Australia’s ever-increasing list of state and national championships for golfers with disability continues to grow with the announcement of the first-ever Australian Wheelchair Golf Championship, to be played within the Vic Open at 13th Beach on 12-13 February.

The Championship will be played in conjunction with the Victorian Inclusive Championship on the Creek Course during the weekend play of next years’ Vic Open.

Announced on Friday at Barwon Heads Golf Club, the Australian Wheelchair Golf Championship was made possible through the continual support of disability support organisation GenU, the Victorian Traffic Accident Commission (TAC) and the Barwon heads Golf Club who have surpassed over $100K of fundraising for two Paragolfers and further support of the Australian Wheelchair Golf Championship.

“We want to thank the Barwon community in particular GenU and the TAC for their ongoing efforts in supporting disability inclusion within golf across Victoria” said Christian Hamilton, Senior Manager for Inclusion for Golf Australia.

“This Championship is the result of years of continual support through the annual GenU Stand Up and Play Charity Day. The team at GenU along with Barwon Heads Golf Club have been behind this initiative from the start and I’m sure I speak for players and everyone at GA that their support is hugely appreciated”, Hamilton added. 

Australia now has over 40 Paragolfer chairs across the country, thanks to the ongoing support of Empower Golf Australia, their founder James Gribble and various state accident insurance bodies and the NDIS. The Paragolfer is a powerchair that enables seated players to stand and play golf.

Gribble who will be in the field, is Australia’s top ranked quadriplegic golfer and highlighted the importance of full player pathway to National Championships for “come and try” participants to stay connected and remain in sport.

“The addition of the Australian Wheelchair Golf Championship will help drive future participation and retention for a lot of our clinic and coaching participants coming back to the sport after what can be lifechanging events," Gribble said. 

The championship will be the first World Ranking event for Golfers with a Disability (WR4GD) in Australia for 2022. It will kick start a full season for inclusive championships across the country with the addition of the Tasmanian Inclusive Championship, to be played within the Tasmanian Open the following week from February 24-26.

Further information and full list of Inclusive Championships for Golfers with Disability can be found at www.golf.org.au/allabilities

There was also a major annonuncement for the PGA Tour today.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions today announced that four of the world’s leading all abilities golfers from four different countries will compete in the ISPS HANDA All Abilities Champions Playoff, which will be contested Jan. 6-7 during the first and second rounds of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Bay Course and The Plantation Course. 

The ISPS HANDA All Abilities Champions Playoff is a collaborative effort between ISPS HANDA and the Sentry Tournament of Champions to create an event that provides some of the best all  abilities players in the world the opportunity to share the same test as the world’s best golfers in a world-class location. The ISPS HANDA All Abilities Champions Playoff mirrors the Sentry Tournament of Champions as it brings together the winners from four of the world’s biggest all abilities events.