Amputee golf event back in Wales

Golf is a major part of my life and I play four or five times a week John Novak

Amputee golfers from around the world are taking part in a prestigious annual tournament in the south Wales valleys.

More than 50 golfers are competing in the British Amputee Golf Association event at the Bryn Meadows resort near Ystrad Mynach.

The competitors have flown to Wales from places as far afield as South Africa and the United States.

Bryn Meadows first hosted the competition in 1989 after enthusiast Brian Mayo lost both his legs.

He had contracted meningitis after licking a golf ball contaminated by weed killer.

Mr Mayo died in 1999, but his family who own Bryn Meadows are welcoming back golfers for the four-day event.

John Novak, from Ohio in the United States, has been playing golf for more than 20 years after losing an arm in an accident.

"I was doing a power line inspection and I got electrocuted," said Mr Novak, who uses a prosthetic arm to play golf.

"I fell 60ft into the water and some fishermen pulled me out, they saved my life.

The British Amputee Golf Association tournament started in 1989

"Golf is a major part of my life and I play four or five times a week.

"I'm not working any longer so it allows me to get out and enjoy myself."

Major competition

Dennis Ithal, from Oklahoma in the United States, lost an arm in an accident at a paper mill 31 years ago and uses a special attachment to help him hold his clubs.

"I lost my arm in November 1977 and I was out playing in the spring of 1978.

"I play in a lot of tournaments all around the world and we have a lot of them in the States.

"This is the British Open to us, this is one of the major ones."

Dave Mooney, from Ireland, used to play golf before he lost his hand in accident.

But he said his former playing partners were not convinced he would ever play again.

Brian Mayo founded the tournament after losing both his legs

"One of the guys that I played with in Dublin said 'your golf days are finished' and I proved him wrong," he said.

The tournament, which is played each year at different courses around the UK, and the British Amputee Golf Association were both founded by Mr Mayo.

It was an unusual habit on the golf course that led to Mr Mayo, from Blackwood, contracting meningitis and losing both his legs in 1980.

His wife Fay said he would often lick his golf ball then wipe it clean before taking a putt.

"He was in a coma for 11 days and then woke up," she said.

"The only thing they could attribute it to was the weedkiller on the greens."

Mr Mayo's son Gary, 40, said his father was inspired to pick up his golf clubs again after reading a book in hospital.

"The thing that got him into amputee golf was Douglas Bader, the World War II pilot who lost both his legs.

"My dad read a book (about Bader) after he had his legs amputated and also met Bader and he inspired my dad.

"He was my dad's hero.

Golfing heroes

"He was back on the course six weeks after he came out of hospital using his Mercedes as a golf cart!"

Brian Mayo decided to buy out his partners at Bryn Meadows golf club and set about developing the site.

It is now a multi-million pound leisure resort, still run by his family, featuring a golf course, four-star hotel and spa.

But the family are still keen to encourage links with amputee golf and were delighted that the 20th tournament would be played at Bryn Meadows.

"Legacy is a bit of a romantic word but there's definitely a legacy my dad's left in terms of amputee golf," said his son.

"I would think he's looking down now with some of his golfing heroes and he would be pretty chuffed with the way it's turned out."