Brendan Swan will mark another significant milestone this week as the County Meath men’s captain tees up in the inaugural ISPS Handa Irish Close for Golfers with Disabilities at his home club tomorrow.
Swan will be one of 33 players competing in the 36-hole championship, which features Stroke Play and Stableford formats, with the field also competing within their respective Sport Classes.
Swan had his left arm amputated as a result of an industrial accident in 1985 and took up the game of golf in 1989 having been introduced to the game by a group of friends.
“I wasn’t aware of any other one-armed golfers in Ireland. I thought I was the only one at the time in 1989,” said Swan.
“A few of my mates were playing golf and they asked me to come along one day, and I hit a few golf balls when I was out with them, and I thought, I’ll have to have a go at this.”
“I went to Adam Whiston in Royal Tara, and he had a look at my swing and his advice at the time was you would probably have a better short game playing right-handed. I got a set of right-handed clubs and like anything, the more I practiced the luckier I got.”
The Trim native joined County Meath in 1991 and has achieved so much throughout his 30 plus year playing career, including winning the World One-Armed Golf Championship in 2001. Now, as Swan takes on the role of men’s captain for 2026, his work in helping to bring the ISPS Handa Irish Close to his home course is set to be one of his proudest achievements.
“It’s fantastic. I know when I was part of the one-armed society back in the day it was always a tough thing to get more interest in disability golf. The strides in the last five or six years have been unbelievable, especially in Ireland, Golf Ireland have really taken the lead in that.”
“Whatever happens through the rest of this year, to be able to look back and say I was responsible for bringing this event to the club and who knows what else that will open up going forward. Maybe in a few years’ time there might be an Irish Open or some European championships further down the line.”
Swan will have the honour of leading out the field as he begins his championship at 9.15am teeing up alongside Cian Arthurs (Roganstown) and David Rock (Ballykisteen)
For Swan, the opportunity to welcome the championship to County Meath is something he is particularly proud of, with the club and its members fully embracing the occasion.
“I can really enjoy this. I’m club captain, I can go out and enjoy my golf. I think everybody will have a great few days there,” said Swan.
“With ISPS Handa behind it, it’s great and I’m just delighted to have the opportunity in County Meath to host the event.”
“The amount of work the club and course superintendent Diarmuid and his team are doing, they have left no stone unturned. The course is in great condition. The members are looking forward to it, and are going to attend and support, the club is fully behind the event.”
View tee times and scoring here
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