Michigan Golf Journal January 2019

Legally Blind PGA Pro Perseveres ŬŶŽǁ ƚŚĂƚ / ŚĂǀĞ Ă ĚŝƐĂďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŚŽǁ / ůŝŬĞ ŝƚ͘ / ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ďĞ Ă ůĞĂĚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĂŶ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ŵLJ ƐƚĂī ĂŶĚ ĂŶ ĂƐƐĞƚ ƚŽ ŵLJ ŐŽůĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ĂŶĚ ŝƚƐ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌƐ͘ “Losing my eyesight gave me Ă ďĞƩĞƌ ƉĞƌƐƉĞĐƟǀĞ ŽŶ ůŝĨĞ Ăƚ ŚŽŵĞ ĂŶĚ Ăƚ ǁŽƌŬ͘ / ŚĂǀĞ a great concern for all my employees both personally ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůůLJ͘ / ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ŽŶĞ ĂīĞĐƚƐ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ͘ / ĂůƐŽ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ŝŶ ŚĂŶĚƐͲŽŶ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͘ / ĚŽ ŶŽƚ ĂƐŬ ĂŶLJ employee to do something I ĐŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ĚŽ͘͟ ƚ tŚŝƚĞĨŽƌĚ sĂůůĞLJ͕ ůĂŵ counts steps going from room ƚŽ ƌŽŽŵ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐůƵƵƐĞ͘ ,Ğ ŚĂƐ ŵĞŵŽƌŝnjĞĚ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ŽƵƚĚŽŽƌƐ͕ ƚŽŽ (being an assistant pro there ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƚĞ ϵϬƐ ŚĞůƉĞĚͿ͕ ůŝŬĞ ƚƌĞĞƐ͕ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐƐ ĂŶĚ ŽĚĚ ŽďũĞĐƚƐ ŝŶ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ͘ ,ŝƐ ŽĸĐĞ ŝƐ ĞƋƵŝƉƉĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ůĂƌŐĞ ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĂŐŶŝĮĞƐ ĂŶLJƚŚŝŶŐ ŚĞ ŶĞĞĚƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĂĚ͕ and his computer has ƐŽŌǁĂƌĞ ĐĂůůĞĚ ŽŽŵƚĞdžƚ ƚŽ ĞŶůĂƌŐĞ ǁŽƌĚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŵĂŐĞƐ͘ ,ŝƐ ǁŝĨĞ͕ >ŝƐĂ͕ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƌŽĐŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͕ ĂŶĚ ůĂŵ͛Ɛ ƌŝĚĞ ƚŽ ĂŶĚ ĨƌŽŵ ǁŽƌŬ ŵŽƐƚ ĚĂLJƐ͘ ^ŚĞ ǁŽƌŬƐ ŝŶ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ʹ ƐŽ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ƚŚŽƐĞ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟŽŶƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ ĂŶĚ ^ƉĞĐŝĂů KůLJŵƉŝĐƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ůĂŵ͛Ɛ ǁŽƌŬ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ EŽƌƚŚǁĞƐƚ KŚŝŽ ^ŝŐŚƚ ĞŶƚĞƌ͕ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ ƚƌŝĞƐ to make Whiteford Valley ĨĞĞů ůŝŬĞ Ă ƐĂĨĞ͕ ǁĞůĐŽŵŝŶŐ ƉůĂĐĞ ĨŽƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŶĞǁ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐĂŵĞ͕ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ ŝĨ ƚŚĞLJ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ĚŝƐĂďŝůŝƚLJ͘ ůĂŵ ƐĂŝĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶ ĨŽƌ͕ ƚŚĞŝƌ footgolf course paved the ǁĂLJ ƚŽ ŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐĞ ŶŽŶͲŐŽůĨĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŐŽůĨ͘ ,Ğ ŚŽƐƚƐ many special needs school ŽƵƟŶŐƐ ďŽƚŚ ĨŽƌ ƌĞŐƵůĂƌ ŐŽůĨ and footgolf and said that Whiteford Valley provides ŽƵƚĚŽŽƌ ƐƟŵƵůĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ Ă ŶĞǁ ĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞ ĨŽƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ďĂƩůŝŶŐ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞƐ͘ “We have hosted many ŐƌŽƵƉƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĚŝƐĂďŝůŝƟĞƐ͕ ƐƵĐŚ as the hearing impaired and many people from the ^ŝŐŚƚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ŽĨ EŽƌƚŚǁĞƐƚ KŚŝŽ͕͟ ůĂŵ ĂĚĚĞĚ͘ ͞DLJ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ŚŝƫŶŐ ƐŚŽƚƐ ĂůǁĂLJƐ ďƌŝŶŐƐ ĞŶůŝŐŚƚĞŶŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŚŽƉĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ ĚŝƐĂďůĞĚ͘ tŚĞŶ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƐĞĞ Ă ďůŝŶĚ ŐŽůĨĞƌ ŚŝƫŶŐ ƚŚĞ ďĂůů͕ they also seem more relaxed ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ͘ ” The former scratch golfer ŶŽǁ ƐĐŽƌĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚ ϴϬƐ ǁŚĞŶ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ ĂŶĚ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͘ ,Ğ ƐĂŝĚ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ŚĂƐ ƚŽ ƉŽŝŶƚ Śŝŵ ƚŽǁĂƌĚ ƚŚĞ ŚŽůĞ ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞ Śŝŵ ĚŝƐƚĂŶĐĞƐ͕ ďƵƚ ŽƚŚĞƌǁŝƐĞ ŚĞ ƌĞĂĚƐ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶƐ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ŵĞŵŽƌŝnjĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ĂŶĚ ǁĂůŬŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůŝŶĞ ƚŽ ĨĞĞů ĂŶLJ ƵŶĚƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ʹ ĂŶ example of a sense that has been heightened per the loss ŽĨ ƐŝŐŚƚ͘ ͞/ ƉůĂLJ ŵŽƌĞ ŐŽůĨ ŶŽǁ ǁŝƚŚ ŵLJ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͕͟ ůĂŵ ƐĂŝĚ͘ ͞/ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ƉůĂLJ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞůLJ Ăƚ Ăůů͕ ƐŽ ǁŚĞŶ / ŐŽ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ƉůĂLJ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ĨŽƌ ĞŶũŽLJŵĞŶƚ͕ ŶŽƚ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ / ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ Žƌ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ͕ ďƵƚ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ / ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ͘͟ Watch a YouTube video produced by the PGA ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ ŚŝŐŚůŝŐŚƟŶŐ Monty Elam as the ϮϬϭϴ ĞĂĐŽŶ WĂůŵĞƌ ǁĂƌĚ ǁŝŶŶĞƌ͗ ŚƩƉƐ͗ͬͬ youtu ͘ be ͬ x Ͳ W ^ŶƋƐh