Golfing with my autistic son

[John Owens]

Hi All,

just thought I’d share my experience.

Me – 56 yr old Scotsman living in Cumbria
Him – 15 (nrly 16) yr old Scotsman living in Cumbria too, funnily enough.

We play at Seascale Golf Course. It is a belting links, a bit out of the way on the West coast. Gebe showed an interest in golf in Feb’ 24. We went to the local range and he loved it almost instantly. For those of you that are not aware, it is a bit unusual for kids with autism to show much interest in sport (I’m not saying they never do just for info). I do not push him to go out on the course, I’ll say I’m going (e.g. today 11/7) at 4 for a few holes and it is up to him if he joins in. He asks to go to the range more frequently, probably twice a week.

During this time I have become hooked. I had played before, as a kid and in my 30’s but this time I’m all in. 2 comps a week plus another couple of rounds if I can. Hcap has went from 22 to 15. This bit is just for info. 🙂

I have other, older, neuro typical kids. One is 28 and plays of 7. The others don’t golf. We, as a family, have benefited from Gabe getting into golf. I’m a bit slimmer, my mental health is better. More importantly, his mental health is better.

My point, if there is one amongst my waffle, is that golf can be for everyone and what Golf Mates does better than anywhere else I’ve seen. And, if you know anyone with neuro divergent kids it might be worth mentioning to their parents, etc.

PS – he can stripe it 270 on occasion!

[Cathal Brennan]

That’s a lovely story to hear John

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