, and you sense his customers will see his golfing knowledge as hard-won, and therefore worth listening to.
When Darren helps a client to make progress in their game, he describes their smile of recognition as “the wow factor”. This can be exciting but another key tenet of his coaching is about getting the client to accept, and embrace, that you don’t improve overnight. The path ahead is long but can be hugely satisfying for both the client and the coach. However, it is always wonderful to see the ‘wow factor’ whenever it happens.
Acquired wisdom shows us that we can earn a “bagful of things” to improve life, and for some, golf can play a leading role.
You would be forgiven for thinking that the hand condition Fabrizio Gardiol was born with could be a major problem for him growing up in the 1960s, perhaps creating a lack of confidence during his school days, but in fact it might be one of the reasons behind his personal achievements over the years.
The condition seems to have influenced how Fabrizio grew into his life as a boy supported by his family, and he certainly believes it plays a role in how he aims to be a positive influence on his own two sons today. Yes, there are obstacles in all our lives, he says, but these can be overcome to find success.
Fabrizio believes golf can be a mirror to how we seek to improve our lives and how we conduct ourselves with others. “Face the challenge”, says this man who also loves cycling, motorbikes and rock climbing out in the wild, and you might just surprise yourself in the process.
Inclusive golf? “Let’s spread the waves, let’s move those barriers,” says Ireland’s Tom Doherty.
Talking with Tom, it is clear he understands that the camaraderie and togetherness that can be found at an inclusive golf event can create a great sense of community for those taking part.
This man from Killarney – which is a fine tourist town in beautiful Kerry in Ireland’s south, where the locals are much more likely to say, ‘how are you?’ than ‘who are you?’ – is passionate about community. And, just recently, in 2022, after the Covid couple of years, he has begun to find himself on a mission to spread the vibe about how golf can help others, including those with a disability; physically, mentally, and socially. You just need to remove the barriers, he says, and welcome new golfers with some sincerity.
Doherty has seen that Ireland as a nation is taking progressive strides to make the game more inclusive; this year he believes a little personal mission of his own can be perhaps something of a companion piece, on a local level in the Kerry region.
“Life is 10 per cent what happens to you, and 90 per cent what you make it.”
This is the mindset of Australian Ben Tullipan, who adds: “If you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything.”
Late in the evening of the 12th October 2002, a then 27-year-old Ben Tullipan was a young businessman importing furniture from Bali, Indonesia, for his homewares shop on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Ben had always seen himself as a ‘people person’. He liked to get to know the folk around him and enjoyed chatting to anyone and everyone. His friends knew him as a very positive, happy-go-lucky guy… these aspects of his personality may well have saved his life in the days, weeks, months and years following the Bali Bombings of 2002.
Ben Tullipan walked into the Sari Club in the tourist district of Kuta, to buy a bottle of water moments before a one-tonne car bomb exploded in a parked van nearby (it was the largest of the three bombs that night) – the blasts killing 202 people (including 88 fellow Australians) and injuring 209. Ben says that while he would get a second chance at life; a great many other people did not.
Jeroen Coumou is a Dutchman living in Rotterdam. When we interviewed him to ask what golf means to him, his warm and approachable personality was immediately apparent, as was a thoughtfulness and calm authority. Clearly, at ease in being honest and open with strangers, he will at the same time fix you in the eye as he speaks and listens, learning a little about you in return. He has the characteristics which you would hope for among the best in his profession. He is a teacher.
Jeroen tells us that losing his left leg at 17 led, indirectly, to a fantastic career he wouldn’t change for the world – guiding young people forwards. He is a history teacher always looking forward for his students. And at the end of a tough week teaching his classes, he says he changes one stressful situation for another. He goes to play golf. He is joking of course, something which comes to him easily on the golf course.
Juan Postigo Arce has become one of the most recognisable faces among golfers with a disability anywhere in the world, and is much admired for the way he plays the game and the positive message he conveys: that golf can be for everyone.
The low-scoring Spaniard certainly deserves the acclaim in which he is held. At the time of writing, he stands at number 3 in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), where after being one of the stand-out EDGA players of recent years, he came back from injuries to win, among others, the 2021 Madrid Disabled Open and the 2021 European Championship for Golfers with Disability (European Golf Association); this for the third successive time.
In September 2022, the 26-year-old from near Santander in northern Spain was rewarded by qualifying for the G4D @ BMW PGA Championship, staged by the DP World Tour, at Wentworth, competing on the same course in the same week as Rory McIlroy, John Rahm and many of golf’s top professionals. Juan told us he was “very proud” to represent Spain on this world stage.
Spectators at the BMW PGA Championship will have seen a remarkable golfer in action.
Unlike many other EDGA amputee players, Juan Postigo eschews the use of a prosthetic for his right leg. It has long-been second nature to use his crutches in both life, and on the golf course. These assist him as he walks purposefully up to his golf ball on the tee – at the last moment dropping down the crutches to make his stance, on his left leg, before powering another shot away down the fairway with a balletic balance.
Look even more closely at his swing and one will realise just how much his left foot absorbs all the pressure of his body movement throughout, the muscles flexing with intensity, strong like a lion’s paw; the fulcrum of perhaps one of the most effective swings in golf.
More and more golf watchers are appreciating this, as is Juan’s work in helping to grow the game being appreciated. Add to this his always generous smile and kindness to those he meets through the sport, and you understand his popularity.
Cut to the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews and on the Monday practice day, The R&A hosted the ‘Celebration of Champions’, a four-hole team match taking place on the first, second, 17th and 18th holes on the Old Course. Several thousand fans cheered the likes of Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Georgia Hall, Nick Faldo and more, but they also applauded an invited international quartet of EDGA golfers with a disability. And from the world’s most famous golf course, Juan and his fellow EDGA players helped shine the spotlight on just how inclusive golf can be, as this celebration of the sport was broadcast around the world.
