European Disabled Golf Association brings tournament and community sessions to Stratford Golf Club

A DISABILITY golf session and a tournament featuring the top 16 disabled golfers from around the world will be heading to Stratford GC next week.

Organised by the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA), an international volunteer-led not-for-profit organisation, the event runs from Tuesday to Thursday.

The competition is the RSM European Play-Off Series, with two divisions (net and stableford) competing in match play across the three days.

Each division is made up of the leading eight European players available from the World Rankings for Golfers with Disabilities.

Alongside the competition, EDGA will be hosting a disability golf taster session from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday, free of charge and with lunch provided.

There will also be a RSM charity golf day on the Thursday, which will also see the play-off finals for the net and stableford divisions contested.

EDGA president Tony Bennett said: “This exciting new tournament, that will find play-off champions in the net and stableford categories, will offer a great incentive for hundreds if not thousands of players in the years to come. It will be a landmark event.

“We are very appreciative that the team at RSM understands the value of our work to grow the game at the grassroots level for golfers with disability.

“Helping to make more people aware of this opportunity can be huge for golf and also for the many people it can help through the game’s health, social and competitive benefits.”

He added: “Raising awareness of disability golf is a fundamental part of EDGA. It is also important to for us to show that golf comes in many forms, it’s not just about playing 18 holes on a golf course. Golf could be as simple as putting a ball in your living room, going to the driving range or pitch and putt.

“Golf is a fantastic way to get people with a disability active as they work on controlling their own bodies moving a stationary ball.

“Our get into golf session on Wednesday is a very simple form of golf to encourage physical movement. We have accessible clubs and soft balls, participants can be seated or standing. These sessions are about having fun and being active.”

Stratford GC club manager Dan Hacker said: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host the EDGA event at the club.

“Through our attached four-time European Tour winner and 2016 Ryder Cup golfer Andy Sullivan and his sponsors RSM, we look forward to witnessing some superb golf throughout the week.

“A number of our members have kindly donated their time to assist the golfers, with the final being played on Thursday.”

Anyone interested in attending the taster session on Wednesday should email aimi@edgagolf.com.