CAMP DOGWOOD
“ There are some great things
in life
and Camp Dogwood
ranks near the top.”
Camp Dogwood is owned and
operated by the NC Lions Foundation in partnership with the local Lions Clubs
throughout North Carolina. Camp Dogwood opened in 1967 as a retreat for
visually impaired citizens. It is located in Sherrills Ford on 41acres of rolling land that faces south
on the northwest corner of Lake Norman.
Youth Week - July 18-24, 2004
It was just last week that I was at Camp Dogwood as a volunteer counselor during youth week (to be a volunteer counselor you must be a Lion member). There are typically 11 weeks for adults and 1 week for young children (ages 8-17) each year. The camp director is Sandy Lazenby and there is a cafeteria staff that provides a varied & nutritious meal three times each day. They do an outstanding job in making Camp Dogwood unique.
I was asked to transport a
new camper going to youth week and we headed out on Sunday morning at 9:00 o’clock.
Traffic and highway construction in the Raleigh-Durham area wasn’t too bad and
we were outside of Greensboro soon. We decided to stop for a fast-food lunch
break. Shortly we headed south on I-85 and I told my new friend that we should
be there in about 1½ hours.
We arrived at the camp
mid-afternoon and the weather was warm but clear. My young friend was curious
and he began exploring. We were assigned our sleeping quarters and youth week
started. Several of the salaried counselors were repeat counselors and it was good to see familiar staff. Over ¾ of
the campers were repeat campers and it was good to see each one of them too.
The daily activities are
structured (every morning starts with flag raising and the pledge of
allegiance) and include horseback riding, boating, tubing, swimming, fishing, skating, crafts,
golfing, etc. After supper each night there is bingo, group games, a talent
show, etc. and a dance on the final night. The fun, laughter, and memories for
each camper and staff began to accumulate.
Worth mentioning is the golf
clinic that was put on by the United States Blind Golf Association. President
Jim Baker (Nashville, Tennessee) had organized a clinic to be held at the
Mooresville Country Club with several volunteer pros. The club had set up 3
areas for putting, chipping, etc. training…and the youth campers were able to
hit REAL golf balls (not plastic balls like last year). This was a highlight of
the week for many of the campers. Then the club provided a free lunch to
everyone and gave out a bag with a scorecard, a golf ball, etc. included. To
make this event even more special, the Mooresville golf club had secured golf
clubs and gave each camper a “iron” golf club to keep. Can you imagine the joy
of this for a visually-impaired or blind person.
I could go on & on about
the special events of the week. The main purpose of Camp Dogwood is to provide
a fun & safe vacation experience for each camper. There is no doubt that youth
week was a success this year….that special memories belong to every camper….and
that dignity was given to every camper. My personal overview of the week is a feeling of “giving back” to
others. Some things in life make you feel good inside…..try Camp Dogwood.
We all learned that visually impaired children don’t want sympathy….they simply want to be a child and want to have fun. And Camp Dogwood provides this for each child. I don’t know why I decided to volunteer for the youth session, but for 2 years now I have had a most rewarding and revealing experience. I hope to return next year. Youth week 2004 was very special.
JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM
By Jim Baker
The USBGA Junior Golf
Program has gotten started with five of the thirteen clinics scheduled in 2004
completed by the end of July. Three clinics were new this year, while the other
two were in their second and third years. All of the first year clinics have
been relatively small so far, but will certainly grow in the future. One of
these was held on June 12 in Austin, Texas with 14 young golfers from the
United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Sports Camp. Steve Hammond,
Director of Golf at Clay/Kizer Golf Courses, headed up the instruction along
with five local PGA professionals. Bruce Hooper and his wife Judy represented
the USBGA
The other clinic in June was
with 36 students from the Perkins School for the Blind at the MGA Golf Links in
Norton, Massachusetts. USBGA member Bill McMahon and two of his coaches, Kevin
Sullivan and Peter Freil, helped with the clinic and gave out USBGA logo pins
and blind golf information. All three are also members of the Framingham Lions
Club, which provided a hot dog lunch to everyone at the clinic.
