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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 Ben Evans for EDGA. Visit www.edgagolf.com/profiles for the full story, photos, and raw interview media.
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Forever Blueshirts Radio is where New York Rangers fans are ALL IN! Everything NY Rangers related covered by Forever Blueshirts. Be sure to visit us online at www.foreverblueshirts.com or follow us on Twitter @4B_Radio or @4EverBlueshirts
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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 n…
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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 a…
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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…
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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 mitigat…
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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 a…
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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…
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“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 …
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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…
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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 belo…
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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 respec…
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“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 evi…
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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 …
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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 …
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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…
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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 gol…
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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, Eng…
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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 …
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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 hi…
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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 M…
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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…
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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 Roven…
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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 …
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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 …
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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…
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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 you…
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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 playin…
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“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…
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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 Pinehur…
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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 ga…
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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 …
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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 sho…
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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 …
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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 …
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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 m…
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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 beau…
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“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 homewar…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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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 worry…
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Jennifer Sräga at the 150th Open Championship
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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 Champi…
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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. Wi…
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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 goalke…
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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 h…
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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 g…
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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 …
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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-stand…
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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…
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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…
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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 competiti…
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