Inaugural Simpson Cup provides perfect proof of golf's power to inspire Simpson, formerly the manager of Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer at IMG, knows what he is talking about. He had polio as a child which left him with a limp - but which did nothing to diminish his passion for playing golf. He realised that the fact that all men are equal on a golf course made it the perfect sport to help in the recovery of servicemen, women and veterans injured in the course of duty. That in turn led him to set up the On Course Foundation, one of the Telegraph's Christmas charities, which not only teaches disabled service personnel to play golf, but also seeks to find them work within the golfing industry. "It's amazing in terms of the self esteem and self-confidence it gives them," he says. On the day we meet, Simpson has just returned from the inaugural Simpson Cup, the On Course version of the Ryder Cup with 12 disabled Brits taking on their American equivalents in a ferociously competitive two-day tournament, which the Brits won. The team was made up of men such as Paul, who was injured in Afghanistan last June, underwent 29 operations, lost his arm, and after joining On Course last November, now plays off a handicap of 18. He was not a natural golf lover. Indeed a lot of these soldiers used to think golf was a game played by sissies, not to be compared with rugby or football. But thanks to the help of the On Course Foundation's professional coaches, it has given them a new sporting obsession. In finding them work, it will transform their lives, which is Simpson's ultimate purpose. But simply as a sport they play, it helps to replace the self-sufficiency and purpose that they once found in the military. And the Simpson Cup produced exactly the same fierce competition that the Ryder Cup generates. Simpson noticed the easy camaraderie and friendship that developed as soon as the veterans met. They may come from different generations (some of the US players fought in Vietnam) and different cultures - he noticed the way the Americans would list their injuries with medical precision, where the Brits just said "I lost a leg" - but they were united by the similarity of their experiences, sometimes in the same wars. Watching the videos of them in action, it is impossible not to be moved by their enthusiasm, and skill. Tony Jacklin and Arnold Palmer were just two of the greats who came to watch and were extraordinarily touched by what they saw. But, as Simpson says, you do not have to play at this exalted level to benefit from the work of the On Course Foundation. He tells the story of a man who came to one of their training sessions who looked unkempt and lost. He had no physical injuries, but had suffered very badly from post-traumatic stress disorder. By the end of the day, he was transformed. When he came to say thanks, he explained he had not left his home for a year; he had been too depressed. "That's the brilliant thing," says Simpson. Golf gets you out of the house, and allows you to get really involved in something that you are very excited about. It means you can just ring up an able-bodied mate and say do you fancy a game? Such freedom is quite an advertisement for the On Course Foundation. In a year when disabled athletes have changed our perceptions of disabled people, how inspiring that this remarkable charity is using this great game to change lives for the better.