Tough Love and Second Chances - EDGA

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 ha...

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:...

“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,...

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 ne...

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 milli...

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, Cou...

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...

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 its...

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 c...

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 ca...

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 an...

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,...

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 support...

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 s...

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...

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...

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)....

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...

“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 welc...

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...

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 kee...

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 t...

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 fai...

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 Worl...

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 tec...