Eligibility Assessors

Christian's CV is impressive, but outweighs his experience working on international golf courses, is his innate desire to ensure golf is accessible to everyone. In December 2017, Golf Victoria along with TAC and the State Government of Victoria launched Empower Golf Australia, a monthly "come and try' program open to people with disabilities. The idea behind the initiative is to provide people with disabilities with an opportunity to give "golf a go" in a social and supportive setting.

View the EDGA profile for Christian Hamilton

Prior to her career in physiotherapy, Lindsey worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and continues to integrate her knowledge of exercise and movement retraining into her daily practice. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys Olympic Weightlifting, golfing, and spending time at the lake with family and friends.

Kanta Services
"When we see a patient, for example, due to a knee complaint, they may not necessarily have a completely clear idea of what kind of examinations and treatment they have already received. Perhaps the knee has already been X-rayed on the public healthcare side," explains Markku Varpela, Specialist in Orthopaedics, Surgery and Traumatology at the Aava Medical Centre.

"When the patient’s treatment information is accessible in the Kanta system, we can avoid unnecessary duplication of work. That way, the quality of care improves considerably."

More about Dr Markku at Aava website

Started playing 1991, became a Finnish PGA member 2010. Played pro golf at the satellite tours in Europe 2010-2014. Got my amateur status back at 2019.

After I ended my playing golf pro carrier (studied alongside), I started working as a physiotherapist 2015. Since then have worked with Esport Honka football team 2015-2019 years managing to get an Europe league qualification spot 2019. At the beginning of the 2020,  I found IF Gnistan football team where I had a possibility to create something new with other team staff. I also work in Aava Orto-lääkärit, where I've been working now for almost four years, mostly with lower limb patient.  I'm glad to have a chance to work with golf and with EDGA players.

 More about Dr Lindfors at Aava website

Key people: President — Marc Truffaut (France) Executive Director — Nick Parr (UK)
Formerly called: INAS-FID, INAS-FMH
Type of business: Non-profit organisation

Private practitioner in Siena Tuscany - Italy
Since 2016 - to present Physiotherapist Female and Male Golf National Team and Paralympic

Work Experience

Since 1985 Working as a Private Practitioner
1988 to 1990 collaborator of the institute for the disabled in Brescia
1988 to 1994 Collaborator at the Orthopedic Trauma Center in the Mountain Central Alps
1996 to 2005 professional collaboration with Mr. Mino Damato in Romania for the planning of social and humanitarian interventions in HIV children.
Since April 2002 – to present Adjunct Professor Physiotherapy Degree -University of Siena
Since 2014 to present Head of Physio Team Golf Alps Tour

Education

2007: Master of Science in Healthcare Rehabilitation Professions” final mark 110/110 with honors- University of Pisa.

2002: Bachelor in Phisiotherapy ” final mark 110/110 with honors – University of Siena

1985: Therapist of rehabilitation Diploma University of Milan

Many other courses on musculoskeletal topics and methods (Evidence Based Rehabilitation, spinal manipulation, electromyography, trigger points, McKenzie, Cyriax, J.Cook, Childs, Flynn, , McClure, ect) with national and International speakers

I’m also a Tournament Team Executive where I assist players with advice and practical support for EDGA badged events either in person, by email or by phone. One of the main goals of our Tournament Team is to encourage event organisers to create more events at every level for golfers with disabilities (with or without an R4GD pass), and to increase the opportunities for more individuals to participate and compete in EDGA badged tournaments along with National tournaments for Golfers with disability.

In 1993 I started as Junior Secretary at an International Bank as a Management Assistant before becoming the International Secretary for the Director of Global affairs. Later on in my career, I become the director of a golf course in Holland. In 2006 I starting to work for Golfers with disability and in 2010 I officially started to work with EDGA. I am native Dutch and also speak English, German and French.

I live in The Netherlands with my husband Frederic Cupillard and we have two gorgeous sons Sébastien (2015) and Maxime (2017). My hobbies include tennis, golf, painting, books and art.

