Coaching aimed at furthering participation in golf across the County Clare community was delivered with the expertise of EDGA and the support of the DP World Tour ahead of the Amgen Irish Open.
Members of staff and volunteers at Clare Sports Partnership, a non-profit organisation working across various sports and recreational programmes, received complimentary tutelage to enable them to best support people across multiple disabilities and other target groups through the physical and mental health benefits of the sport.
Equipment has also been donated by the DP World Tour, with golf now becoming a new sport alongside swimming, football, touch rugby, and others in their portfolio. This donation is intended to also support their work with Sports Inclusion groups, Schools, Community Health groups, and Sports Hubs.
Tubridys Astroturf and Doonbeg Community Centre, both local facilities in the town of Doonbeg, provided space free of charge to make these activations possible.
After an initial engaging coaching session run by PGA Fellow Professional Mark Taylor, leaders from the Clare Sports Partnership then used the insights gained to introduce two groups of participants with Down's Syndrome to golf through EDGA’s first-touch format using safe, light, colourful, adapted chippers and putters with soft balls.
To begin with, Clare Sports Partnerships will run workshops to build the group's skills. EDGA will provide further support and education refreshers to Clare Sports Partnership coaches in the future.
For Taylor, who is the EDGA Head of Instruction and Education, driving community engagement is vital in ensuring golf continues to remain viewed as a sport for all.
“In my career as a golf coach of 35 years, I don't think anything's really taught me more than working with players with different functions,” he said.“
"Passing that over to a different coaching workforce is also essential so that we get golf into local organisations, where we can get community driven projects to get more people enjoying the benefits of the game with disability who maybe thought that wasn't for them.”
James Murrihy, Sports Inclusion Disability Officer at the Clare Sports Partnership, said the equipment and the training received would enable them to create more opportunities for participation and serve as a legacy of the island of Ireland’s national open coming to the region.
“This programme will allow us to reach multiple disabilities and bring it into communities and then also link it back to our golf clubs which is really important,” he explained.
