"I Broke My Back, Then Became World #1" - Lee York

Lee York broke his back in a life changing accident but refused to be defined by it — he fought his way back, relearned the game from a wheelchair and now represents England, wins big events and is gunning to be world number one.

We drove down to Waterfront Golf to record in person and honestly, calling Lee “inspiring” feels too small — he’s a proper powerhouse of will who lifts everyone around him.

We dig into his pre‑accident life as a young pro, the fall on a container ship in May 2017, the brutal rehab, a surprising chapter in wheelchair table tennis, and then the moment he chose to “start again” and rebuild golf on totally new terms. We nerd out on kit — shafts, lofts, club length and how getting fitted and switching to stiffer shafts unlocked distance — and demo the tech and chair setup that make modern wheelchair golf possible.

Lee also serves up brilliant, practical coaching: alignment, a traffic‑light way to play holes, how to structure practice so 20 quality shots beat 100 bored ones, and why putting deserves more love. We finish with our 3‑for‑3 segment (powered by ShotScope), some tailored tips for our own games, shout‑outs to the Oaks, Waterfront and our partners, and a plea: give Lee an hour of your time on socials — he’s genuine, funny, and absolutely worth it.

Recorded on location at Waterfront Golf, cheers team!

Links referenced in this episode:

• discounts.nop.golf
• voicemail.nop.golf

A North of Par Production

Takeaways:

• We heard Lee's proper tough story — falling thirty foot, breaking his back, and refusing to be defined by that accident.
• I loved how Lee essentially restarted golf from scratch: forgetting old habits and learning to play a different way, hole by hole, par by par.
• We took away tangible coaching gold: sort your alignment, practice with purpose using imaginary fairways, and use a traffic‑light system to avoid big numbers.
• I was fascinated by the kit chat — going slightly longer clubs and a stiffer shaft gave Lee the extra distance he needed to reach single figures again.
• We got a brilliant look at wheelchair golf kit: the electric machine stands you up, moves quick enough on fairways, and you treat greens with respect to avoid damage.
• I appreciated Lee's honesty about rehab — table tennis and Paralympic sports filled the gap, family priorities shifted his focus, then golf reignited his competitive fire.
• We were inspired by what he’s achieved: winning Mallorca, playing at Celtic Manor, representing England, and chasing being world number one in wheelchair golf again.
• I came away convinced that deliberate practice beats volume — simulate course yardages on the range, hit quality shots with alignment checks, and make practice into focused mini games.