PGA pioneer's inclusive touch

A leading figure in disability coaching passed on his expertise to pros in Portugal to help unlock a new wave of golfers into the sport.

Experienced PGA Fellow Professional Craig Thomas led an inclusive workshop session while also highlighting opportunities to grow the sport along the way.

Thomas, who is head pro at Oxley Golf Club and The Golf Academy in Wolverhampton and was assisted by another PGA Fellow Pro, Mark Taylor, put the pros through their paces at the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) Algarve Open – increasing their awareness of the techniques and challenges involved in coaching golfers with a disability.

The course was initiated by the EDGA which has activated a strategy to promote golf as a viable sporting option for individuals with disability across the 20 national governing bodies that make up its membership. 

The Algarve Open was an ideal platform to attracted a field of 66 golfers with disabilities from across the world but there was just one player from Portugal.

“While 66 people played, only one of them was Portuguese which shows there are not enough golfers with disabilities playing the game,” said Thomas.

“We used this event to showcase the opportunities to Portuguese golf pros, to encourage them to create more networks to increase the numbers playing by virtue of the fact that there is more coaching.

“We encouraged them to take inclusive coaching back to grass roots.”

Thomas delivered Level 1 and part of the Level 2 workshop and received positive feedback.

“The big thing was opening their eyes to another potential market,” added Thomas.

“There were pros from the north of Portugal where it is less touristy and they have more traditional clubs while the other half of the pros were from Algarve which is more tourism led.

“There is great opportunity in both regions and also in Lisbon - in the north to create more members and more coaching while the Algarve might be less member orientated but has more opportunity for people with disabilities to go on coaching holidays for example.

“There are huge opportunities for pros in Portugal and the workshop has given them the confidence to understand the profiles of golfers with disabilities and how they can work and coach them.”

EDGA president, Tony Bennett - a PGA Master Professional and the PGAs of Europe’s director of education and membership, added: “We have resolved to get golf onto the sporting menu of options for individuals with disability.

“With 90 million people in Europe having some form of disability, I think that it is easy to see what a huge potential there is in this largely under developed part of the community.

“Craig is part of the EDGA Sport Committee and together with Mark we were very happy that they were able to use their great experience to help professionals in Portugal take the first steps towards encouraging more people with disability to take up the sport.”   

Closer to home Thomas, and Alvaston pro Taylor, delivered The PGA’s first inclusive workshop as part of the member education programme at its Belfry headquarters.

“It was a good mix, we have a couple on the training programme, one who had recently qualified through to someone who qualified back in 1976,” added Thomas.