Professor Hans is Dutch, lives in the Netherlands but his work has taken him to hospitals from the USA to the Dutch Antilles over a long and distinguished medical career. Playing golf as a student, he put the sport aside for 30 years before taking it up again with enthusiasm and becoming a decent club player. A teacher and mentor of his called Professor Wim Eisma has been a leading figure from the early days of EDGA. “Wim was my tutor for 20 years,” explains Hans. “In 2010 he contacted me and said, ‘do you know someone who likes golf and is interested in getting involved with EDGA?’ And I said, ‘Well… maybe… I am!’ ”

In 2012 Mark became a PGA Tutor and a further recent appointment as a Golf Development Professional followed for the R&A ‘Working for Golf’ program delivering coach education programmes in Argentina, Egypt, India, Greece and Lebanon to name just a few.  Mark has trained hundreds of Golf Professionals through the PGA Inclusive Golf Programme in how to introduce coaching to golfers with disabilities into their everyday practice, making their clubs inclusive hubs within the community. Mark continues to coach at his indoor studio in Cheshire and retains a keen passion for coaching.

Since September 2017 Mark has been appointed Development Director for EDGA, responsible for developing golf provision for golfers with disabilities across 26 international member countries.

Mark is currently leading on disability projects in Scotland, Portugal and Austria assisting clubs and PGA Professionals on the understanding and importance of making golf central to the community. Mark would like to further grow awareness of the EDGA organisation throughout 2018 by introducing various disability awareness training options to the member countries and targeting more women and girls with disabilities to our sport through specific development initiatives.

LinkedIn

He recently retired as Chief Medical Officer of the PGA European Tour and was responsible for their worldwide operation, their advisory board and their research program. He is a member of the Medical Commission of the International Golf Federation (IGF).

Roger's main clinical interest is in the role of exercise and, more recently, the role of “sport” in health and has published widely on the role of golf in health. He has campaigned strongly for a team based “medical” approach to musculoskeletal problems and promotes the benefits of exercise and the risks of inactivity. He views golf as an ideal sport for those with a wide range of impairments which has led to his interest in helping to develop golf in this area.

Peter is the Head of Visual Function and Physiology Research group at the Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). His areas of expertise include refractive error development, vision and reading, vision in sports, physical activity and its effect on physical and mental wellbeing and visual function in specialist populations.

Background
Peter is the Professor of Optometry and Visual Science. In his research Peter collaborates with colleagues in the UK and in Australia, The Netherlands, US and Germany. He is an assessor and examiner for the College of Optometrists.

In 2013 Peter was awarded the Neil Charman Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in optical research, in recognition of his work on visual stress and the link between reading difficulties and perceptual distortion.

More about Professor Allen at ARU webpage

As a clinician-researcher, Dr Jayabalan takes clinical problems he sees in his patients and aims to find innovative solutions for them in the research lab. His research uses biomarker analyses (from urine and/or blood) to develop efficacious exercise regimens for people with musculoskeletal injury or disease. This fits into the future concept of individualized and personalized medicine, using someone's biological profile to find an appropriate exercise program for them. He has multiple ongoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) and non-NIH funded research projects with the ultimate goal of optimizing the performance, function and recovery of patients with musculoskeletal disease.

More about Dr Jayabalan at Shirley Ryan Abilitylab

His journey includes:​

• Working with athletes from amateur to professional

• Developed the sports medicine program for Cherokee County school system

• Five-year clinical study in pediatric sports medicine and continued clinical innovation/discoveries in sports medicine with Dr. Thomas Myers. MD

• Clinical site for several physical therapy programs across the country to include initial location for Emory University's orthopaedic residency program

• Teaches at higher education institutions

She worked for a number of years in a private hospital serving in and out-patient care. Nikki returned to her studies, completing multiple post-graduate courses including OMT1 (2008), dry needling and treatment of the TMJ. It is here that her interest in neck-related injuries sparked, completing her OMT thesis in the study and spinal treatment of Dizziness in Cervicogenic Patients.

A keen long-distance runner herself, having competed in multiple trail and ultra-marathon road events, she enjoys diagnosing and treating runners to return them to the road and trails again.

Nikki enjoys helping others improve their quality of life through exercise and is a stern believer in functional strength training.

Nikki is also the South African Disabled Golf Association’s Eligibility Assessor since 2016. She is involved in the assessment and classification of disabled golfers to classify for World Rankings as per the EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association) guidelines. She was invited as one of two South African delegates to attend the International Eligibility Conference in the UK.

Nikki is her happiest outdoors, on a mountain trail, surrounded by nature. She has a keen interest in photography and design.