Special Olympics golf event sets new record!

The event attracted 43 golfers living with an intellectual disability from around South East Queensland.

Nambour based charity Golf Programs Australia Incorporated (GPAI) hosted Queensland’s most participated Special Olympics Australia (SOA) golf competition on Sunday 26th May at the magnificent Palmer Coolum Golf Course which attracted 43 golfers living with an intellectual disability from around Sth East Queensland.

PGA Professional and GPAI founder Darrell Dalton and his dedicated team of volunteers arrived early to set up for the Special Olympics Sunshine Coast (SOSC) event at the internationally renowned course & former home of one of the nations most prestigious golf tournaments, The Australian PGA Championships.

“To have our golfers given the opportunity to compete on a golf course of this caliber is a rarity as it’s still rated in the top 15 in the country… this is the 2nd year we’ve secured Palmer Coolum for this SOSC competition with this event setting a new record for participation in Queensland," Dalton said.

The forecast predicted a 60% chance of rain that had Darrell, his team and participants concerned the day would require a host of wet weather gear, but the Sunshine Coast lived up to its name by turning on perfect conditions for the tournament.

Competing SOA club’s travelled for the event from as far as the Gold Coast, Redland Bay, Logan, Redcliffe, Morton North, Brisbane & Ipswich with the SOSC golf program (GPAI) engaging the largest number of participants (18) for the most recent & prestigious offering on the SOA golfing calendar.

Business Development Manager, charity co-founder, Michelle Dalton and her team enlisted support from the local business community and secured sponsorship for event prizes which wowed all participants including players, volunteers and SOSC Chair Jaqui Watkins who presided over the presentation.

Palmer Coolum Golf Course and Resort General Manager David Webber provided a generous discount to participants which was a major contributing factor in securing competitor attendance to the event and certainly provided Special Olympics golfers an experience they will relish for some time to come.

Darrell added, “GPAI is blessed to have an amazing array of volunteers that absolutely love what they do and as this event falls on the last day of ‘National Volunteer Week’ we would like to express how crucial their contribution on days like the Palmer Coolum event are to its success … thank you one and all”.

Without doubt the attendance of the SOSC Chair, Jaqui Watkins who returned from Japan the previous day to

officiate over the event on Sunday added prestige but GPAI was also impressed she arrived early with camera in hand and said ‘’put me to work’… so we did!.

It is safe to say Special Olympics Sunshine Coast is in good hands.

Those contributing to the generous range of prizes included local MP for Nicklin, the Honorable Rob Skelton, Golf World Kawana, Fun-Lab (Holey Moley), Bendigo Bank Woombye, Nambour Heights Butchery, Lisa & Craig Khoury, Tursa Employment Nambour, Christine Troy-Perry, The Honorable Ted O’Brien MP, Queensland Senator McGrath’s office, Poole Group & Maleny Cuisine.