Staff WriterIf you think golf is merely a polite walk spoiled, spend five minutes at the G4D Open and you’ll witness something far more compelling: 80 players whose swings double as masterclasses in resilience.
Beginning Thursday, the G4D Open sets up camp on Woburn’s Duchess Course (15-17 May), and it promises enough drama to make even the stately pines blush.
A championship built on inclusion
Launched in 2023 by the DP World Tour and The R&A— with the ever-energetic EDGA lending its muscle — the G4D Open may be the youngest event in elite golf, but it already feels like an old soul.
Nine sport classes embrace Standing, Sitting, Visual and Intellectual impairment groups, allowing amateurs and professionals alike to chase glory over 54 holes of pure gross-stroke pressure.
- Field size: 80 men and women
- Countries represented: 20, spanning Australia to the USA
- Age range: 18 to 79 — proof the competitive fire doesn’t care about birth certificates
Popert vs. Lawlor: Round Three
England’s Kipp Popert, the world No. 1 on the WR4GD, is back to defend his title after swapping post-surgery crutches for wedges.
“Fit again” doesn’t quite capture it; the lad swings like a lawn-mower on espresso. Chasing him is Ireland’s effervescent Brendan Lawlor, inaugural champion in 2023 and runner-up 12 months later.
Toss in Canadian shot-maker Chris Willis and you’ve got a leaderboard that looks like a United Nations of short games.
On the women’s side, Dutch sensation Daphne van Houten will try to keep her crown under increasingly crowded skies: the female entry list has jumped from 11 to 18, a statistic everyone in golf should laminate and stick on the fridge.
Global flavour, local roots
Seven Australians have braved the 10,000-mile trek, among them world No. 4 Lachlan Wood. Four competitors arrive from Japan, while home fans can cheer the mother-daughter duo of Martine and Heather Gilks, returning for an encore.
Former European Tour winner Zane Scotland will roam the grounds as The R&A’s diversity ambassador, proving once again that good ideas occasionally out-drive the bad ones.
Why Woburn?
Because history matters. This Bedfordshire gem staged Final Qualifying for The Open (2014-17) and the 2019 AIG Women’s Open, usually on the Marquess Course.
The Duchess, though, is no aristo pushover: narrow corridors, heather-topped bunkers and greens that whisper “three-putt” if you so much as blink.
Spectators welcome — and it won’t cost a penny
Car-parking and admission are free, which means your biggest expense could be the bacon bap you inhale on the 1st tee.
Bring binoculars, a rain jacket (this is England) and a healthy sense of perspective; you’ll leave with more than you brought.
More than a tournament
The G4D Open dovetails with golf’s broader push for accessibility, following the adoption of Modified Rules for Players with Disabilities and the launch of the G4D Tour in 2022.
Each event runs shoulder-to-shoulder with a DP World Tour stop, reminding us that fairways are wide enough for everyone.
Need-to-know
- Dates: Thursday 15 May – Saturday 17 May 2025
- Venue: Duchess Course, Woburn Golf Club, Bedfordshire
- Format: 54-hole gross stroke play, men’s & women’s titles plus class trophies
- Entry: Free for spectators and parking
Whether you’re a scratch golfer, an armchair analyst or simply in need of fresh inspiration, the G4D Open delivers the sort of storylines Hollywood would reject as too on-the-nose.
And as any caddie worth his salt will tell you, there’s no better soundtrack than the thwack of a golf ball struck with purpose — especially when that purpose is proving nothing can keep a good swing down.