Two of the three clinics in
July were new and very enthusiastic. Bill, Kevin and Peter all helped with another
clinic at the MGA Golf Links involving 14 students from the Carroll Center for
the Blind. Almost all of the kids were beginners and had a great time. The
other new clinic was on July 26th
at the Challenge Golf Center in Akron, Ohio. Due to bad weather in the
morning, only five vision-impaired students participated in the clinic. The
weather did clear up and the teenagers learned the basics of golf from
Challenge Center Director Ron Trostano and USBGA Junior Golf Director, Tom
Fink.
The largest clinic of the
month was held on July 19, at the Mooresville Golf Course in Mooresville, North
Carolina, and included 37 junior golfers from Lions’ Camp Dogwood. Charlie
Roberts, Director of Golf at Mooresville, headed the clinic. Five other PGA
pros, USBGA coach Everett Davis, and nine Lions volunteers provided tremendous
golf instruction. Five of the Lions were from the Charlotte South Park Lions
Club and the other four were volunteers at the camp for the week. After lunch a
putting, chipping, distance and accuracy shot contests were held. It was a
quite, hot, humid day in the high 80’s, but the kids didn’t mind especially
when they were given the new Titlist iron that they had been using all day. The
gift of the golf club, along with a golf ball and USBGA t-shirt, made it a
perfect day for each of the campers. Acushnet Golf Company very
generously donated the Titlist 5 iron to each Camper. Each camper also received a golf ball donated by Mooresville
Golf Course and the USBGA t-shirts were a gift from the USBGA.
TO MEMBERS:
USBGA Vice President, Phil Blackwell, resigned from the Board of Directors on August 5. Board member Dick Pomo was chosen by the Board to fill the Vice President position until the next annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale on September 27th. Due to this change, there will be four Board positions up for election in September. Both the President and Vice President positions are on their usual two year cycles with Jim Baker and Dick Pomo running for those positions respectively. One three-year board position is available and Sheila Drummond is running for re-election. A two-year board position is also available to fill the vacancy left by Dick Pomo. Bob Kennedy and Ron Murner are running for this position. If there are any other B1 members interested in running for any of the available board positions, please let Jim Baker or Tina Andrews know of your interest. Each candidate will be given an opportunity to make a short statement prior to the election.
BY THE BOOK
By Tom Mirus
Before I start, I want to
thank the USBGA Board of Directors and the membership for their support
following the loss of my father. I know
he was able to meet a few of you over the years when the national tournament
was in Florida regularly. My
participation in the USBGA activities gave him great pride over the years. I appreciate the card and the floral gift I
received from the association. It is
difficult for me right now, but the lessons he taught me are and will serve me
well as time goes by. Thank you.
The USBGA National
Tournament is upon us again. It is a
good time to remind everyone that one of the reasons the USBGA enjoys the
reputation it has is because we pride ourselves on playing by the same rules as
sighted players. I realize that our
members do not always have as many opportunities to play as others, and that
players have more than one coach throughout the year. However, in golf, it is always the player’s responsibility to
know the rules and to abide by them.
Beginning this year, the
USBGA has purchased from the USGA a handy guide called, “Golf Rules in
Brief”. All players/coaches received
one in NY at the Guiding Eyes event.
Every player/coach at the national tournament who does not already have
one will get one. It contains most of
the common rules that you could encounter during a round of golf. Again, it is the player’s (that’s
you!) responsibility to know the rules.
My job is to help players proceed correctly if they are unclear. You will have a chance to ask me questions
during the membership meeting in Ft. Lauderdale.
I will take this opportunity
to discuss briefly Rule 20.
This rule is about Dropping and Placing;… It is a long and complicated rule that you
should spend some time reading.
However, in NY a player asked me about how to drop a ball. Here are the words from the Rule Book, “A
ball to be dropped under the Rules must be dropped by the player himself. He must stand erect, hold the ball at
shoulder height and arm’s length and drop it.
If a ball is dropped by any other person or in any other manner and the
error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs a penalty of
one stroke.”
In the past, I have been
lenient about letting a coach drop a ball for a player. However, such will not be the case any
longer. Obviously, the coach will help
determine the correct place where the ball can be dropped, but the player must
drop the ball.
This should not be confused
with a ball on the putting green. Your
coach is allowed to mark and replace the ball on the putting green. This is covered in the part of Rule 20
concerning “Placing” the ball. In any
case where a ball must be placed (or replaced) your coach may do so. An example of that would be if your ball, at
rest, was accidentally moved. Your
coach is allowed to replace the ball in accordance with the applicable Rule.
