Brad Smith: Disability golf champion calls for Paralympic inclusion

It’s clear Smith would be a candidate to represent ParalympicsGB if and when the sport does gain Paralympic status.

The 27-year-old started playing golf as a teenager but had to have his right leg amputated at the age of 22 and said the transition to disabled golf was difficult.

“I lost my leg to a rare form of bone cancer and I had to learn to walk again,” Smith said.

“I found out about disability golf and started playing – and it got bigger and bigger every year.

“It was a struggle. Getting back into golf with one leg, there was a lot of bad shots and a lot of trial and error.”

Smith is a member at the Royal Cromer course in Norfolk and said winning back-to-back English Opens was a dream come true.

“To win the first time around was one of my goals, to win it again the next year was a very, very good feeling,” he added.

Smith said his perspective on the sport has changed since losing his leg and that he is now more capable of controlling his emotions on the course.

“When I had two legs I was quite an angry golfer,” he said.

“If I had a bad hole, I’d be angry for the next hole. Now I don’t get anywhere near as angry as I used to. By the next shot it’s completely forgotten.”

England Golf runs more than 50 tournaments, external a year for disabled golfers and Smith says the sport is on the rise.

“The future is looking bright for disability golf – growing the game, getting kids into it and promoting it on a bigger scale,” he said.