This was not the first time that Juan had been generous in helping EDGA and promoting golf for the disabled. In 2019, he was one of three EDGA golfers invited to play in the pro-am of the British Masters at Hillside, courtesy of the DP World Tour. Here, he met and spoke with spectators with a disability attending the event, while he and fellow player Caroline Mohr also took a trip to the Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre in Southport, where they were able to encourage a group of patients to enjoy some first hits at golf, and learn more about the benefits of trying golf for themselves.
Juan Postigo’s philosophy is simple: “Golf and life are quite similar. Accept yourself as you are… I have never had any issue with feeling or being different.”
This small update on Juan offers a glimpse of the man behind the smile and the elegant golf swing. If you would like to learn more, including Juan following in the trail of his local hero Seve Ballesteros, read and listen to our feature profile recorded in 2019. Simply click on https://bit.ly/305z8lt
Bradley Smith says, "golf, for me, is just happiness”.
There is no sense of naivety on the part of the 27-year-old father of two from Norfolk when he tells us this, and he has every reason for taking all the joy he can from the game. He will also look across the table and fix you with a firm gaze. “Any golf day is a good one,” he reasons, “because you’re still on this side of the ground”.
The line could be from a Hemingway novel, and Bradley, or Brad to his friends, looks every inch a hero from such pages. Youthfully handsome, resolute, straight-backed like a Captain inspecting the lines; a man who has been in a battle (a look only slightly undone by the blue-tinted sunglasses he takes on and off on this sunny day).
Normally a relaxed, chatty character, Oliver Hirst-Greenham appeared distinctly nervous as he entered the clubhouse at Thonock Park Golf Club, Lincolnshire, for his first EDGA tournament back in June. The PING Open for Golfers with a Disability was certainly all new territory for him. Oliver’s disability isn’t that noticeable, and he had been worrying about this: would he look like he was an intruder? Was there anyone else like him in the tournament? Would he fit in with the other players? This was the first day at a whole new school. Later in the day after his practice round, Oliver looked a completely different person, like all his questions had been answered. His smile was beaming, and there was a sparkle in his eyes; he’d been made to feel welcome during the practice round by his two playing partners, the first a leg amputee, the other a one-armed player, and he was busy buying them a well-deserved post-round beer amid plenty of chatter.
It was St Andrews – the ‘home of golf’ – and surely the most eagerly awaited Open Championship for decades. Staged against a backdrop of 290,000 spectators from all over the world, millions more golfers and non golfers were experiencing The 150th Open on their screens and phones.
On the Monday practice day, The R&A hosted the ‘Celebration of Champions’, a unique four-hole team match now established during Open Championship week whenever the event is played at this historic golf venue; the fans saying thank you to the likes of Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Georgia Hall, Nick Faldo, Bob Charles and more; all played out on the iconic golfing acres of the first, second, 17th and 18th holes on the Old Course.
This year’s event brought an extra reason to be cheerful. An international quartet of EDGA players with a disability: Monique Kalkman of Holland, Juan Postigo Arce of Spain, Kipp Popert of England and Jennifer Sräga of Germany were able to meet, talk with, compare swing tips, practise alongside, and then play in the Celebration with these very legends.
After nearly 10 years of struggle with a debilitating neck and spine injury in 2012, Rich White explains that through golf he has rediscovered an absorbing sport from his childhood: that has boosted, significantly, his body and soul. Physically it has given him a way back, made him stronger, while the mental tonic has been “exceptional” for him. With three EDGA events under his belt by July, Rich says he feels like he has found a place to ‘belong’ again for the first time in many years. After the very darkest of times, golf, and the golfers around him, are the medicine.
Rich discovered EDGA when watching Sky TV and golfers with disability playing the new ‘G4D Tour’, staged by the DP World Tour. This is his story.
Dealing with corners, free kicks, penalties, one-on-ones with strikers, the football goalkeeper can be the most cruelly exposed of all players. They must find a way, any way, of getting through the rough and tumble of the pressure moments. This is a lonely job.
David Reaney would rediscover his own inner resilience years after hanging up his goalkeeping gloves and No:1 jersey that he had worn in England’s Southern leagues. This time though, he faced bigger challenges, including acute depression and then a stroke which left him registered blind at the age of 48.
Hayato Yoshida’s thoughts on golf can be readily applied to most of life. He took up golf only at the age of 30 after his early years had taken twists and turns. But he is a golfer today (a PGA Professional in fact) and a philosophical one at that. He will tell you that “golf is life” and that “golf is a dialogue with yourself”.
Hayato survived a horrific injury as a young man, an accident that could have damaged his life irreparably. Indeed, it wrecked his boyhood dream of playing professional baseball. However, despite the setback, Yoshida, from Kawasaki in the Greater Tokyo area of Japan, has managed to remain highly positive but also very much focused on what he can achieve in life.
Steve Crocker had loved sport in his younger days, and he had been highly active as an engineer on ships in the UK’s Merchant Navy. Ever since being a kid, he had been kicking, catching, and running on the sports field, or sailing, swimming and canoeing in the sea off the coast of his native Cornwall.
His fitness and strength as an adult masked a growing degeneration of his spine, and by the age of 39 mysteriously he was scuffing his shoes walking to work, tripping on kerbs, and struggling to lift his feet. A shocking diagnosis led to complicated surgeries, long rehabilitation and the increasing threat of a life ahead using a wheelchair.
Depressed, he completely gave up on sport, and tried to develop an interest in looking at architecture and ancient churches.
