Tough Love and Second Chances - EDGA

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 secon...

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...

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...

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...

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 ab...

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 th...

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,...

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...

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 enjoyme...

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 no...

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, shi...

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...

"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...

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 i...

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 h...

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 wha...

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, a...

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...

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, som...

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, t...

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 shif...

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...

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 disab...