Jul 26, 2009 4 min read

I wanted to write this week about a wonderful opportunity that I was given a few years ago. I write this in the middle of the golf season when we are working on our games very diligently, and not all that successfully, in some cases. Just a few short years ago I was given the opportunity to teach young people with Spina Bifida how to hit a golf ball. Now you should know by now that I have very definite thoughts and ideas about the game of golf and how it should be taught and played. I am also very confident in the idea that I am very right in how I view the game of golf. Well I can honestly tell you that my confidence and thoughts about the game and how difficult it is were greatly challenged by my few hours with these people. These students were looking to me to help them hit a golf ball, despite the fact that most were in wheelchairs, some could not use both arms and one very special little girl who was physically challenged and not confident she could achieve the goal of striking a golf ball.

The difficulty in all of this for me was very simple: they wanted to learn to hit a golf ball, yet I was never faced with students that brought these challenges to the table. It was and is a daunting task to teach the disabled. But one main thought kept me going: golf is for everyone and these people wanted to learn, in spite of their handicaps. Because it took me a while to realize this but they overcome these challenges daily, why couldn’t I help them overcome them in my area of expertise?

The hardest part for me was understanding that they had an expectation to hit a golf ball. They did not want to hear how hard it is, they did not want to know it may be next to impossible, they just wanted to get it done. And I was their key to achieving their goal. Once I realized I needed to meet their expectations, and they were high, I then understood we could do this together.

We learned the grip, we overcame the obstacles of wheelchairs, braces and crutches, and we overcame that all by mutually agreeing that we would not let these minor inconveniences stand in the way, plain and simple. Sure it took time, surely it was not easy, but, as the saying goes, we got it done. Every one at that sports camp, from the most physically able to the most physically challenged, yes even the one little girl who was physically challenged and lacking confidence.

Why do I write about this? Firstly I write about this because I will be doing a teaching marathon later this year to benefit Spina Bifida. I also wrote this because I wanted to give you some perspective on how fortunate we are to be able to go play golf, despite some aches and pains and our own lack of talent on some days. If you want to know how fortunate we are to shoot a high score and lament our bad shots for the day, just remember that striking a golf ball is, even if it only goes 10 feet, a wonderful opportunity you and I share. I for one know now that if I ever get down on my golf game, I will certainly only have to recall the smiling faces and look of astonishment when 25 physically-challenged people got a golf ball in the air for the first time. I also will never forget how fortunate I was to be able to help someone learn they can enjoy golf if their willing to overcome what they bring to the table. I was especially proud of the little girl who was physically and confidentially challenged, especially because she is my sister. I also learned that sometimes, the best shots are not the ones on TV, but ones that roll along the ground and result in, not birdies or bogeys, but accomplishment and smiles.

Rich Conwell is the PGA Head Golf Professional at Uniontown Country Club. Rich is an avid teacher of the game of golf and has developed numerous scholarship winners, one state champion and two regional/national event winners. Rich is also extremely proud of his work with beginning players and junior players. Rich Conwell’s column appears in Sunday editions of the Herald-Standard. Conwell may be contacted at richconwell@atlanticbb.net