Standing at the top of the ski slope is a man who is blind, but he is ready to make that first move forward and fly down the mountain. It’s his choice of course, and he knows that in some ways he is fortunate to have a choice. 

After his years in the British Army, for Kevin Alderton this was a leap of faith, but then so was everything on leaving military service, following being blinded in an attack after helping a member of the public in danger. 

We talk about playing golf as a person with sight loss, and how remarkable it is that he can play well (on a good day).

Kevin says: “Everything is achievable if you apply yourself. You need to call on the resilience that you have; what you have done before you can do again.

“Being out in nature is a great tonic; golf can provide fitness, a boost to mental health, it can help people with PTSD and there is of course the social interaction to look forward to.”  

Enjoy Kevin’s story with EDGA here.

Valentyn Vodolazskyi lived a peaceful life until war came to his home city of Popasna, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. 

Valentyn was born with hip dysplasia and would in 2022 need his left hip replaced. What happened next is a remarkable story about first survival from war and then finding a way to look ahead with spirit and generosity to the future. 

Leading the way in his rehabilitation, golf’s offering of a sanctuary and a personal challenge in the most difficult of times is a great example of how this sport can help people from all backgrounds to get the most out of the life ahead. 

With great thanks to the Ukrainian Golf Federation and to Valentyn Vodolazskyi himself, EDGA shares his story here.  

“Golf doesn’t care about your age, background, or physical condition. It meets you where you are. That’s the beauty of the game: it’s universal, inclusive, and deeply personal at the same time.”

Mexico’s Bernardo García Infante firmly believes the game has the power to change the lives of others, and he speaks from experience.   

He found the courage in his late twenties – after being born with a compromised left arm – to face losing the use of his right arm in a motorbike accident in 2015. How did he beat depression, regain confidence and find fresh purpose in life after this?

Bernardo says he was able to rebuild himself, shot after shot, after his first discovery of the game in 2020. All this with his left side hitting the ball. The left side and the left arm – once seen as his weakness – is now his ally.

Enjoy Bernardo’s remarkable story here with EDGA today.

“I thought that was it for me, golf was over for me. I couldn’t stand, so how could I play? It’s amazing how it’s changed again, so you should never give up.” 

Aged 62, Ken Powell’s life was altered dramatically in 2021 when he was left paralysed from the waist down following surgery. 

Remarkably (or should that read outstandingly?), at the time of writing Ken had just become a single figure golfer again, with a Handicap Index of 9.5 no less, reducing from his first handicap when starting again of 27, in 2022. His secret? (Apart from all the guts and hard work, and the lessons from a PGA coach.) He replies: “Well, I have very well educated hands, right from being a boy, the hands play such an important part in the game.” 

Enjoy this EDGA story of how Ken used those well-drilled hands to learn all his shots on England’s breezy south coast, creating a love of the game that remains crucial to this day. 

In this latest EDGA podcast, recent winner of the G4D Tour @ FedEx Open de France and qualifier to play in the G4D Tour’s finale in Mallorca at the end of October, Mark Clougherty explains why golf means so much to him after difficult challenges. 

For the Northern Ireland-based player, only returning to golf in late 2023, the game has already provided a haven from the hurly burly and the white noise away from the course. He is not the first golfer to have PTSD and to find a growing calm amid all the constituent layers of the game. 

Mark says: “Golf means everything to me now, not just getting me out of the house, keeping me active amongst like-minded people, but also to play well and have a great focus on the time ahead. Looking ahead is important. Playing EDGA and other events, I feel I can relax and just go for it, which is a great place to be.”

Enjoy Mark’s story with EDGA here today. 

When Stephen Alderson – better known as Spud – and his mate-turned-caddie, Trent Blucher, received an invitation to compete on the G4D Tour and subsequently boarded a plane to Spain in October 2024, Trent thought he was simply tagging along to support a mate. He had a week off work, a golf bag to lug, and no expectation beyond helping Spud through a one-off opportunity. 

Neither of them could have imagined what awaited in Sotogrande, southern Spain. They left Adelaide with little more than hope, a sense of adventure, and the nervous thrill of an unexpected invitation. They returned with a trophy, international headlines, and a story that would carry them to places Spud had never thought possible.

In this edition of the EDGA Podcast we give you insights into the changes Trent has made to help his good mate Spud to realise his dreams. 

“Unfortunately, knowing The Rules doesn’t help the standard of my own golf, but it does allow me to help many others to enjoy and succeed in the game,” says Peter Fisher, EDGA Head Referee for Tournaments. 

Peter has added further to his CV recently in attaining The R&A’s Level 4 Advanced Referee Qualification, and today he leads a highly dedicated core team of EDGA referees which oversees many championships supporting golfers with a disability to reach their potential in competition. 

Peter, who is a volunteer for EDGA, explains that maintaining high standards is a must.

Peter says: “In my earlier career I knew too many people who held on to information and didn’t share with colleagues. Anything I have learned I want to give to our team so that we can all benefit, as I am continually learning from them in return. We have a wonderful group of referees at EDGA, each bringing their own skills and their golf and life experiences to the fore, and this makes us stronger as a group.”

Learn more about Peter and the EDGA refereeing team in this episode. 

Welcome to this latest EDGA podcast, in which we greatly enjoyed speaking with English golfer Carroll Grinnell, who needed life-changing surgery following a boating accident during her retirement in 2017. 

Rather than this holding her back, Carol displays a zest and joy for life which shows us that positive thinking can unlock so many doors in sport and in our wider lives. 

Carol says: “Nothing is impossible until I’ve tried it, and found it to be so. Golf can also become very important as a social outlet. The most important thing is getting out into the fresh air, playing with lots of people.”

Enjoy Carol’s story with EDGA here. 

Gary Barrett played golf as a teenager in Ireland, but stopped playing after his above-the-knee left leg amputation aged 22. 

Golf came back to him on his 50th birthday. Gary says: “I’m so thankful that my wife had the idea. I only started playing golf again 18 months or so ago when Jill bought a set of clubs for my birthday.

“I now love nothing more than jumping into a golf buggy and starting a round of golf at 7:45am before everybody else has even put their golf shoes on.

“I have recently joined Rathfarnham Golf Club. It is a stunning location at the base of the Dublin mountains and I love playing there. The EDGA Tour has a great bunch of people. I have met many new friends, which is something you don't expect to happen at 52.”

Enjoy Gary’s story with EDGA here.

Steven ‘Spud’ Alderson says: “Follow your passion, whatever it may be”. In this EDGA Podcast we connect with Steven, an Australian golfer with autism, who is winning friends and influencing people in G4D, from his home club of Willunga to Woburn in England, and beyond. We also hear from Steven’s caddie and friend of the family, Trent, who is supporting Steven on his golfing and personal journey.

Using sport, and in this case golf as a platform, Steven and Trent seek more tolerance and understanding from the wider public for those with the condition of autism, while they also want to demonstrate just how beneficial golf can be for everyone’s mental and physical health, how it can free up all its players through a great game in a safe environment. 

We caught up with Steven during The G4D Open at Woburn in May and learned more about how, after some difficult times, he is thriving through golf. 

Enjoy Steven’s story here.