We should always play by the
Rules when we play golf. It is most
important that we do so at our national tournament. There are many people watching at our tournaments, such as
spectators, media, scorekeepers and other volunteers. We have seen in the past that scorekeepers do not always know the
rules (nor is it their responsibility).
The integrity of the USBGA along with your personal reputation are
always on display at our tournaments.
The Rules are there to help us all and I am committed to keeping our tournaments the showcase for blind golf that they are. I look forward to seeing all of you in Ft. Lauderdale.
HEATHER FARR
by Bob Kennedy
A
total of 15 golfers, seven B1 and eight vision impaired, traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona, for a
little golf in the desert. The 14TH
HEATHER FARR-LEADER DOGS CLASSIC was held on May 6. This year the venue was changed to the Starfire Country Club,
formerly the Scottsdale Country Club. The club is made up of three separate
nine-hole courses and the competition was held on the King and Hawk
courses. Hotter than normal, it was 102
degrees when the last group teed off at 9:00 Thursday morning.
The
grounds were in top condition. Although much tighter fairways than any I've
played since becoming a member in 2000, accuracy was a must in order to stay
away from the many houses lining both sides of the fairways. Thankfully, the
sprinklers were working on many of the holes and I didn't have any trouble
talking Daniel, my son, into driving me close to some as we went by and took a
little soaking.
I,
Bob Kennedy, from North Carolina, won the B1 contest with a score of 122. It
was my best competitive round ever. Welcome to Pat Lacke, from Wisconsin, a B1,
and first time participant with the USBGA. Pat finished fourth! The competition
for the vision-impaired trophy was very close with Ron Plath, Oregon, shooting
a 79 and edging out Bruce Hooper, Texas, by one stroke. This was also Ron’s
first USBGA tournament win. See Scoreboard online at www.blindgolf.com for complete listing of
scores.
GUIDING EYES CLASSIC
by Walter Dietz
The twenty-seventh annual
Guiding Eyes Classic was held at Mt. Kisco Country Club on June 13-14,
2004. The Classic is known as the
“Masters of Blind Golf.” The weather
was comfortable, the greens were fast, the traps were inviting, the fairways
were short, and the roughs were forgiving.
A total of fourteen
participants and their coaches teed off on Sunday afternoon. For the first time, golfers wore opaque
plastic or blackout material on the inside of their sunglasses. The glasses
were checked prior to the round, as well as a random check on the course. Seven golfers made the cut and six others
participated in a 95-yard closest to the pin contest, a 35-yard chip shot and a
40-foot putt.
Phil Blackwell won the Corcoran Cup with a score of 99. Pat Brown was awarded the Cribari Trophy with a score of 108 and Dave Meador came in third with a score of 109. He received the Spoonster Trophy, for most improved golfer. Sheila Drummond won the McFarland Trophy for low net. Dick Pomo, Brad Eaton and Walter Dietz won the three contests held for those golfers who did not make the cut.
On Monday, the fund-raising scramble was held on two golf courses, Mt Kisco and Whipoorwill. There were almost 200 participants, not including the blind golfers. At the banquet, awards were handed out to the blind golfers for Sunday’s Corcoran Cup, as well as Monday’s winning scramble teams.
A REMEMBRANCE OF
CLAUDE
PATTEMORE
1927-2004
By Robin Ridgewell
Recently I drove to Athens,
Ontario to attend the Memorial Service for my long time friend Claude
Pattemore. As I sat and listened to all of the wonderful stories from family
and friends a few things stood out. First, was that Claude never turned down a
challenge. He bowled, he curled, and he played golf. Secondly, was what a great
sense of humor he had. Rod Goodes, one of Claude’s earlier coaches, remembers
him coming into his golf shop, checking out a golf bag and saying "I like
everything but the color."
Claude lost his sight in
early summer of 1948 when a dynamite explosion on a road building project
blasted rock particles into his face, blinding him. He was 21 at the time and
had some trying times while recovering, but soon took life by the horns and ran
with it!
Claude was introduced to
golf in 1951 and his lists of accomplishments are unparalleled in Canadian
golf. He won the Ontario Blind Golf Championship 14 times and the Canadian
title 12 times. In 1963, his grand slam year, Claude won the Canadian, United
States and International blind golf championships. He was the first Canadian to
break 100 and in 1962 he shot an 86 in competition, a record which stood until
1989. In 1996 Claude was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and four
years later he joined the likes of Sandra Post, Nick Weslock and Cathy Sherk as
inductees into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame.
