Amputees find meaning, camaraderie on the golf course
When Richard Schatzer lost part of his right arm during a work-related accident 13 years ago, he didn't lose his love for golf.
Although he's naturally right-handed, the 57-year-old Missouri resident dedicated himself to learning to play with his left arm.
“I was swinging a golf club before my arm healed,” said Schatzer, who continues to golf regularly and said he's nearly as good with one arm as he was with two.
“It (the accident) didn't stop him from doing anything,” said Schatzer's wife, Nancy.
This weekend, Schatzer and about 30 other amputee golfers are competing in the 16th annual Midwestern Amputee Golf Association Scramble and Golf Tournament at Eaglewood Resort and Spa in Itasca.
The three-day event opened Friday with a scramble, where able-bodied golfers played on teams with one amputee golfer.
Jeff Linton, president of the association, said Friday was an opportunity for all the golfers to have fun.
“It's a lot of laughs, and everybody has a good time,” he said.
The competition will take place today= and Sunday. Only amputee golfers will play on those days.
The Midwestern Amputee Golf Association has members who have overcome the loss of a limb or limbs and use golf “to promote friendship, fitness, fun and rehabilitation through active participation” in the sport, according to the group's website.
In addition to playing golf, members of the association donate time and money to help others. The group, for example, provides academic scholarships to amputees and family members of amputees.
Linton, a 61-year-old Chicago resident who lost both his legs in an accident 40 years ago, said attending the event has been encouraging and inspiring.
“When you have something happen like losing your legs, you feel isolated,” Linton said. “So you come to these events and meet people who are missing arms, legs or a combination. Then you're going, 'Well, I'm not so alone after all.'”
Linton said he's always amazed by the level of competition. “There's some really good golfers,” he said.
One who demonstrated his skills Friday was Dick Jeremias.
Jeremias was 25 when he lost his left leg below the knee because of a motorcycle accident six years earlier.
He started playing golf within a year of losing his leg.
“I just wanted to get back out there and start doing something,” said Jeremias, who is now 68 and lives in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. “I couldn't lay around doing nothing.”
He's been competing in amputee golf tournaments since 1975.
On Friday, the teams used a format where only the best shots counted.
After Jeremias and his three younger, able-bodied partners teed off on the first hole, they all agreed on one thing: His shot was the keeper.