Then a few years ago, he happened to treat his then partner to a trip to watch a women’s professional golf tournament, and the kindness of a stranger changed Steve’s life.
In late April 2022, Norwegian Fredrik Fjaeraa was lying seventh in the ‘Gross’ division of the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) after a run of successful tournaments. This consistency on the fairways and greens earned him the best possible reward: Fredrik qualified to play in the prestigious G4D @ Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett in early May.
Staged at The Belfry – in England’s West Midlands and home to four Ryder Cups – suddenly Fredrik could not have had a bigger stage for his golf.
You can find Fredrick’s story in the Tough Love and Second Chances Podcast, which is available on most leading podcast platforms and our youtube channel, which can be found by typing edgagolf.tv into your browser.
His impairment is an orthopaedic one, having sustained injuries in both the tough continual work in his job and a couple of severe mountain bike crashes. Surgeries have helped him to an extent, but nevertheless, the damage resulted in Fredrik losing strength and range of motion in both shoulders and his back, making the completion of the swing a particular challenge.
Despite this restriction, the now 49 year-old uses his experience and skill in a grooved swing which ensures he is always a very strong competitor off his +0.9 handicap. One of the best players at his club, he says he loves being able to compete despite his injuries and also, when playing with his wife, Tove Elisabeth, he enjoys the social side of the game.
Please enjoy the story of Fredrik Fjaeraa
George Blackshaw swings his driver with his one arm and watches another drive land in the centre of the fairway.
As with many young, single-figure golf handicap players, it is nevertheless a pleasure to watch how 23 year-old George Blackshaw can plot his way around even the most difficult golf course. George is one of a growing number of high-standard, low handicap competitive golfers out there, who also happen to have a disability.
The way he goes about his golf, with maximum focus but a ready smile, you soon believe he can also play a part in encouraging many others into the game. For George says the sport should be for everyone.
Benedicte Finnema was 53 years-old and like many Norwegians she loved her sport; enjoyed everything about keeping fit and being an athlete. Then came a ski accident in 2016 that would have a huge impact on her life. As she lay in hospital and then in the long hours of rehab before later finally deciding to have her leg amputated, Benedicte was able to first cope, and then take a positive view for the future, by focusing on three things: her golf, her love of kayaking at sea and a treasured friend called Ollie.
Please enjoy the story of Benedicte Finnema
Johnny Reay started to show a growing interest in golf and the family business when he was but a boy. He began helping out at Stoneleigh Deer Park GC aged 14 and now 15 years later he is general manager, involved in decision-making throughout the business with a specialism on the food and beverage side of Hogan’s bar.
Looking out of the club window at the golf course, Johnny says he is passionate that his club should be a welcoming place for visitors. Golf should be a game where every person, regardless of disabilities, should feel included and respected.
Johnny says, “I was born with a... not disease... but a disability called Apert Syndrome. First of all, I went to Birmingham Children's Hospital. They couldn't really do anything until I was a teenager. Then, they were saying go to America, but that was too expensive. So, they got in contact with Great Ormond Street. I had numerous operations there, where they split my fingers, and they carried out two operations on my jaw and skull.”
Please enjoy the story of Johnny Reay
Manon Eggermont is the Director of Tournaments for EDGA. When overseeing a championship, she meets the competitors as they sign in before the event and is constantly impressed with how these golfers, with a range of disabilities, prepare to take on the course and push themselves to the maximum.
Some of the players first get to know her on competition day when they hand in their scorecards after aiming to break 70, 80 or 90, whatever their goal is on the day.
Back in 2012, when a doctor told the then 40 year-old Manon to be prepared that she might not live past the age of 60, it was a shock. On her own scorecard Manon is highly focused on breaking 70, but going in an upward rather than downward direction. In fact, Manon is determined to break 80, with recent birdies on her scorecard being the blessed arrival of her two young sons, Sébastien, in 2015, and Maxime in 2017.
Tackling difficult equations in the science laboratory, or tackling, crossing the ball and scoring goals, it was always a tough decision for Ian Jones.
Ian travelled up to Newcastle University from his home in the south in 1985, with his football boots in his bag, along with school Advanced Level certificates in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. It was hugely exciting to prepare to study Chemical Engineering in this northern English city famous for its love of football.
Today, he concedes he spent too much time on the football pitch and not enough in the science lab. Equally, if he’d worked even harder in front of goal, his time playing for British Universities and semi-professionally in clubs around London might have led to even greater glory in front of the fans on the terraces.
But life is tough, and it’s also a compromise, and whether his real Plan A or Plan B might have come to fruition, Ian will never know.
Nael Ogden-Smith is something of a key player in the Paralympic movement: one of the reasons he’s an asset to the cause is because he genuinely loves sport and understands its value to people. It can make your day, save your day, and sometimes much more.
As a young boy raised in Lebanon, Nael and his friends were always so keen to play together, even as civil war gripped the country; life carried on. This positive outlook shaped him and his family around him.
When he was in his early twenties, a bad car accident would put him in a wheelchair. He accepted this blow stoically but this is a story about his remarkable determination to recover – as much as he possibly could – to get as fit, healthy and mentally strong as he was able, to ensure his ongoing independence; to ‘thrive not just survive’.
Please enjoy the story of Nael Ogden-Smith.
Standing in front of an audience, Damien Thomlinson cuts an impressive figure with a steely gaze. He is built out of battle, and his philosophy is worth listening to.
The former soldier served in Australia’s 2nd Commando Regiment – Special Forces – and he can tell his audience about how some of the most intense, pressurised military training in the world prepared him and his comrades to survive in deeply hostile enemy environments.
