Tracy Ramin (right) helps a player with his backswing. Photo by Ben Gagnon
GRAND BLANC TWP. — Golfers with disabilities got an opportunity for one-on-one instruction and a chance to showcase their skills at a golf clinic held during Ally Challenge week.
McLaren Health Care, the presenting sponsor for The Ally Challenge, hosted the inaugural McLaren Adaptive Golf Clinic on Aug. 23 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in partnership with the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance and the National Amputee Golf Association. The event featured five renowned adaptive golf coaches working with 20 golfers from Michigan who have to play with adaptive golf equipment or techniques due to a physical disability or impairment.
Coaches worked with players on putting, chipping, pitching, club grip and full swings. First-time golfers with disabilities also learned how to use adaptive clubs and tried out specialized equipment.
Tracy Ramin, Executive Director of the Michigan Amputee Golf Association and a disability coach at the clinic, said that adaptive golf helps people overcome physical limitations and enjoy all the benefits of playing the game.
Disability golf instructor John Bell (front left) gives tips to a participant on the putting green. Photo by Ben Gagnon
“Our hope here is that we inspire someone to come out and play golf,” he said. “They might be sitting on the couch and thinking they can’t do it, but if they see some of these players doing it who have a similar illness or injury, they’ll know that they can be a part of what we’re doing and getting some physical activity in their life.”
Ramin, a Montrose resident, became a disabled athlete after his left leg was amputated below the knee in 1998 as a result of a traumatic car accident. Since then, he has dedicated himself to making golf available to disabled individuals. He is also captain of the US ParaGolf team, a staff member at Callaway Golf and the sixth ranked player in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability.
Other coaches at the clinic included Jonathan Snyder, US Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA) Executive Director and the 2021 and 2022 North American One Arm National Champion; John Bell, host of the NAGA National Championships and Captain of the US Cairns Cup team; Bryan Baigoil, president of the Michigan Amputee Golf Association; and Kim Moore, Western Michigan University’s women’s golf head coach and the 2022 United States Golf Association (USGA) Adaptive Open Women’s Champion.
Moore, a 14-time US National Amputee Women’s Champion, also got to play in The Ally Challenge’s Celebrity Shootout with the likes of professional golf legend Jack Nicklaus and others on Saturday evening.
Apart from receiving instruction, several clinic participants demonstrated how they’ve tailored their golf games to work past physical barriers. Randy Green, a Flushing resident and right leg amputee, said that he has gained more confidence in his swing since learning adaptive golf techniques.
“When you bring the club back, you shift weight onto your right foot and use it to push off,” said Green, who plays in a Wednesday night league at Flushing Valley Golf Course. “As a right amputee, I now have to use my upper body to get through the ball to get any type of distance, because I just don’t have the feel for the swing that I used to have.”
David Brower, a 73-year-old Grand Blanc native and stroke survivor, said that adaptive golf has helped him with rehabilitation and getting active once again.
“I used to golf 36 holes a day, so at this point, I’m just re-learning the basics that I’ve always known,” he said. “The great thing about adaptive golf is that it teaches you how to get back and never give up.”
The clinic also featured players who’ve competed in several adaptive golf tournaments around the world, including Kevin Holland, a world-ranked disability golfer who played for the US ParaGolf team in the Cairns Cup in London this spring. Holland, who has cerebral palsy and is a golf coach for disabled youth, said that he is proud to grow awareness for adaptive golf and help kids reach their potential.
“It’s a huge honor when a kid says that he looks up to you,” he said. “What we’re doing right now is paving the way for the future of the game.”
To learn more about adaptive golf or to find a clinic nearby, visit usaga.org.