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NEDSRA helps dads, special-needs sons bond over golf

Every Monday during the summer is Father's Day at the Eaglewood Resort and Spa in Itasca, where sons with special needs team up with their dads to play golf.

The golfers are part of Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association's unified golf program for fathers with sons who have either a physical or intellectual disability or autism. Participants whose dads don't play golf are teamed with NEDSRA staff members.

John Conroy of Roselle and his son have been playing since little John was able to hold a golf club.

"To me it's everything. To be able to participate in a sport with John and, hopefully, to do this for a lifetime, is precious," Conroy said.

Operating through Aug. 31, the Special Olympics golf program is headed by Sean Tovey, NEDSRA's recreation supervisor.

"Unified golf is played in a couple of ways. One method is alternating shots with your partner while using one ball and keeping one score," Tovey explains. "The other method is for each player to use their own ball, keep their own scores, then combine the two as the official score."

NEDSRA dad Paul Bures and his son, Paulie, have been golfing for 11 years, with Paulie taking his swings from a wheelchair.

"Golfing gives me the opportunity to bond with my son and meet his group of friends," Bures said. "I enjoy watching the golf group bond together and joke with each other. This means the world to me."

Golf is an expensive game and would not be a viable option for NEDSRA without the support of the Eaglewood Resort, which donates the golf fees.

"To be a small part of the lives within the NEDSRA community is a special gift for the entire staff at Eaglewood," said Dave Fazio, PGA golf sales manager for Eaglewood. "There is nothing better than seeing the excited faces of (our) guests."

The team goal for the summer is to develop a handicapped score for nine holes of golf. These scores and handicaps are then matched with other unified golf teams in suburban Chicago for competitions sponsored by Illinois Special Olympics.

Tom Lewaniak and his son, Anthony, have been golfing for 12 years.

"It doesn't matter how you hit the ball, it matters who you hit it with," Lewaniak said. "We celebrated what we can do, not what we can't do."

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