Two constant loves today are from quieter areas of life, his young family, and golf. Golf is the game that helps him keep his head level, combats the stress disorder still very much inside him, and makes him want to get out there in the sunshine every morning, listening to the birds sing. And after a great deal of hard work, Damien now plays off a 5.4 golf handicap.
Please enjoy the story of Damien Thomlinson.
Per-Christian Nygren says that when he was a teenager, the sport of motocross was like a drug. While it gave him undoubted ‘highs’ which he remembers fondly, it would also come at a cost in the form of a major crash when he was aged 16; in which he received multiple injuries including a permanently paralysed left arm. Having experienced this trauma, his courage, the ‘never wanting to give up’, conflicted with the more safety conscious of his thoughts.
For a man who had to deal with life-changing injuries, competition with others on a golf course is just one small part of the positive effect of this sport; he also enjoys testing himself against the course itself while always seeking to improve his skills. Through sheer hard work (plus a lot of joy) he has turned himself into a golfer of some steel, with a rhythmical one-armed swing, holding the club in his right hand (like a tennis player in fore-hand), using his strength and timing to play off a 19 handicap which, at aged 49, is on the way downwards.
Please enjoy the story of Per Christian Nygren.
The ready, twinkling smile is there on the face of Graeme Mazur. He might have to search harder for the right word on occasion, but he finds it. Because of what happened to him as a boy his dreams of becoming a world-beating professional golfer stalled.
On Tuesday, January 18, 2000, Graeme set off for his morning paper round at 6.30am on his mountain bike in High Holdern, near Ashford. At around 7.00am, a car hit him full on at a junction, Graeme flying across the bonnet, his head smashing into the windscreen. Fast forward to today and the way he plays golf, one-handed, is something to enjoy watching.
Please enjoy the story of Graeme Mazur.
Few people could be better advocates for the inclusive, welcoming and fulfilling aspects of golf than Martine and Heather Gilks.
Mother Martine and daughter Heather are enthusiastic, and their recent experiences in the sport demonstrate why golf can be so good for the mental and physical health of all who take part in it.
From playing across the generations, enjoying the social side of golf, competing and seeking personal improvement to reach their potential, to simply enjoying fresh air and exercise, Martine, Heather and their friends embody why golf can be the most inclusive game out there.
Please enjoy the story of Heather and Martine Gilks.
This weeks Tough Love and Second Chances Podcast is a little different with a preview of the eight players competing in the EDGA Dubai Finale being played alongside the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf.
These eight players have made it to the finale, but not by invitation. These players filled the top positions in the World Ranking for Golfers with a Disability. Each of the top 16 available players competed in two of four events alongside European Tour events on the UK swing in July and August. Those sixteen players were streamlined to eight qualifiers, so tee it up on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th of November for the title last won in 2019 by George Groves of England.
Please enjoy this short preview.
Kipp Popert has had a golf club in his hands since he was a tiny kid. The game is part of his psyche, and the way he plays his golf helps him to 'press on', and meet life's challenges eye-to-eye.
Kipp clearly relishes the physical and mental struggle that is seeing him be the best he can possibly be. Kipp was born with Cerebral Palsy, a form called Spastic diplegia, which impairs the muscular movement in his legs.
"There's beauty in the struggle I guess… The tip I would give is never let anyone else set your goals for you, never let anyone else limit what you can achieve.
"If you listen to every successful person that has ever achieved anything… their one tip is always you can be what you want to be. And that they are there not because of how talented they were, but because they were the kid who didn't give up."
Kipp has a serious aim to play on the European Tour. Talk to the 23-year-old from Kent, England, for any length of time, and he shows the personal drive that makes you think, why not?
Please enjoy the story of Kipp Popert.
Imagine never having tried golf and then just 18 months later playing in the final of a European matchplay tournament, teeing off with highly experienced players in front of an assembled crowd, filmed by professional cameramen for the golfing media. Miroslav Halmo faced this pressure situation just recently in the EDGA-RSM European Playoff Series in England. He said later it was like something in a dream, but in his exalted state, he still talked as much about helping other people with disabilities to enjoy golf as he did his own game. Just 18 months in, golf has arrived in his life, and he’s hooked.
Please enjoy the story of Miroslav Halmo.
Until Vincent Helly was six years old, he didn’t speak at all. In his early years he lived in silence.
His family faced severe anxiety with the pessimistic diagnoses of doctors at the time. Put him in a psychiatric clinic was the view. If autism is often misunderstood today, there was far greater ignorance of the condition even 20 years ago.
This summer, at the age of 25, Vincent has been representing his friends and family and his home venue of Golf de Moliets in the South of France, as he teed off in two EDGA European Tour Series events.
The boy who didn’t speak is now an excellent golfer, who also went on to succeed in school thanks to the loving support of his family; Vincent recently graduated in accountancy at college. When he spoke to us in English, his second language, one could soon sense that he has so much to say on playing golf, practice, nature, and even wanting to coach others with autism and help them to reach their potential
Please enjoy the story of Vincent Helly.
In 1992 I visited Finland to play in a representative match between British Club Professionals and Finnish Club Professionals at Kurk Golf Club just north of Helsinki. It was my first time in the land of clean air, the northern lights and Santa Claus. Tero Peltola is connected with nature and uses the long summer days to play before work on his own and afterwards with his family. Tero was speaking during a two-week stint at European Tour events in Scotland and England, where eight golfers with a disability teed it up alongside the stars of the European Tour.
Please enjoy the story of Tero Tapani Peltola.
Few people will have a clearer focus on the ups and downs of golf, and the ups and downs of life, than Kurtis.