As most golfers do, we had good games and bad; but after the round was
done, it was time for a beer, socialize, and talk about the shots we did make.
That was just Claude. He always looked at the positive, although he would get
ticked off, as he was very competitive and always wanted to work hard at
winning. I know, a thousand deep knee bends per practice was routine. It was
hard work, but short lived and we would be having a lot of fun again as usual.
To share a couple of
experiences with you, we were at Credit Valley golf course near Toronto and the
CBC was making a movie on handicap sports. They were filming us, Claude had hit
a drive down the middle, we had 140 yards to the stick and we selected a 5
iron. Claude stroked it perfectly. It hit the green and rolled 5 yards right
into the cup. The film staff couldn't believe it. Claude asked, “How was it?” I
said, "How did it sound?" He said, "You finally set me up
right!" This wasn't the first time he had put one in from that distance.
Claude's chipping and
putting also amazed people; his feel around the greens was special. It must
have been the great coaching. I coached Claude for 24 years and would liked to
have gone another 24. I miss Claude very much and hope he has a weekly tee time
with Chuck Mayo. As for everyone else I've met through blind golf, thank you it
has been great! Especially for your support over the past months. Lastly, I
would like to wish everyone good luck at the USBGA National Championship and if
anyone ever needs a coach for a tourney, you can reach me through Tina. Thank
you.
TESTIMONIAL BY FRIEND AND
GOLF COACH
By Wayne Koenig
Chuck Koepke was well known
on the Saskatchewan, The Western Canadian, and the United States golf
scene. He was also one of the top
golfers in every tournament in which he participated. Chuck was respected for his natural talent and his engaging
personality. He was highly thought of
everywhere we traveled. His honesty and integrity were beyond reproach as he
often reminded me of strokes he miscounted or any rule violations he may have
missed. We always planned our golf
trips around our normal lives. These
golf events always came first as we enjoyed the company of our many friends we
met over the years.
Our trip to Portland, Oregon, last September to the National Championship was our best one, as our wives, Laurie and Judy, and our friends, Judy and Ray Ursulan, were able to join us. It was a very memorable occasion.
My last round with Chuck was
his best round in years. It was played
at Flowing Springs Golf Greens in Regina.
The first hole is a 601-yard Par 5, which is as tough a starting hole as
you will find anywhere. Chuck has
parred this hole previously, but this day Chuck started with a 10. On this very cold and windy day, I was
struggling with my game and Chuck was getting stronger and stronger and
finished his round with a 49. I have
watched Chuck play a lot of great rounds but I have to think this was his best
ever.
Chuck passed away three
weeks later in June. God takes only the very best too early. Goodbye Good
Friend.
2003 LCI-USBGA NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP & OPEN IN OREGON
Published in Lions Magazine – May 4, 2004
by Jessica Elkan
The
Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation hosted the Lions Clubs
International-United States Blind Golf Association Golf Championships September
23-24, 2003. The two-day tournament brought 44 of the world’s most talented
blind and visually impaired golfers to Oregon. There was great international
flavor, with 15 players from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Canada
participating.
One
of the highlights of the event was a Junior Golf Clinic hosted by USBGA
golfers. Twenty-three students from Oregon and Washington Schools for the Blind
had a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn the game from blind golfers and
local golf professionals. Nike generously donated golf equipment and t-shirts
for the participants.
Hundreds
of local companies sponsored and supported a charity scramble, with 100
community and corporate leaders playing in the event. The Charity Golf Event
concluded with an awards ceremony where Past International Director Sid Scruggs
received a second place trophy along with his teammates who represented LCIF.
Thank
you letters from students expressed the positive impact the Junior Golf Clinic
had made in their life. “I won a Tiger Woods Bobble Head doll, and I am the
envy of everyone here at the guys dorm at the Oregon School for the Blind,”
said Jason. Another OSB student, Richard, said, “Thank you for sponsoring the
golf tournament. We won’t forget the fun things you showed us. My favorite part
of the day was hitting the golf ball. We hope that we can do it again next
year. It was a blast!” Thirteen junior clinics are scheduled for 2004.
