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The G4D Open
The G4D Open | Meet Cian Arthurs and Mette Havnaas
09 May 25
Long read
Cian Arthurs returns to The G4D Open next week (15-17 May) as a father with a fresh perspective on life – and determined to impress on the big stage at Woburn.
The Irishman played in the inaugural championship in 2023, finishing in a creditable tie for 33rd place. Arthurs, a former World One Armed champion, watched from afar last year as his life began a wonderful new chapter with the birth of his twin boys, Cobe and Archie. The demands of becoming a new dad have rightly taken priority over recent months, but the 32-year-old is travelling across the Irish Sea in buoyant mood thanks to the spur from his home life.New perspective
“I have twin boys now and they will be a year-old on 8th May,” he states. “It was going to be a little difficult to play last year a week after they were born. Things have settled down a bit now at home and I’m out there playing more. “Last year was a slow year, I maybe only played once a week, and other things took preference and I probably didn’t play as much as I would have liked. It definitely has affected my play, my handicap index has gone up three shots. I’m down to 5.5 again but when I registered for this week I was 6.3. “I wouldn’t change it for the world and it kind of gives you a new perspective. I was always very hard on myself on the course and my mindset has changed, it’s not the be all and end all. Even if you have a bad day, you go home to the two little lads and see their faces. It gives you instant joy, it’s brilliant. I’m actually hitting the ball quite well and I can’t wait to get back to The G4D Open.” Arthurs lost his right arm in a lawnmower accident when he was just two-years-old but has never allowed his disability to stand in his way.
Third championship staging
Inspired by countrymen like Brendan Lawlor – the first winner of The G4D Open – the Dubliner sits 84th on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability and aims to showcase his talent at the venue near Milton Keynes. Now in its third edition, The G4D Open – an event staged in partnership with The R&A and the DP World Tour with EDGA acting in an advisory role – sees 80 players representing 20 countries compete over the renowned Duchess Course at Woburn. Tales of courage and inspiration are to be found within a worldwide field. “I really enjoyed it in 2023, I probably put myself under pressure as I was a bit nervous,” admits Arthurs. “It was the first time the championship had been held and against those top lads it was a little daunting. “I can shoot low scores and I’m trying to do as well as I can against the likes of Brendan and Kipp. It needs to all come together. I have an awful habit of shooting a level par round following a ten-over round. I need to stay fully focused. “I’m playing with solely one hand on the golf club, and people doing that may not even be able to hit the ball, never mind drive it 280 yards. To get to play such a prestigious course in the event that it is, it's great. It’s a truly amazing championship.”Spain practice
Arthurs warmed up for this week with practice at El Chapparal Golf in Spain, where his parents have a house. Learning lessons from two years ago, his strategy for Woburn is simple – stay out of the trees. “I’ve put a 2-iron in the bag which I will probably use a lot but because there is no fun in missing fairways around there,” said the Roganstown Golf Club player. “For me, I hit the ball quite far so it’s not the longest track but it’s quite easy to rack up numbers when you’re not hitting the ball straight. “If you’re not the right side of the fairway, you are coming in from the wrong angle with overhanging branches and it can be tough. I think it’s going to be a lot of target golf, finding greens and hopefully I can post a decent score. I definitely won’t be hitting driver as much as I did the last time.”
Golf Ireland support
Arthurs competes in the Standing 2 sport class and is at the vanguard of the development of golfers with a disability. With support from Golf Ireland, he loves playing his part in helping the sport flourish. He adds, “Disabled golf is becoming so big now with all the events we have every year and the recognition we are getting. With Golf Ireland, we have so much backing. This generation of golfers with disability are the driving force behind it too, going and playing events and putting on a show – driving diversity and inclusivity in golf. “We just want to show up and play and be seen on the biggest stages. Woburn and the likes are giving us that opportunity. I started playing in one event pre-Covid-19 and then got into it properly after the pandemic. How much it’s grown in the last three or four years is a testament to everyone involved, really.”Havnaas determined to impress
Ask Mette Havnaas, a golfer who is blind, how she will approach the considerable challenge of The G4D Open at Woburn, and she laughs. Clearly, the word ‘challenge’ means different things to different people. “We will stick to our routines, the most important thing is to have a good game plan,” says Mette, who makes her debut on the undulating Duchess Course. Mette is in sport class Visual 1, assisted by her ‘guide’, caddie and husband Birger, who first encouraged her to take up golf in 2019. That same year, Birger guided Mette over rivers, ravines and boulders in the Himalayas, climbing into the clouds; one of many challenges the smiling Norwegian has met square on. However, Mette admits the tension level has been dialled up for this championship. “It will be very exciting for us, meeting new players and also the friends we have already made in EDGA events,” says Mette. “We are very proud to play in The G4D Open, to fly the flag for Norway and for people who are visually impaired.”
Norwegian backing
Mette knows that family and friends, the Norwegian Golf Federation (NGF), and everyone at her home club of Vestfold GC will be cheering her on. With assistance from the NGF, Mette has developed her game in first national and then international G4D competitions, including playing in Sweden, Portugal, Spain and England en route to qualifying for Woburn. A real highlight in October 2024 was qualifying for the G4D Tour @ Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. A quest for a high standard of play is built around a largely assured and repeatable swing. A great many 57-year-olds would be delighted to have a golf Handicap Index of around 16 after playing for only six years, which is Mette’s current status. But Mette cannot rely on the hundreds of visual clues most golfers take for granted.Life changes
Birger must help her align on target and provides all the course detail. Mette has to then trust her body, her natural balance (she excelled at ballet and gymnastics as a youngster) and the physical swing of the club.
In 1996, Mette (then 27) and Birger were happily bringing up their young sons, Simen and Sander. One night Mette was feeling unwell and she took pain killing tablets over two evenings to help her sleep. On the third day she had a skin rash and was admitted to hospital; she says she resembled a burns victim.
Mette had become one of the more or less one-in-a-million people who contract Stevens-Johnson syndrome every year in this part of Europe, an autoimmune skin reaction typically caused by the body rebelling against a medication. The corneal inflammation spoiled day-to-day life for Mette, she would lie in a darkened room for days.
By 2000 she had had enough of the pain and took the decision to have her left eye surgically removed, a prosthetic eye put in place. In 2003, the ache and pain in her remaining eye was at last beaten when she had surgery to create a membrane over the right eye. The downside: vision was replaced by only shadows and bright light, but to be pain-free after seven years was suddenly “wonderful”, Mette says. “I have never regretted it. It has led to happy times again.”
Joy of golf
After years of adjustment, Birger one day asked Mette if she wanted to try golf. “It’s amazing that I found golf after losing my sight and I love it,” she added. “I am a relatively stubborn person who thinks that anything is possible. I've been busy doing the things I did before I went blind – some things now just take a little longer.” It will be Mette’s second visit to England, qualifying last September to play in the RSM European play-offs at North Hants, one of the 120 international G4D tournaments run or supported by EDGA each year. For many players they are as much about camaraderie as competition, and Mette recommends others to join in. Mette says, “We really love enjoying the nature around us and competition is fun, but I can get a little nervous at times and I know that will be the case at Woburn. “I depend on Birger to tell me most things. He lines me up in the direction of the pin or desired position, based on the course (the bunkers, water or other obstacles). He knows my stroke length well and we agree on the strategy. He sets me up for putting and he is the one who reads the green. He is absolutely indispensable. It's a wonderful feeling when you hear and feel a good hit (of the ball). I love the sound of the ball falling into the cup. It is top notch.”
Spectators are encouraged to attend at Woburn from 15-17 May, with attendance and car parking free of charge.