Kurtis was born with scoliosis, which is a deformity of the spine. His spine curves three different ways, and the greatest of these curves is around 50 degrees. Kurtis grew up south of Ottawa, out in the countryside, and it was here that golf started on an old driving range when he was just three years old. Kurtis ended going to the course when he was about seven years old and has been addicted to the game ever since.
Kurtis Barkley says: "We're all humans, we miss; that's the nature of golf, get good misses."
Please enjoy my conversation with Kurtis Barkley.
It seems that Petri Takkunen goes about his business quietly. Petri enjoys and is good at three different sports, Shooting, Archery and Golf. These are not the sports that he had once played, but after losing his left arm in a car accident 25 years ago, and when the doctors told him that he couldn't go to work anymore, he decided that 24 hours per day without work or a hobby was just too much.
I caught up with Petri ahead of the first of two EDGA-European Tour events that he was due to play in. We had the opportunity to discuss how he had started to play golf after the accident and how his development in golf had come from different sides of the ball.
Please enjoy my conversation with Petri Takkunen.
For the last week I have had the pleasure of being in the company of Felix Norrman along with seven other players as they competed in the EDGA - European Tour Cazoo Open at the 2010 Ryder Cup course in Celtic Manor.
These few days have allowed me to get to know Felix a little more and to understand what makes him tick. The 24 year old Swedish player finished 3rd in Wales and when I recorded this podcast on the Ferry from Liverpool to Belfast, I knew that I was speaking about a determined, calm and ambitious young player.
This proud young man has had his highs and lows in the first half of 2021, with brain surgery in February and the award of leading golfer with a disability in June.
Please enjoy the story of Felix Norrman
One of the first golfers with a disability I saw play was Duncan Hamilton-Martin. Duncan was playing in Swindon, and I was there to observe the event. My objective was to get a feel for what golf for the disabled was all about. Duncan was on the tee, and if I remember rightly, he ripped a tee shot down the middle. Off he went down the fairway as if it was the most natural thing in the world. For Duncan, it was, as you will hear in this story of accepting what you have and simply getting on with life.
Please enjoy the story of Duncan Hamilton-Martin.
Losing sight in one eye to a genetic condition is bad enough, but when the same disease strikes in the other eye, some 17 years later, well, that is a whole different story. Barry McCluskey is registered blind, yet since losing his sight in both eyes, he has improved golf due to better focus. More focus on practising the right way and developing an appreciation for the game of golf has to offer has made all the difference.
Please enjoy the story of Barry McCluskey.
Sometimes a person’s courage and positive attitude leave a clear imprint on those they meet. This is one of those times. When he was born in Tasmania, southeast Australia, his father and uncles continued a family tradition and gave him a nickname. In Aussie lingo, he was a bit of a “big jiggler” and so we now find ourselves talking to ‘Jigs' Denby and boy does he have a powerful story to tell.
Please enjoy the story of Jigs Denby.
According to the UK National Health Service, almost 2 million people are living with sight loss. This is the story of just one. Gavin Burden from Salisbury in Wiltshire.
Gavin tells us about how a brain tumour, which possibly had been growing since he was a youngster, manifested itself first with migraines and finally with vision problems. In this story Gavin talks about work, family and the tough times he has endured over the last couple of decades and how he has used golf to give him both solace and enjoyment.
Please enjoy the story of Gavin Burden.
Mark Smith has been a stalwart of golf for the disabled for the entire period since EDGA was formed. That doesn’t mean to say that he is old, far from it. His first forays into international competition took place while he was still but a youngster, and he has gathered a wealth of experience and a catalogue of great stories.
With an impressive category one handicap, a game built on accuracy and a good short game, Mark is a formidable competitor. Mark talks about the friends he has made through golf and the importance of a buddy system.
Please enjoy the Mark Smith story.
This is the story of Mariano Tubio. The golf course in Ranelagh had been like a second home for Mariano who as youngster was inspired to reach 1 handicap by spending time with and watching the 1967 champion golfer of the year, the legendary Argentinian golfer Roberto de Vicenzo who played at the club. An accident at 28 years of age turned that one handicap player into a fifteen handicap player, but never dampened his enthusiasm to play the game.
Please enjoy the story of Mario Tubio.
This is the story of Andy Stevenson from England. Broadcaster and TV producer Andy Stevenson describes himself on his Twitter profile as being born “without a full complement of limbs”. What Andy modestly omits from this profile is his ‘full complement’ of career highs so far. Just as he was inspired by great figures in UK broadcasting as a boy, we hope his unique story here can inspire a few youngsters to consider not only giving golf a try, but serious journalism too.
Andy’s story is just as inspiring as those he tells on his award winning podcast, ‘The Winning Mindset', where he interviews various British Paralympians and reveals lessons from the games. Andy has presented around 20 episodes so far, talking to some of the world’s greatest athletes.
Please enjoy the story of Andy Stevenson.
This is the story of Kirsty Wilkinson from Australia. Kirsty says that when life is a real struggle, sometimes, somehow, you have to “just get out there”, and let the rest look after itself. Kirsty Wilkinson did just that, with a golf club in her hands, and it put a smile back on her face again.
Two car accidents, diagnosis of a condition called Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a brother who suffered a brain tumour and years of pain management all led to depression. Kirsty found that golf made a huge difference to her life, helping her physical and mental health considerably, and offering a social network of new friends in the process. In short, it’s Kirsty’s belief that “Golf saved my life.”
Please enjoy the story of Kirsty Wilkinson.
This is the story of Tommaso Perrino from Itlay. Tommaso was on the path to a life on the European Tour before a motorcycle accident at just 17 years of age, which led to years of rehabilitation and cost him a career as a professional player.
His passion for the game was never in doubt, and today, he coaches, helping others to get the maxim from their games and living life in the world of golf which gives him great joy.
