Irish clubs awarded £100,000 for disability initiatives

Nearly 40 golf clubs in Ireland have been awarded, on average, just under £2,500 each, to invest in ‘disability inclusion’.

The €112,000 (£99,000) comes from Sport Ireland’s ‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Fund and will go to 38 golf clubs.

Clubs were invited to apply for this fund through Golf Ireland in August 2022, where they could apply for between €1,000 and €5,000 to support disability-specific activities in the areas of disability inclusion education and training, disability inclusion programmes and small-scale equipment or infrastructure.

Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly says the organisation is delighted with the funds allocated to it by Sport Ireland as it continues to strive for equal opportunities for all.

“This recent allocation of funding is a great boost to the fantastic work ongoing in golf clubs around the country,” said Kennelly.

“Golf Ireland aims to make golf more inclusive and accessible to everyone in the community, regardless of ability. The number of clubs engaging with us to create opportunities for people with disabilities is growing, and we are proud of their work.

Mark Kennelly

“I know the clubs will value this funding, and we look forward to continuing the rollout of our inclusion plans in partnership with our clubs.”

Edenderry Golf Club is one of the recipients of this fund. The club runs a programme called the Golf4All programme for children with autism.

“We meet up once a week on a Monday evening. We show them some golf skills, putting and chipping on the practice ground and then we bring them down the course and we play some holes,” said Edenderry’s golf professional, Ken O’Brien.

“Skills are developing all the time. The kids are well able to chip and putt and hit their long shots now. You can see the kids coming out of themselves and being a lot more chatty and friendly with each other.

“And the thing I noticed is that they keep coming back and numbers are growing. That to me is the success of the programme.”

Meanwhile, a club in Wales has also benefited from funding thanks to Wales Golf.

A new practice facility is to be developed at Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club, due to an 85,000-capital grant to help nurture talented golfers and to get more people on the greens.

In a partnership between Wales Golf and the club, the new facility will offer a high performance training venue for the nation’s talented golfers. It will also deliver community benefits, offering inclusive and beginner opportunities for golfers of all ages and abilities.

The facility will be designed so that it can cater for groups such as Bridgend Stroke Association and Tomms Care Autism Centre.