Tough Love and Second Chances - EDGA

The ANN WANGUI IRURA story

During a golf session for youngsters at Kenya Railway Golf Club you can hear the shouts of joy as children with a disability play on a golf course for the first time. “Watching the kids sharing something special as they play golf together, it makes everything worthwhile,” says Ann Wangui Irura.  Anita, as friends call her, is an administration assistant at a school for children with special needs in Nairobi called Kenya Community Centre for Learning (KCCL). Eight years ago when trying different sports to engage with the students, she tried golf and realised the game could help them to focus on a task and see personal improvement. Something clicked.  Today, Anita is the founder of the community venture Golden Tee Inclusive Golf, bringing the game to disadvantaged youngsters with a disability, changing lives through the power of golf.  Enjoy Anita’s story with EDGA here.

The STACEY JOHNSTON-GLEASON story

Stacey Johnston-Gleason lives practically on the first tee box of the Mission Mountain Golf Course, a flat sweep of green nestled against the rugged peaks of western Montana. To some, living on ‘Hole One’ might sound like a flippant remark, but to Stacey, it’s something more—a way of being, a kind of metaphor for how she’s tackled life: one shot, one challenge at a time. Her connection to the Special Olympics runs deep. Born with fetal alcohol syndrome and adopted later in life, she found her family through the community that had already given her so much. Golf is not just a game to Stacey. It’s a lifeline, a thread of connection, not only to the fairways and greens but to something bigger.  Discover Stacey’s story with EDGA today.

The GUY HARRISON story

“When I was a little boy the doctors told my family that I wouldn’t be able to walk, run, bike or swim, and would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.” Fast forward 20 years and Guy Harrison, 23, from New Zealand, was preparing to play on the G4D Tour in Spain; playing with some confidence after working hard on his game and competing to a high standard – off his 8.3 golf handicap – propelling himself up the Net World Ranking for Golfers with Disability.  Guy, who has cerebral palsy, says today: “Golf is my true love – getting out on the course with mates, seeing new places. It was a massive benefit to start golf at a young age so I can enjoy progress in the game. “With the support of my parents we proved the doctors wrong and kept me out of the wheelchair using golf a lot to help me. I started my golf at five years-old going out a couple of times a week with my Dad to a local nine-hole public golf course and it just went from there.”      Follow Guy’s story in golf today with EDGA.

The RICCARDO BIANCIARDI story

Riccardo Bianciardi is a strong advertisement for all the good in Italian golf as he says hello to us in his smart azure blue Italian shirt bearing his national badge, and greeting us with a wide smile.  For some time now, golf has been a salvation for him, helping him engage with life following the neurological condition he was born with but also as a balm for recent struggles. In October 2018, Riccardo had a kidney transplant that wasn’t successful. He therefore had to start kidney dialysis, and looking for distraction after five months in recovery he took part in his first EDGA event, the Italian Open which, remarkably, he won!  Fate would play its hand again in 2022. Riccardo had a second kidney transplant, which this time went well, and nine months later he won the EDGA Giovanni Nasi International, also in Italy. To be able to get himself well and record such a feat is surely amazing and a mark of the man. This is an interesting story from one of the most generous golfers out there. Enjoy Riccardo’s story here with EDGA.

The NATASHA STASIUK story

Natasha Stasiuk finds her inner calm through golf.  This friendly 26-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, clearly loves the game. When considering her own improving performances, winning tournaments and helping to fly the flag for Canada, she will agree this is partly due to a lot of hard work and support, but success for her also means the joy she feels in playing on a golf course, looking for the perfect swing; all an antidote to the anxieties of life.   Living with Autism for Natasha includes also managing an auditory processing condition. She tells us: “Playing golf is where I feel free and don’t feel judged. It’s my happy place. It’s where I feel most confident in life.” At 26, Natasha is becoming more used to the pressure of the first tee, more experienced in gathering her strength for the challenge ahead, while not forgetting the challenges of the past. Discover Natasha’s story with EDGA today.