An
estimated 375 Lions were involved, serving as volunteers, sponsored players,
coaches and behind-the-scenes workers. “The partnership between the USBGA and
the Lions has created more opportunities for vision-impaired people to take up
the game of golf. The positive effects that blind and vision-impaired golf can
have on the lives of junior golfers and USBGA participants is great. Perhaps
even more important are the funds raised that will continue to help those
living with vision impairment,” said USBGA President Jim Baker. He added that
Lions are helping spread the USBGA’s motto of “You don’t have to see it, to tee
it!”
The
charity fund-raising efforts in 2003 raised more than $40,000, with funds going
to several charities, including the Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation
and the UNC Eye Center. A portion of the money will also be used to purchase
SNAG golf equipment, which will be given to the Oregon and Washington Schools
for the Blind. The schools will be able to use this equipment to introduce golf
into their Physical Education curriculum.
The
2004 LCI-USBGA National Championship will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
with the help of District 35-D Lions. In October, the Oregon Lions Sight and
Hearing Foundation will once again host the second annual Charity Golf
Tournament and Junior Golf Clinic.
MIDWESTERN
REGIONAL BLIND GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP - OHIO
by Mark Arnold
The second annual Midwestern
Regional Blind Golf Championship took place on July 25, 2004, at Barberton
Brookside Country Club located outside Akron, Ohio. Once again, players journeyed from as far away as Texas, Florida,
and Massachusetts to participate. Top
finishers were as follows:
B1: Ron Derry first place and Jim Baker runner up
B2: Buddy Frazier first place and Mark Arnold runner
up
B3: Charles Adams first place and Bruce Hooper
runner up
The competitive matches in
the B2 and B3 divisions were closely contested with one shot separating first
and second place respectively. Ron
Derry stole the show in the B1 division with a first place finish and an outstanding
score of 107. Congratulations to Ron on
his first victory! Also, welcome new B2 member George Pyle from Canton, Ohio,
who played in his first USBGA tournament.
This year’s event included a
Junior Golf Clinic held at the Challenge Golf Center just a stones throw from
Firestone Country Club. Several
visually impaired students were introduced to golf at the clinic and they had a
great time. Nick Carter, a 5th
grader from Wadsworth, attended and was instantly turned on to the game. Nick and three other participants are
currently continuing lessons at the center with Ron Tristano, PGA Professional.
Although final numbers are
still being tabulated, the tournament did raise funds for area’s sight related
charities. The USBGA would like to
thank the Wadsworth Lions Club, as well as area residents and businesses that
supported the event. See Scoreboard online at www.blindgolf.com for complete listing of
scores.
SKUTTLE-PUTTS
Long-time USBGA member Claude Pattemore, 77, died on April 24 after a lengthy illness. Please read the article by his coach, Robin Ridgewell.
Another USBGA member, Chuck
Koepke, 60, died suddenly on June 6 of a massive heart attack
following foot surgery. Please read the article by his coach Wayne Koenig.
Finally some good news for Verena
and Bob Shifley. Last year was really tough for both of them, but
Verena is fully recovered from hip replacement surgery and Bob from bladder
cancer. They are playing golf again and Bob will be competing in Raleigh and
Ft. Lauderdale.
In early August, Joan
Dietz was diagnosed with breast cancer and will start receiving
chemotherapy in September. She will not be with Walter in Ft. Lauderdale, but
we all hope for successful treatment results.
Phil Blackwell’s coach and
son-in-law, Rod Turnage fractured both bones below his
right knee on July 30. This accident occurred when he was jumping out of a boat
onto land. He had surgery the next day and a rod was put in the bone above his
ankle and the bone below his knee. He will not be coaching for the rest of this
year.
Another recent death, which
has affected many USBGA members, was the passing of Bob Mirus,
Tom’s father, on August 3rd
of complications following gallbladder surgery. Bob was 84 and he and
Tom had lived together for over 30 years. Tom has lost his father and best
friend and will need our ongoing support.
Ron Murner had to pull out of the
Raleigh Regional Championship due to a growth under the cornea of his eye has
caused an ulceration and tremendous amount of pain. Hopes are that eye drops
and an antibiotic ointment will help the situation allowing him to play in the
Nationals.
#27.
Wedge Power
If you’re not
getting enough distance from your lob or sand wedge, you’re probably aimed
directly at the target line. Try turning both feet out slightly. This adjustment will free you up for a larger turn and
added club head speed.