Golf Clubs Awarded €112,000 in Sport Ireland’s ‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Fund

Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly

Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly says the organisation were delighted with recent funds allocated to them by Sport Ireland as they continue to strive for equal opportunities for all. 

Thirty-eight golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland have been awarded a combined total of €112,000 as part of the ‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Fund, supported by the Dormant Accounts Fund and Sport Ireland. 

Clubs were invited to apply for this fund through Golf Ireland in August 2022, where they could apply for between €1,000 and €5,000 to support disability-specific activities in the areas of disability inclusion education and training, disability inclusion programmes, and small-scale equipment or infrastructure. 

And Golf Ireland CEO Kennelly is thrilled with the investment as the fund allows golf clubs to connect meaningfully with their community by initiating or enhancing current disability-inclusive activities.  

“This recent allocation of funding is a great boost to the fantastic work ongoing in golf clubs around the country,” said Kennelly.  

“Golf Ireland aims to make golf more inclusive and accessible to everyone in the community, regardless of ability. The number of clubs engaging with us to create opportunities for people with disabilities is growing, and we are proud of their work.  

“I know the clubs will value this funding, and we look forward to continuing the rollout of our inclusion plans in partnership with our clubs.”  

Edenderry Golf Club are one of the recipients of this fund. The club run a programme called the Golf4All programme for children with Autism. Golf Ireland recently caught up with the club to learn about how they started the programme and how it runs weekly.

“We meet up once a week on a Monday evening. We show them some golf skills, putting and chipping on the practise ground and then we bring them down the course and we play some holes,” said Edenderry Golf Professional, Ken O’Brien. 

“Skills are developing all the time. The kids are well able to chip and putt and hit their long shots now. You can see the kids coming out of themselves and being a lot more chatty and friendly with each other.  

“And the thing I noticed is that they keep coming back and numbers are growing. That to me is the success of the programme.”