Please enjoy the story of Tommaso Perrino.
This is the story of Manuel de los Santos from The Dominican Republic. I have had the privilege to get to know Manuel and his wife Elena over the last ten years or so. In this interview we reached into areas that Manuel has never before discussed in public.
I thank both Manuel and Elena for trusting me with the details of an early life that brings context to the man who has earned the respect and love of many in the world of golf.
Masato Koyamada is living proof that despite life's inevitable ups and downs, the years we are given are to be embraced, used to the very best of our ability and above all to be enjoyed.
I must confess that I do not speak Japanese and also reveal that Masato doesn't speak English, although I suspect his understanding of my first language is better than mine of his. Masato and I communicated through text and translators, but his story's power is such that it simply has to be told.
This is a story about life, how we choose to live and a father's desire to leave living proof. Please enjoy the story of Masato Koyamada.
In late November and early December 2019, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my guest for this episode. My first time seeing him play was earlier in the year when he was competing in the US Disabled Open at the Independence Club in Richmond, Virginia. It was great to watch him play, but even better to get to know the man behind the beard.
This is the story of Chad Pfeifer.
People who make things out of wood are artisans first, but many are engineers, artists, and some are even game changers for the modern world.
One day a German carpenter had the creative foresight to envisage a wheelchair-based powered machine, which would become the ‘ParaGolfer’, and he built his early models out of wood. Christian was looking intently at the problem because he needed the assistance it might offer him, having been paralysed from the waist down in a recent motorcycle accident. His ingenuity would transform the lives of a great many people who were previously not able to stand, walk or swing a club easily, instead enabling them to thrive out on the golf course.
This is the story of Christian Nachtwey
Alessandra Donati from Italy is passionate about life, golf, and helping others find the game that is making a difference for her and many others. Ale took the time to chat with me about her neuropathic disease with a long name, Charcot-Marie-Tooth that can be shortened to just three letters, CMT. Ale explains the importance she places on golf, from a physical perspective, and how golf allowed her to step out of the shadows, where she would sometimes hide in her early years.
If you would like to boost your spirits or remember the good things that your life has to offer as you head into the weekend, then listen to the words of Ale.
My conversation with Kate Pollard took place at the Australian All Abilities Championship in Sydney. Sue, my wife, had spent some time chatting with Kate over the previous few days and suggested I should speak with Kate.
Kate was happy to chat, and what follows is a story of what she, her husband Scott and the rest of her family deal with, when their son Cameron tees it up in every round. It is a record of her experiences of being a parent of a player who was about to compete on the biggest stage.
Please enjoy the story of Kate Pollard.
I caught up with Julien Mouchet at his home in the southwestern part of France. He had just finished his day’s work at an inclusive enterprise where 50% of the employees are people with disability. Julien manages the call centre and so I was grateful that he took just one more call that day to record this interview.
Cancer in his left hip at just 19 years of age resulted in a significant difference in leg length, and a giant transformation in his approach to golf in the years that followed.
Please enjoy the story of Julien Mouchet.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
"It's not the end of the world, it's not the end of your life. In many ways, it's the beginning. It's just a new chapter."
These are the words of Terry Kirby from Hull in England. His story is one that is all too common. But what is not common is how Terry has accepted the set-backs he has faced with a dry sense of humour and a commitment to make the best of his life.
This is the story of Terry Kirby.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
Tony Coates is the epitome of a straight-talking Aussie who has taken the cards that life has dealt him in his stride. I sat down with Tony just a few hours before he was about to tee off in the Presidents Cup Demonstration event, at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The thought of playing for Australia against an International team, over the same course where some of the world's best Tour players had played, raised Tony’s heart rate, though in fairness, probably by not more than a couple of percentage points.
Tony is laid-back, and in this short but revealing interview, I had the opportunity to get to know the man that I have enjoyed spending time around, just a little bit better.
Please enjoy my conversation with Tony Coates.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
My guest this week is former amateur jockey Nicky Weeks from England. I caught up with Nicky a day before she played in an event in the Rose Series during the 2020 Covid period.
Nicky was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her late thirties, with the first symptoms coming immediately after a day of accountancy examinations, which led to her becoming a qualified accountant.
In golf, Nicky found not only a sport to which she could channel her competitive juices, but also a game that gives her social interaction. I found our conversation fascinating as Nicky explained how she copes with her invisible disability, reveals the importance of keeping fit, and why asking for help is essential in living her life fully.
Listen to the story of Nicky Weeks.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
My guest this week is James Gribble from Australia. James and I first met face to face in London, at Marble Arch to be exact, where we had our first chat over a coffee. That meeting led on to a couple more get togethers, by internet and in person. James told me the story of how he had visited Africa as a strong and fit young man and left as a quadriplegic.
It all changed for James in a split second, but I guess that is the way almost all accidents happen. One minute he was sat on a stool and the next lying on is back in the sand.
The journey that James has taken is worthy of a film, and as I speak he is the process of making that happen.
Listen to the story of James Gribble.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
Ellie Perks, one of EDGA’s growing group of Generation Z golfers, defies many of the character traits commonly associated with those born between 1995 and 2009.
Ellie spends hours upon hours helping others to find a game that has all too often been associated with much older participants and has been played for more than 300 years.
I caught up with Ellie just before she was due to help out at a Saturday morning coaching session.
There comes a time when everyone can look at their life with some distance and see how it has turned out so far. For some, it's when a significant birthday is on the horizon, when context and objectivity can be separated from emotion and attachment.
Tony Lloyd from Shropshire shared a substantial amount of his time to chaperone me through his story of a genetic twist of fate which resulted in him being born with Phocomelia, his stance on opportunity, how golf came into his life and his view of the future.
