{"id":984,"date":"2018-08-30T09:07:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T08:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/?page_id=984"},"modified":"2023-08-09T13:24:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:24:08","slug":"20-adem_wahbi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/20-adem_wahbi\/","title":{"rendered":"20 – Adem Wahbi"},"content":{"rendered":"

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WOBURN, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Adem Wahbi of Belgium (R) reacts on the first tree during Day Two of The G4D Open on the Duchess course at Woburn Golf Club on May 11, 2023 in Woburn, England. (Photo by Alex Burstow\/R&A\/R&A via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a smile that can light up even the darkest room, an impish sense of fun, and a finely tuned competitive spirit, Adem Wahbi is indeed one of the sports finest young talents. Ask Adam about what golf means to him, look him in the\u00a0eye when he responds, and it is hard not to be impressed by the straightforward honesty which capitalises his words. \u201cWhen I am on the course, I don\u2019t feel disabled, I simply see in front of me and don\u2019t look back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adem is from a family of tennis enthusiasts, but running around the court with a leg condition was not so easy for him. Luckily he saw golf for the first time while on holiday in Morocco. The ball was still, he thought he could prepare himself to play a shot, he could even use his sticks if necessary. What he didn\u2019t realise on his first exposure to the game, was just how it would hook him into a sport which has now become central to the way he lives.<\/p>\n

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Unusually Adem started to play golf on a simulator in the basement of a hotel near his home Rhode-Saint-Gen\u00e8se. Soon he found a golf course nearby Golf 7 fontaines where he could start to develop the formative skills which over the intervening years he has finely tuned. Watch Adem position himself to the ball just before he swings the club, and one could be forgiven for thinking or asking, \u201cwhat is his disability?\u201d Adem explains that his disability has a very long name which can be shortened to spastic diplegia, but that the best way to describe it is, \u201cIf your brain is phoning your legs to ask them to walk, it’s like someone cut the [line] between the two. I have to think about walking which takes time and effort.\u201d Stability is also an issue, \u201cSometimes I am just standing and [feel] that I am going to fall,\u201d says Adem, and so any golf course can be challenging with slopes, bunkers, and gently undulating ground to navigate.<\/p>\n

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Adem has to balance his desire to become the world number one, with his studies. The school he attends gives him time to play and work on his game, but not at the expense of poor grades. \u201cSchool takes priority in the winter,\u201d says Adem who works with two physical trainers to help him have the best possibility to be strong and stable. Dimi works on body weight exercises to\u00a0help Adem strengthen his legs and core, while Mouhsein helps him with his stability through lots of stretching and other routines.<\/p>\n

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His team also includes the 2008 former world number nine tennis player Dominique Monami who helps Adem on his mental game.<\/p>\n

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Players who compete with Adem quickly realise that he loves the competition, \u201cthere are no excuses in golf,\u201d he says \u201cyou are in charge of your own ball.\u201d Always one to put out a challenge to his fellow players, Adem who is a regular on the EDGA tour advises others \u201cto live your life and believe in yourself,\u201d and is quick to show gratitude when saying, \u201cWhen I see people with their legs and hands cut [I feel fortunate], I can walk, I can run, even though a little strangely. I am living my best life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adem Wahbi is looking forward and by sharing his engaging personality, a sense of fun and gratitude he is fast becoming a leading light in golf for the disabled.<\/p>\n

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Adem’s Videos:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Golfing World go’s behind the scenes at the EDGA Algarve Open, where golfers with a wide range of disabilities were given the opportunity to compete on a level and very competitive playing field, at a spectacular venue.<\/p>\n