Keith Ellis Roberts 

Keith (56) is married to Joanne and has twins Elli and Jac. Keith played golf at Cardigan Golf Club up until his RTA aged 18 where he sustained a spinal cord injury and became a paraplegic T3/4. He went to the University of Wales where he studied Architecture and graduated in 1992. He has since had a career in the NHS as a Manager at the Artificial Limb and Appliance Service. He is a member at St Mellons Golf Club in Cardiff and plays one handed off a buggy.  Since taking up the game again in 2017 he has represented the Welsh Disabled Golf team against England and at the 4 nations Phoenix Cup at the Forest of Arden, and won the Handigolf National Championships in 2020 and 2021.

Greg Jackson Handigolf Treasurer

Hi, my name is Greg Jackson. I’ve been a T12 paraplegic since I was 21 due to a motorbike accident in 1983. I started playing golf six years ago and it has completely transformed my life.

Before I found golf, my life was at a  bit of a low point . I felt that I needed to do more with my life. I had tried all sorts of things since my motorbike accident which were enjoyable but nothing really got me hooked. So I started looking for other things to try. I Googled disability golf out of curiosity, not expecting anything to be available for a paraplegic wheelchair user. Surely it was impossible for someone with my disability to play golf I thought.

But then I  came across The Handigolf Foundation which is a registered charity that operates as a nationwide golfing society and has been promoting real golf for disabled people, particularly  for  wheelchair users, since 1988. It is run entirely on a voluntary basis by its members, for its members and provides specially adapted buggies for disabled people to play golf from. Membership costs  £220 per year, which includes buggy hire and public liability insurance. So it is a very affordable way to get into golf.

My first experience was meeting the Chair of Handigolf, Terry Kirby, at a golf driving range to hit a few balls. He too is paraplegic and he showed me the adapted buggy and demonstrated how he plays his shots. So then it was my turn and I still remember the thrill of seeing that golf ball flying high and straight  ending up past the 100 yard marker. From that moment on, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to get onto a golf course and try the real thing. So I  joined Handigolf there and then.

Golf has opened up a whole new world for me. I have made a lot of new friends since I started playing. When I first joined my local club at  Brailsford in Derbyshire, I just went round the course by myself but it wasn’t long before members started introducing themselves to me and making me feel very welcome at the club. I have since found this to be typical of the golfing world in general, it’s a very friendly environment.

As well as the great social side of golf, there is also plenty of opportunity to play competitively which I really enjoy as I am a very competitive person by nature. I play in disability golf tournaments  all over the country ,meeting golfers with all different disabilities, each  finding a way to  play some fantastic golf.

Golf is also probably the most inclusive of all sports because the handicap system allows you to compete on a level playing field against non-disabled players …it makes everyone equal.

It’s also a great way to get some fresh air in the countryside while getting some exercise.

I can’t imagine life without golf now. It’s given me so much and has massively increased my sense of wellbeing, confidence and self esteem.

My greatest golfing achievements are twice winning the National Handigolf Championship. I have also made history by becoming one of the first ever wheelchair golfers in the country to be made Captain of an non-disabled golf club at Brailsford Golf Club.

The Handigolf Foundation has allowed me to achieve all of this so I hope my experience can inspire other disabled people to get into golf and change their life as fantastically as it has changed mine. We are always on the lookout for new members because it gets very little attention/publicity compared to other disability sports. Moreover, Covid  severely impacted on the chances of gaining new members as it wasn’t possible for us to go around the country giving taster sessions and demonstrations. The lockdown also closed golf courses. So I  went from playing 2/3 times a week to nothing at all which I found really frustrating and it made me realise just how important golf is to my mental and physical wellbeing.

But now Covid restrictions are lifted it feels great to be back out on the fairways again. So, if any disabled people reading this want to give golf a try ,please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are a friendly bunch of people and  we would be more than happy to arrange a  free taster session at a driving range in your area. So why not give it a go? You have nothing to lose and possibly very much to gain! For more information visit www.handigolf.net  ,visit our Facebook page, or contact me on 07913 642066.

