Hitting the Links

Connecting disabled veterans with golf and other adaptive sports enriches lives.

The game of golf is just as frustrating as it is rewarding. That short putt on the final hole looks so easy, but missing it will drive you mad while sinking it is reason to shout for joy. Of course, this is all part of the game’s challenge, and a group of disabled veterans were recently able to discover that and so much more.

Golf was a key part of the 18th National Veterans TEE (Training, Exposure, and Experience) Tournament in September. More than 200 veterans with disabilities ranging from blindness, amputation, and debilitating diseases gathered in Riverside, Iowa, for the event that boosts mental and physical abilities through sports. The tournament provides an opportunity to develop new skills and strengthen confidence through adaptive golf as well as bowling, horseback riding, kayaking, and other recreational activities.

The TEE Tournament began in 1994 as an event for blind veterans. Staff recognized the physical and mental benefits of the golfing experience and were anxious to broaden the opportunity for people with other disabilities. So, in 2006, the tournament opened to veterans with all disabilities and became a national Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program, joining VA’s five other national rehabilitation programs—the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic, National Veterans Golden Age Games, and National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. This year, 30% of the attendees had disabilities other than blindness, and 16 were wheelchair users.

 

To read more about this, order the December 2011 PN, Click Here.
To Subscribe, Click Here.