Richard Yann

Richard has been swinging a golf club since the age of five, when he would follow his parents around the local course in Victoria.

After being diagnosed with reflux nephropathy and receiving a kidney transplant, donated by his mum, golf became a refuge from ongoing health battles.

“Through golf, I could take a breather. The freedom and the fresh air were an escape from labels or conditions, even if just for a while,” he says.

Many years and two unsuccessful kidney transplants later, Richard is on dialysis and still turning to golf to live a full life.

Recently joining Empower Golf as Partnerships Manager, he brings 20 years’ business experience and a passion for promoting inclusivity.

“I want to chat about disability, increase awareness, create interest. At a recent Empower Golf clinic, I saw a guy who’d been in a wheelchair for twenty years try golf for the first time. He was smashing those balls. Seeing the joy it brought – that’s what it’s all about,” Richard says.