Brenda Duffy

Hi I’m Brenda, at just under two years I contracted poliomyelitis from the waist down – both legs being impacted.  Being the 5th child in a family of 7 children my parents brought me up encouraging me to believe I could achieve anything! As a result I just ignored the fact that I was disabled and went on to qualify as a teacher of IT and subsequently into management at the Belfast Institute of further and higher education.  In my early late teens I developed scoliosis of the spine and had a Harrington rod inserted.  I married Francis in 1988 and we subsequently had two children who continually make us proud.  I have been involved in a number of sporting activities over the years which include swimming, gym work, sit skiing in Sierra Nevada and France and more recently horse riding.  I read about Handigolf in the motability magazine and decided to follow it up. Terry Kirby (Chairman) was most helpful in getting me organised and arranged for my visit to meet a local man Mark Gibson who is a very successful Handigolf member.  I was inspired by this meeting and very impressed with Mark.  As a result my husband and I travelled to Manchester to pick up the buggy and I now can’t wait to get started.

Terry Kirby Chairman

My name is Terry Kirby and I’m Chairman of The Handigolf Foundation.
I became disabled 30 years ago after having a tumour removed from my inside my spinal cord. I had 3 operations which left mea T6 paraplegic (complete).
I started playing golf 18 months prior to this and was gutted to think I wouldn’t be able to play again. My physio knew this and as fate would have it found a flyer advertising a taster day run by Handigolf. I went to the session in Scunthorpe and found my reason for carrying on. I joined there and then and played in my first competition 4 weeks later. I went round in 132 but I didn’t care I was back playing golf. I played in the same competition a year later and won.
30 years later I still enjoy playing playing golf 2-3 times a week and can’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

Phil Meadows Secretary

I am Phil 53 years old and live with my partner Mel in Fenstanton Cambridgshire. I have a daughter Bethany who is married to Jack. I am Handigolf Secretary and I also look after the website too.

I was born in Newmarket, Suffolk in 1970 and I’ve lived around Cambridegshire since. In 1987 I was involved in road traffic accident  ( motorbike accident ) which left me paralysed from the waist down T12 / L1.

Over the years I’d tried many sports none of which I enjoyed. In 1991 I went to a Handigolf taster day at Hemingford Abbotts driving range and tried golf. To my surprise I loved the game and decided to join and get involved in competitions up and down the country. For around 10 years I stopped playing as I chased my career as a manager at Tesco and had a family. I then started playing again and wanted to take my golf to the next level so joined EDGA and last season 2023 I began to play competitive golf with them. My first event was at St Andrews Eden course Scotland  and I was blown away. I also played English Open at Kings Norton and finished second place in the stableford category, as well as many more. I was fortunate to be able to play in the first G4D Open at Woburn as well, where 80 players of all disabilities were selected to play. This event was run by DP world tour and R & A and I must say it was an absolute honour to be involved.

We at the Handigolf have several events each which are open to all, so why not come and join us.

I love playing golf, it gives me a sense of achievement, drives my competitive nature and it’s a good all round game. It helps with health, wellbeing and gets you out meeting new people. I can’t thank the Handigolf enough for introducing me to the game and would encourage anyone to give it a go.

Barry Funnell

Barry Funnell, grew up in South Africa, but has been living in the UK since 2009. He became a paraplegic in 1982 at age 20 after falling from a 3 story building. He only started playing golf in 1995, and won the South African Disabled wheelchair division twice in 2003 and 2007. He has won the Handigolf masters and Open, but injured his shoulders in 2011 after hand cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats for a Bible translation charity fundraiser. He still enjoys golf, but work and shoulder injuries are limiting his golf somewhat these days.

Olli Ingram

Hi I’m Olli from Mansfield, Notts. I’m 32 and I have a T-12 spinal cord injury from a motorbike accident in August 2022.

I started playing golf in the paragolfer in May ‘22 with Greg and the handigolf foundation and since then I placed first in my category in an international tournament in Mallorca, played golf in America and even had a couple of rounds of golf with Mike Tindall and other celebrities!

My handicap is around 40 and I’m looking to bring that right down in the next couple of years – I was only playing golf for around 18 months prior to my accident.

I’m looking forward to a big year for disabled golf and want to help push more people to get into the sport, I will be teaching an introduction to golf later this year.

David Kirkham

Hi I’m David, I’m  now into my  3rd  year of  being a Bilateral above knee amputee and using my Paragolfer to  attempt to play the of golf

Christopher Morgan