Listen to the story of Tony Lloyd.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
With two generations of golfers already in the family, it would be natural for young Gail Owen to pick up a club and join them on the Hampstead Golf Course on the north side of London. Right?
Well, let's not jump to conclusions. Gail did pick up a club, but with no real intent, and it was only when a friend bought her some golf lessons for her birthday that she started to play.
Fast forward just a year and Gail finds herself in a doctors office and on the receiving end of the words, "Well you've got multiple sclerosis.” There was little by way of sugar coating. The words, although direct, came slowly but hit hard.
Listen to the story of Gail Owen.
These profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
At first glance it is easy to look at Tom Beard and wonder why he is playing in an event for golfers with a disability. He is one of the estimated 74% of people who has an unseen disability.
Look closer and you will see that Tom walks with a limp, but his demeanour is that of a young athletic twenty something with a quick smile and a good golf game. I caught up with Tom and learned a great deal about club feet, the new treatments that have changed the landscape for those with the condition and how he has made friends for life at his school, his college and at his golf club.
Please enjoy my conversation with Tom Beard.
In this far-reaching conversation, Carol explains how she would often find her Mum crying at the kitchen sink and how her Dad had been a wonderful educator to her throughout her life. The words of her father, "You never focus on the problem - you always focus on the solution," are never far away from her consciousness and are aptly followed by, "If there is no solution, then find it."
Listen to the story of Carol Brill.
I first met Jennifer Sräga when she was still only fifteen or sixteen years of age. She was playing in the European Team Championship for Germany at the iconic Quinta do Lago in the Algarve region of Portugal.
I caught up with her on the 17th hole and watched her play the strategically demanding par five-hole. I cannot remember what she scored on the hole, but as the players stood on the 18th tee, the conversation turned to it being "World handstand day" Before we knew it Jennie had her feet in the air in full handstand mode. Impressive as it was, better was to come just a few minutes later when she played her second shot around and below some trees with a fairway metal. A superb shot that belied her youth, and revealed a player who had experience beyond her years.
Listen to the story of Jennifer Sräga.
These Profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
Chartered Accountant, Gregorio Guglielminetti, the fun-loving Italian from Turin, gives thanks to his Family for the life he lives today.
"When I was a child, my family never treated me as a disabled person, they never wanted support teachers. I congratulate them because it helped me to integrate into society, and because of their decisions, I never felt disabled."
Listen to the story of Gregorio Guglielminetti as told by Tony Bennett.
Sometimes the most iconic line can be delivered from a simple, heartfelt truth. When Cristiano Berlanda breathed the words, "Golf is a beautiful medicine for the spirit," they emerged from the depths of his soul, igniting my curiosity to learn more about this fascinating man from Bergamo, in the Lombardy region of Italy.
The story of Cristiano starts in an Italian orphanage, sees him bring enjoyment to thousands of revellers and reveals the importance of family.
The first person who tended to Reinard after the accident found him without a heartbeat and not breathing. The ambulance crew made their diagnosis and told his family that their son would have damage to his heart and lungs, together with kidney failure.
That was half a lifetime ago for the 28-year-old, affectionately nicknamed Rhino, who says, "It could have been much worse".
These Profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
The words "I need my life back" came deep from within the soul of Kenny Bontz. The flamboyant American, who hails from New Jersey, is chiselled from a different kind of rock.
Get past the mohawk, beyond the confident walk and cut through the hard man exterior, and you will find a man who has experienced the pressure of disease, felt the heat of addiction, and who has emerged on the other side, shining like a precious diamond.
Today Kenny finds life fulfilling as he works through the process of becoming the best version of himself. Without valleys, there can never be peaks, and Kenny needs those highs. It is in his character.
These Profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
Tony Johnstone shone as a player on the European Tour in the 1980s right through to the early 2000s, winning six Tour events as one of the most skillful players in the game. The Zimbabwean was noted for his excellent short game and topped the European Tour’s short game statistics in 1998, 1999 and 2000. His most notable victory was in the 1992 British PGA Championship at Wentworth after a stunning final round 65.
At the age of 49, Tony’s life took a turn when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. With a revolutionary drug treatment, his MS went into remission and Tony would make his European Seniors Tour debut in 2006, where he won two tournaments. Today, Tony can be found using his incredible knowledge as a commentator for Sky Sports. Tony’s life before MS is well documented, but it his life after for which he is most grateful.
"It probably is as bad as you think it is, but you're awake." These are the words of advice from Tony Poole when asked what he would say to someone who had just survived a stroke.
Tony shoots from the hip, and takes no prisoners with his straight-talking, as one might expect from an ex-pat Kiwi living in the state of Texas, USA.
These Profiles are now in the third year and are supported by PING.
When words are organised to fit the ‘rule of three, it is said that they become easier to remember. The trinity of words that have formed a pattern of life for Luisa Ceola can be summarised as being, invisible, determined and resilient.
Luisa was born in Padova, just as the seventies, a decade full of social and technological change, was on the horizon. As crucial as these breakthroughs were, even then the medical profession could not figure out what was happening to Luisa.
The story of Luisa Ceola takes twists and turns, before finally...
Look behind the vast majority of successful organisations, and we can find a story of determination, struggle, conflict, doubt, tough decisions and of course, the people who took the first steps. Every organisation starts small. Typically, successful ones have a clear mission. Perhaps the purpose is to solve a problem that has been unearthed. Perhaps it is to exploit a gap in the market. Perhaps it is because the founders have identified a need, a need that has moved them to make a difference.
