A book featuring 18 “remarkable golf stories of courage, fortitude and humour, in which golfers refuse to be defined by their disability”, was launched on Thursday, May 8.
‘MULLIGAN – tough love and second chances’ describes the highs and lows of disability, illness, love, and second chances: how hope, courage and the opportunity to feel well and express yourself through golf makes for a combination that can improve and even save lives.
The book includes 18 stories of players, most of whom have fought back from personal trauma and found, thanks to golf and their fellow golfers, that there is always a brighter day on life’s fairways.
The players featured come from 14 countries and different impairments: leg amputation, single-arm players, wheelchair golfers, stroke survivors, PTSD sufferers and more – but all are ‘golfers first’ who refuse to be defined by disability.
Meet Aleš who started life in a hospital waste basket, Caroline who told her surgeon “when you take my leg, you are going to give me life”, and Shlomo who takes his girls to the beach, dragging himself to the water’s edge. There is Stewart, battling back after serving in Afghanistan, Lucas loving what golf offers after being shot eight times in the back, and Monique fulfilling her ambition to win gold medals through talent and hard work.
Keith Pelley, CEO, European Tour, said: “I have had the opportunity to watch the world’s best players compete against each other on a regular basis… Equally as striking, however, is the ability shown by the men and women, some of whom you will find in this book, who compete just as fiercely and with the same degree of sportsmanship.”
MULLIGAN is issued with a ‘Give and Gift’ option, which ensures that hospitals, rehabilitation centres and organisations who care for people with disability have free access to the stirring words found in MULLIGAN. For every donation of €25 or more, publishers will “Give” a book to a hospital, rehabilitation/medical centre, or organisation concerned with golf for the disabled. As a token of our appreciation, we will “Gift” another book to you to keep and enjoy.
EDGA, formally called the European Disabled Golf Association, who has published this book is an international not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help people with impairment to start, play, succeed and enjoy golf.
Tony Bennett is the chief writer and publisher of the MULLIGAN project. With more than 40 years working in the golf industry, a Masters in Philosophy, a Presidential Award from the Republic of Portugal, and the status of Master PGA Professional, Tony demonstrates an inquisitive mind and a trail of successful programmes that have made a difference to the sport. Tony has lived in Portugal for over 20 years and works for the International Golf Federation as Head of Disability and Inclusion.
MULLIGAN is edited by Ben Evans, who has worked in sports journalism for 25 years. Through his work, he supports UK junior golf charity the Golf Foundation and EDGA, which is how he came to contribute some of the articles in this book. Always more appreciative of the visual appeal of a good golf course than the figures on his scorecard, Ben relished working with LUV Brands and Scott Bennett on this project, who created the striking design features seen in MULLIGAN.
All donations to ‘MULLIGAN’ will be used to spread awareness of disability golf and support golfers with impairment.
For more information or to donate, visit www.edgagolf.com/book or contact [email protected] or call +44 (0) 800 8611675
