Photograph by Airman 1st Class Mikaley Towle.
Loss—whether it be lost limbs, lost mobility, or lost opportunities—is a reality many amputees face every day. Through the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) HOPE Program, amputee veterans and others with disabilities are able to reclaim something that might be missing from their lives.
“I’ve been golfing for approximately 60 to 65 years,” said retired U.S. Army battery clerk Duane Poser. “I used to play five days a week. I would get off work at 1 p.m., and was on the golf course by 1:30.”
The HOPE Program introduces or reintroduces veterans with disabilities, such as Poser, to golf and helps them work around any physical limitations they might have. It is hosted at several military bases and is designed to help all levels of golfers.
“We have the ability to use [adaptive] golf carts,” said Steve Griffith, manager of 99th Force Support Squadron Sunrise Vista Golf Course. “If an individual is using a walker or…wheelchair, we can strap them to a golf cart and it will motorize them and put them in a standing position to make a swing…. We want to get anybody out here we can, even if it’s just hitting balls on the range. Get them to come out and enjoy some fresh air, exercise, and have fun with their peers.”
“It was a relief to get back out on the golf course,” said Poser. “This is the first time I’ve really been out golfing in about three years. It gives me a feeling that maybe I can make it back.”
For more information, visit www.pgareach.com/military. To learn more about other adaptive sports programs, including golf, that are not exclusively for veterans, visit www.nagagolf.org and www.opafonline.org.
This article was adapted from an original story by Airman 1st Class Mikaley Towle.