It is always the people that are the most important. People who care. People who are committed to making a change. People who can see a better way. Two such people, Helena Brobeck and Pieter van Duijn sat down to recall the days leading up to the formation of the European Disabled Golf Association.
Depending on when you read Pedro’s story, take a few minutes to either remember what you were doing when you were 28 years of age, or if you have not yet reached that milestone, imagine what you would like to be doing as you approach your thirties.
At 28 years of age Pedro Sottomayor had his life turned upside down one afternoon in a Doctors surgery when he received a diagnosis that would change his life.
Please enjoy my conversation with Pedro Sottomayor.
Anyone who plays golf soon realises that occasionally we get a bad bounce, or once in a while, the ball will end up in a bad lie, even after a good shot. Likewise, life doesn't always give us exactly what we deserve. So we can either stop, or we can move on, with an attitude that views the situation as an opportunity to learn. Call it perseverance, call it resilience, call it tenacity, call it whatever you like, but Deborah Smith has it in bucket loads and boy has she needed it.
Please enjoy my conversation with Deborah Smith.
The normal EDGA Profiles piece is not available this week. Life got in the way and although the scheduled interview is complete and is an incredible story, the player took ill and so we have decided to postpone its publication. All of the listeners will I am sure join EDGA in wishing the player a full and speedy recovery.
So this is an opportunity to answer one of the many questions that we get, and perhaps to give a little insight into why we do the PING Profiles and what difference does it make.
Chris and I first met when he made the trip from his home in Australia to the Algarve Open at the end of 2019. Immediately we hit it off and just a few weeks later we met again, but this time just a few miles away from his home in Sydney. Our initial conversation started with the devastating fires in New South Wales, included some banter about cricket, and then revealed an incredible life journey which tested Chris and his family to the full, before making a turn that has resulted in him being happier than he was before his life took and unexpected detour.
In this story you will meet a man who has thought deeply about what is important to him, who is grateful for the things that we so often take for granted, and who, is a living testimony to the power of the human spirit.
Please enjoy my conversation with Chris Young.
I had first met Dennis in Richmond - Virginia in May 2019, when he was competing in a US Disabled Golf Association tournament. I had spotted Dennis in the practice day and there was something about him that made me curious. Here was this man laughing and joking with anyone who happened to be nearby, having, what looked to be, the time of his life, and enjoying the camaraderie of other players, some of which I found out later, he had just met.
Dennis has an infectious, can do attitude, and is grateful for, as he puts it, his second lease on life. Golf has been part of his life for more that 50 years, except for an enforced ten year absence.
Please enjoy my conversation with Dennis Duchi.
Gianna Rojas is a force of nature. A relative late comer to the game of golf, she has turned into one of the games fiercest advocates for its ability to bring people together, in an inclusive manner, that benefits everyone who cares to pick up a club.
Gianna hails from Maine, and so is called a Maniac in the nicest sense of the word, and she is determined to spread the word that golf is for all, that everyone is differently-abled, and that having a disability does not define the person.
It took a while for Wales born Josh Jones to finally move from Bangor to Brisbane, but by 18 years of age he was in a place that he could justly call home, a city where he would make his life, far from the place of his birth.
Life would change for Josh, who had become an apprentice diesel fitter. He was in the final stage of completing his training in the mines and was working the night shift. In the early hours of the morning, he along with one of his friends Steven were given the task of changing one of the enormous tyres on a dumper truck.
Chris Biggins from the United States, is a qualified PGA of America Professional, and the head coach of the junior programme at his club. Chris has some Bee Hags (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), and is aiming to compete in the Paralympics at both Ski and Golf.
Please enjoy my conversation with Chris Biggins.
My conversation with Christian Hamilton took place in November 2018 at the groundbreaking AAAC, which was included at the Emirates Australian Open in Sydney. Our discussion was held in the media centre, and so apologies for the background noise.
Christian was generous with his time, and our chat revealed a man who is happy to be around others, a family man who is most content with his wife Melissa, daughter Grace and son Laughlin.
Please enjoy my conversation with Christian Hamilton.
My conversation with Tineke Loogman took place towards the end of August 2019, and although I had known her for the best part of six years, I cannot say that I really knew her. Her reputation, was that of being fiesty, direct and determined. During our connversation over Skype there were times when she was all three, but at the same time she came across as being passionate about golf for the disabled, grateful for the people around her and contenet that her golf business is growing.
Please enjoy the story of Tineke Loogman.
My conversation with former Royal Artillery Gunner Mike Browne, took place just a week or so before the first of three events, that would propel him into the golfing worlds consciousness.
Mike has torn up the generally accepted notion that it takes time to become a professional golfer. Mike achieved that milestone in a little over two years. Oh, and incidentally, he made the grade, even though he uses a prosthetic leg, to replace the one he lost, when complications set after breaking his leg.
In this conversation Mike took me on a journey, starting as a teenager who was competitive in Motorcross, through the accident and 22 limb salvage operations, the dark days that he had in recovery, how he found golf and the people who have helped him, all the way through today, where he is one of the leading players on the golfers with disability world stage.
Please enjoy the story of Mike Browne.
Please enjoy the story of Andreas Brandenberger. For the full story, photos, and Andreas in his own words, go to: www.edgagolf.com and click on profiles.
Andreas Brandenberger and I had never met before, but it took just a few seconds for me to understand that Andreas has some special sauce.
Andreas was open and engaging, explained the value of being raised in a large family of three brothers and three sisters, how he enjoyed being part of a community and how he found a way to step out of the shadows. Andreas made me think, and he is living testament to the power of gratitude for what life has to offer.
Please enjoy the story of Andreas Brandenberger. For the full story, photos, and Andreas in his own words, go to: www.edgagolf.com and click on profiles.