A Paralympic champion brings a different voice to Welsh golf
On 15 October 2026, Wales Golf announced that Matt Bush, a gold medallist in para-taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, had become one of its ambassadors. The 37-year-old from Pembrokeshire will help the national governing body encourage people to try golf, including those who may previously have assumed the sport was not for them. Independent trade publication Golf Business News reported and corroborated the appointment on 16 October.
The announcement is not a move into professional golf. Bush's role is to share his own journey, introduce newcomers to the game and point to ways of participating in recreational and disability golf. The appointment comes as Wales Golf is expanding its inclusion work.
Learning to play with one hand
Bush was born without his left hand and forearm. He first approached golf as a second sport he could continue to enjoy after his taekwondo career. It soon became a sporting challenge in its own right. Swinging with his right hand, he has already broken 100 for a round.
His technique also presents practical equipment questions. At 6ft 6in, and with a ball position different from that of many golfers, he has needed clubs suited to his build and swing. Wales Golf introduced him to PING for a custom fitting. The story illustrates how equipment can be adapted to a player rather than assuming every golfer can use the same setup.
Bush is also seeking to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games in taekwondo. Qualification remains an ambition, not a secured place.
What the Welsh initiatives actually involve
On 5 October, Wales Golf presented its Inclusive High Performance Pathway, intended to provide a progression route for golfers with disabilities who want to pursue competitive goals. Bush's public-facing role could help people discover that pathway; it does not itself confer a team place or a financial award.
Wales hosted The G4D Open for the first time in May 2026, at Celtic Manor near Newport. Separately, a £500,000 accessibility fund supported by the Welsh Government and Sport Wales had already been established, with 32 supported projects announced in September. These developments form the background to the appointment. They should not be mistaken for a new payment to Bush or a fund launched on the day he became ambassador.
The bigger test: getting people onto courses
Bush offers a link between elite disability sport and everyday golf. For a potential newcomer worried about physical barriers, seeing how someone has learnt to play with one hand may matter more than a conventional promotional message. Whether the wider effort succeeds will still depend on accessible clubs, coaching, equipment and opportunities to practise.
Location: Wales, golf jurisdiction GB-WLS, rather than the United Kingdom as a single golf nation. Official announcement: Wales Golf, 15 October 2026, https://www.walesgolf.org/news-detail?newsarticleid=153. Independent confirmation: Golf Business News, 16 October 2026, https://www.golfbusinessnews.com/news/growing-the-game/wales-golf-appoints-paralympic-champion-to-ambassadorial-role/.
Image note: archival 2011 view of the Roman Road course at Celtic Manor, venue for the Welsh G4D Open. It does not depict Matt Bush or his appointment.
