4 Nations Deaf Golf

The inaugural Four Nations Golf Cup was held at the Castleknock Hotel and Country Club in Dublin, during August 2011. The England team, consisting of six single figure handicap Deaf golfers, ran out the worthy winners with a score of 93, giving them a 10 shot gap over the second placed Irish Team.

Run biennially, on the odd numbered years, this year’s Championships are being hosted by the Wales Deaf Golf Association from Monday 5^th August to Friday 9^th August, at the wonderful Vale Resort, in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The Championships are contested by teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with teams made up of players who are Hard of Hearing or Deaf.

The format for the tournament is a full 18 holes pairs better-ball, match play, based on number of holes won (for example a hole won is awarded one point, halved hole awarded half a point and zero points for a hole lost) which is then accumulated at the end of the match.

The Vale is a fantastic venue, located just a 5 minute traffic free drive from the M4 motorway. The training home of the Welsh RFU, the Cardiff Blues and newly promoted Premiership side, Cardiff City, the Vale Resort, is renowned for developing sporting excellence.

The competition will be played on the National Course, the trickier and more challenging of the 2 golf courses. The Vale also boasts a decent driving range, providing golfers with an excellent facility to warm up and perfect the swing.

Long and narrow in places, the National Course is picturesque, with wooded areas in the opening holes, replaced by water hazards on the back nine. For families, friends and spectators, the facilities on site are excellent, with a top class hotel offering all of the facilities you would expect from a top class venue.

The golfing bar, offers a range of lighter meals at very affordable prices, and is a great place to sit and ponder why your score was quite so high on the National Course. The organizers are hoping to attract spectators and supporters to the event, to cheer on their national team! With the Welsh on home soil, who will collect the coveted trophy this year?