Michelle Lau’s impressive journey in the game will reach new heights next week when the Englishwoman makes her first G4D Tour start at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
Lau, who will become the first player to compete with autism spectrum disorder, didn’t initially take to the game when she first got a taste of it in 2016 at a Get into Golf initiative in the UK, but decided to give the sport a second chance five years later after hanging up her football boots due to the fact she was getting battered and bruised every week.
“I wanted to find a sport that was a little bit gentler but also suited my traits a bit more, in terms of process orientated and quieter, that would probably be the right word,” said Lau.
“So, I thought I might as well give golf a go again, as my dad seemed to really enjoy it and I enjoyed going to the range with him. I decided that if I was going to try it, I was going to do it properly, get lessons and get out on the course to play.
“I love numbers, so once I understood the game was a statistical dream and started to learn about the mechanics, the geometry of the swing, the physics and the swing numbers, I thought to myself that if I had known about this in 2016 I probably would have picked it up and stuck with it. It suits my mind so much.
“Within autism there’s something called a special interest which has a physiological impact on you when you do it. Fortunately for me, its golf where it helps calm me down, whether it’s putting, doing a few drills or the rhythm of the swing, there’s an added benefit to me playing.”
Two years after picking up clubs for a second time, Lau found herself competing in a European Disabled Golfers Association (EDGA) event for the first time. Having autism, ADHD and playing in a competitive field of strangers away from the routine and familiarity of her home club in Cambridgeshire represented a huge personal challenge, but one she conquered with the support of the EDGA team and fellow players.
Since then, Lau has taken her game to new heights, with a top 15 finish at the EDGA Southport Golf Coast Classic and a runner-up finish in the Net category at the 2023 English Open for Golfers with Disability at Kings Norton GC, to rise up the Net division of the World Ranking for Golfers with a Disability (WR4GD) and secure her place in the inaugural event at Al Hamra Golf Club next week.
“I never ever thought I’d have the opportunity to compete at such a high level in any sport, particularly with some of my own challenges,” she said.
“The way the tour has been set up, it’s truly inclusive. You can turn up to any of the EDGA events and everyone is just there to play golf, the commonality there is that we all love the game. Disability matters, but it also doesn’t in a way as you’re not seeing the disability, you’re seeing the golfer and that’s the beauty of the G4D Tour.”
The G4D Tour @ Ras Al Khaimah Championship will be the Tour’s first ever Net competition, which has been introduced as part of a revamped schedule in an effort to further opportunities for golfers with a wider spectrum of disabilities.
The new-look calendar also guarantees two females in each event across the season.
“There’s been a lot of work done to try and increase female participation in golf, but the numbers are still small compared to non-female players,” she said.
“Having the chance to experience what I would suppose is the professional tour, because that’s what the G4D Tour is; it’s the opportunity to experience what the elite golfers do, is critical and the fact its guaranteeing two female spots is great.
“I’m not saying I’m a role model in anyway, but if I can give someone else hope who is like me by either being autistic or is a female golfer but is a little bit worried about playing in a male dominated sport, that can only be a good thing.
“The innovation and the thinking that has gone into the format of the revamped G4D Tour has to be commended.”
The G4D Tour has been a breath of fresh air since its inception in 2022, creating life changing opportunities for golfers with a disability that haven’t been there in the past. It’s been amazing to see the likes of Brendan Lawlor and Kipp Popert become household names to golf fans, but it’s also going to be refreshing to see an entire new field given the opportunity to shine on the big stage in Ras Al Khaimah thanks to the revamped format.
It may well be Lau’s first ever start on the G4D Tour, but here’s hoping it’s not her last.
“I’m really excited to see what will happen but I’m also really excited for us all as competitors as it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said.
“But maybe not, if I’m going to be optimistic I might get another opportunity in the future!”
