In the previous issue of the Resident we featured Martine Gilks, who plays at Coventry Golf Club in England and also in EDGA Tour events (European Disabled Golf Association).
Martine is the inspiration to her daughter Heather Gilks, also at Coventry GC, who is 17 years-old and a single-figure golf handicap (around 7.8).
Heather was born with Cerebral Palsy. She says: “So I have Cerebral Palsy, which affects both my legs and my left arm. It affects my left side more than my right. I was diagnosed with it when I was about three. I have been doing loads and loads of physio ever since I was little, which I’m continuing now, and at the minute I’m just trying to test my limits and see what I can and can’t do.”
Heather will point to the supportive members and golf coaches of her club and her Mum for fostering this positive mindset.
“I hate not being treated the same as everyone else. For example, I tried doing running for a while. I would always get tired well before everyone else. Then people are, ‘Oh, you just need a head start’. But I don’t want a head start. I came to golf, and they have the handicapping system, and they have buggies, so I could go out and I could play just like everyone else did. And that concept, I just loved it!”
Heather has been studying for ‘A Levels’ before going to university, and at college she will be keen to play in more golf events (both Heather and Martine played in the recent EDGA Algarve Open 2022 at Pestana Vila Sol).
In 2020, she made an exciting debut in the Rose Ladies Series tournaments in England (started by Kate Rose). Progress under the pressure of tournament play has been striking, reducing her handicap from around 18 three years ago to her current single figures.
She remembers well how she felt when welcomed by other EDGA players at Woburn Golf Club during her Rose Series debut. “I was told I was now part of the family, and the other two ladies we played with were great. It just worked so well. I felt a sense of belonging. I’m going to remember that day for the rest of my life. It was the coolest thing.”
In recent times, Heather has been working on her strength more with the Coventry GC coaches. She gives one example: “In the past, as I went to swing back, I couldn’t keep the weight on my leading leg as much. I used to tilt my spine upwards a bit because I just wasn’t strong enough. But then I noticed in a video of my swing recently that the tilt … it isn’t there anymore, which is really nice. You can see the progress and see the physio working.”
In terms of advice to others, Heather says: “Golf is worth the time and it’s worth the challenge. I go into my classes at school and people say, wait, you play golf? And I say, yes! Yes, I play golf. And I absolutely own it because I love that. It’s a great sport and it’s a shame that more young people don’t get it. Once you do play it, you then realise, and you say ‘wait, I’ve been missing out on this the whole time!’ So, my main advice is, just go and try golf because then you’ll fall in love with it.”
– Watch/listen to profiles of EDGA players at www.edgagolf.tv
– Learn how to get involved at www.edgagolf.com
By Ben Evans
