Almost thirty of the best amputee golfers from around the country are assembling for the Victorian Amputee Golf Championship at The Victoria Golf Club in the Melbourne Sandbelt over the weekend.
The 29-player field includes legendary amputee player Geoff Nicholas, Western Australian Tony Coates, Shaun Bakker and Steve Prior while Kath Tanner is the only woman competing in the two-day, 36-hole tournament.
Sydney’s Nicholas was the first inductee into the Amputee Golf Australia Hall of Fame, a fitting recognition for the man who won 12 consecutive British and US Amputee Open titles from 1990.
Earlier this year he won the Australian Amputee Open on the Gold Coast.
Amputee Golf Victoria President Mike Rolls said the numbers were up on account of the superb venue.
“Everyone’s licking their lips to play on a sandbelt course a month out from an Australian Open,” said Rolls.
The amputee golf community has been delighted by the response from The Victoria Golf Club as this week’s host.
“We’re thrilled that we’ve been embraced by the club that’s a jewel in the crown of the sandbelt, and it’s not just at the CEO or Captain level but by the members themselves,” said Rolls.
“There are10 members who’ve given up their Melbourne Cup weekend to come down and rake bunkers, fill divots, guide everyone around the course and just provide some support. The way that they’ve embraced us is spectacular.”
Scoring
