The EDGA 8-Stage development programme offers national federations an all-encompassing development programme to develop the provision of golf for the disabled. The interactive resource with the support of the EDGA development team provides national federations with the necessary expertise to further develop or initiate their support for golfers with disabilities.

How often have we heard that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step?
Q: What if we don’t know where we are right now?
Q: What if we don’t know the destination?
Q: What if that first step is in the wrong direction?
The process involves three levels of support:
1: Virtual/desk research to identify your current position within the golf for the disabled.
2: Virtual consultation to review your initial findings and implement strategies to any short falls in your desk research – consultation and resources provided by a member of the EDGA Development Team.
3: Bespoke face to face visit to implement further development actions within your country.
The EDGA 8-Stage development programme (8-Stage) is simply a map to help its users discover where they currently are, identify where they want to go, and then suggest well-worn steps they can take. Learning from the success and mistakes of others is the fast track to success. It has been how humankind has developed over millennia, but frequently action precedes consideration of what has gone before. 8-Stage considered three domains before a single word was committed to paper.
1: Sport development principles
2: The game and the industry of golf
3. People with impairments, their needs and wants
Creation:
8-Stage was conceived and constructed to be a practical tool for developing a new golf market, namely golf for the disabled. Its tenets are grounded in the above three domains and over 40 years of experience in golf development from its creators.
Many programmes use broad brush strokes, assuming that every golf industry business is the same. Anyone who understands the golf industry realises that this is not the case. 8-Stage is flexible enough to respect the tenet of “Golf should look like the community in which it resides.” 8-Stage is explicitly to attract, develop, and retain golfers with a disability, but can equally be used for underrepresented communities in golf.
The structure has three levels, Sample – Participate – Compete, and so can be tailored to the needs of any golf business and its clients.
The EDGA 8-Stage development programme has already been deployed as a development tool by EDGA with the support of The R&A across many golf federations including both established and new providers of golf for the disabled.

EDGA’s development team will assist your organisation to ensure that each step is optimised to maximise the growth of golf for the disabled within your country.
Contact EDGA’s Head of Development, PGA Fellow Professional – Mark Taylor
EDGA Development Team Office: +44 (0) 800 8611472 |