By Paul Evans
The 2023 Para Sports Festival will begin with the Welsh Para Golf Open, which will take place at Langland Bay Golf Club on Monday 10 July.
The week-long, multi-sports and multi-venue festival will bring eight major events to Swansea Bay between 10-16 July, including Wales’ biggest insport Series event (11 July), Boccia UK Team Championships (12/13 July), Wales v Scotland Deaf Football international (14 July), British Para Fencing Championships and Welsh Para Target Shooting Open (14/15 July), Wheelchair Rugby Welsh Open (15 July) and finally the World Triathlon Para Series Swansea.
This is the first time that the Welsh Para Golf Open has been a part of the Para Sports Festival.
Organised by Disability Sport Wales and Wales Golf, 36 of the country’s best para golfers will tee off at the Gower course which was voted ‘Welsh Club of the Decade 2010-2020’ and that’s been described as ‘The Pebble Beach of Wales’.
⛳️ Para Golf – Welsh Open @wales_golf
📅 Monday 10th July
📍 Langland Bay Golf ClubEntries open via the link below on a first come first served basis:
🔗 https://t.co/zFMTA1X3MS pic.twitter.com/RycUAhH3Om— Disability Sport Wales (@dsw_news) June 13, 2023
Morgan Jones, a double (and reigning) Wales Golf Festival Disability champion, will be one of the top players taking part in the Welsh Para Golf Open.
“I only started playing golf because my best mate played it, and I would go and just hit a few balls with him at the range,” says Jones.
“When I graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University, I noticed that there was a Welsh Disabled Golf Association and it organised events across South Wales, so I decided to take the sport up properly.
“I’m lucky enough to have won the Wales Golf Festival Disability Championship twice and played at the Phoenix Cup – which is a fully inclusive team international event based on the Ryder and Solheim Cup format, with a team from Wales, England and Scotland taking on America.
“I’m really looking forward to the Welsh Para Golf Open because I’ve never played at Langland Bay Golf Club before.
“I don’t know whether I should play a practice round or not beforehand, because sometimes I play better when I haven’t seen the course at all!
“Welsh para golf is really taking off and we’ve got some super powerful golfers in Wales that are doing a fantastic job out on the European tour.
“There are many better golfers than me, but because we use the handicap system it levels the playing field and then it all comes down to who plays best against the handicap on the day.”
To find out how and where to Spectate, Volunteer and/or Take Part in the 2023 Para Sport Festival, please visit parasportfestival.co.uk
The Para Sport Festival comprises a mixture of Take Part events and Competitive events. #PSF23☀️ @SwanseaCouncil @WGCulture
📅 10th – 16th July 2023
Find out more:
🔗 https://t.co/nLEFKIlcwq pic.twitter.com/yZwhSQ1nqS— Disability Sport Wales (@dsw_news) June 6, 2023