To see Alex Gridley tee his ball up on the first hole at Ranfurlie Golf Club for the Special Olympics event, and after a couple of practice swings, send it flying down the middle of the fairway was impressive. No first tee nerves in sight.

What stood out even more though, was the speech he gave after the competition – which he won by the way – capturing the collective feeling in the room and bringing his father, Don, to tears.

Upon receiving his gold medal from PGA Australia Member and coach Scott McDermott, Alex spoke of how much golf means to him and his peers in the room. How impactful the sport has been on their lives. And how the sport has helped bring them together and build a social community.

Alex was diagnosed with a rare and mostly physical disability, Langer–Giedion syndrome Type 2 at a young age. Caused by a deletion of a small section of material on chromosome 8, the most common features associated with the condition include mild to moderate learning difficulties, short stature, unique facial features and small head and skeletal abnormalities.

For Alex, his condition largely affects his balance and mobility, which he says golf has been tremendous for, but the benefits golf has had on his life go far beyond the physical.

"Golf has definitely benefited me physically," he said. "I feel stronger, I feel I can move a bit more freely.

"Some of my disability means physically, there's movement limitations to what I can do, and golf has helped free those up.

"What golf has brought me more broadly though has been social interaction, which has had a massive impact on my life."

When Alex first begun seeing McDermott in 2022 for regular lessons, a major goal on the horizon was to represent Victoria at the Special Olympics National Games later that year in Launceston.

"I spent ten months with Scotty (McDermott) practising and training," he said. "My goal was just to play; I didn't ever expect to win the nine-hole competition or even just keep improving.

"It was just a huge surprise and a huge achievement, the first achievement that I've worked and put effort in and got the reward off."

The Games at Launceston was also the first instance Alex experienced the social connection through golf which has had such a profound impact on him, and it is clear how much the Special Olympics events continue to foster this connection.

"Meeting other players down at Launceston, other players that have different disabilities, but have found a way to get the best out of their disability was very inspiring," Alex said.

"The Special Olympics events are so important because they bring everyone together and allow us to have conversations and make friends outside of our own circles.

"I think social interaction, as much as the Special Olympics have also helped individually for my golf game, has skyrocketed for me thanks to these events."

While golf in general has helped Alex immensely, his weekly sessions with McDermott at the PGA Academy at Sandhurst Club have taken his game and all the benefits associated with it to a new level, and although McDermott makes Alex work incredibly hard, he could not speak higher of his coach.

"He's phenomenal," he said. "He does a lot of hard work behind the scenes for us and individually with the Special Olympics.

"The coaching, the tips, the communication, is right up there, and I admire the talk through on course learning, particularly at times where I have elevated my expectations.

"Of course, disappointments will happen in golf, and he's really good at shifting my perspective. He's there to say, 'maybe that is a bad shot, but Alex, you've hit a good drive, you've hit a good 3-wood, or you've hit a good putt', there are good things in that particular hole to be more positive about.

That shift in perspective was an incredible turning point for Alex, who admits that he sets quite high expectations on himself.

"That conversation between him and I has been huge for me. His forgiveness and understanding, empathy and compassion that he has on those bad shots, and then bringing it back to what I'm doing right is extremely important mentally," he said.

"That's what I am grateful to him for, as much as the skills and teaching, which he has been just as compassionate with.

“I'm not an average person with my hips and body, but Scott has suggested and worked out a way where I can fully maximise what I can do."

As one of the more experienced players in the Victorian Special Olympics team, it felt natural for Alex to grab the microphone at Ranfurlie as an unofficial representative for his peers, but by doing so he hopes to have ignited something in the younger golfers in the room.

"I think being a voice for other people is inspiring and nice, but I also would love to encourage others to share their opinions and find their voice too, so they can one day represent others as well."