Managing Director Jason O’Malley is proud of Woburn Golf Club’s part in making the sport more accessible and inclusive.
Working in collaboration with the team at Woburn Golf Club, The Golf Trust has delivered the venue’s first golf taster sessions curated especially for wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments.
Both sessions were fully subscribed and offered attendees the transformational opportunity to stand and play golf using a Paragolfer.
The R&A Foundation has funded the purchase of the Paragolfer, that is now permanently based at Woburn, along with the community outreach, coaching and training of Woburn by The Golf Trust, and supplementary training provided through EDGA.
Attendees included wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments such as Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and muscular dystrophy.
“Today has been full of moments of joy,” said founder of The Golf Trust Cae Menai-Davis. “There is nothing quite like witnessing that life-changing moment as a user stands, sometimes for the very first time in years.
“But, for us this is the start of their journey. Disabled people want to be active, to connect with others, to be social and to be part of a community and that is what golf can give them.”
As hosts of The G4D Open, which is organised by The R&A and DP World Tour, for the last two years, Woburn has supported some of the very best disabled golfers in the world.
It has extended that commitment by increasing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to try the game and explore the opportunities it provides.
The club’s Managing Director Jason O’Malley said: “Having successfully hosted The G4D Open we were delighted when The R&A Foundation presented us with a Paragolfer.
“We recently made improvements to our group coaching area, and when doing so, we paid particular attention to accessibility to ensure we can host events such as this.
“We are extremely grateful to the team at The Golf Trust for the guidance and support they have provided, and we are proud to be involved in making golf more inclusive and accessible for all.”
Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said: “We truly believe that anyone can experience the joy of playing golf regardless of their ability as long as they are given the opportunity to do so.
“This why we have invested in supporting the pathways being provided by other golf bodies and organisations to people with disabilities so that they can access the sport and enjoy the many positive health and social benefits that it has been shown to provide.
“We look forward to seeing the progress made by the golfers participating in the initiative and hope that this is the start of a lifelong involvement in the sport.”
Tony Bennett, President of EDGA, added: “The taster day is a great example of how all these four organisations can work together to improve access in the G4D space.
“Following our initial inspection visit, Woburn made some thoughtful and to some extent ground-breaking temporary modifications to the bunkers for the championship week, which made access possible for all competitors regardless of their limitations.
“They have also embraced the EDGA coach education programme ‘learning from the edges’ which we delivered to them for the first time earlier in the year.”
