"NAOAGA National Championship" - The Tournament of Champions!

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The 9th Annual North American One-Armed Golfers Association Championship consisting of 47 golfers representing 18 States within the US, four Provinces in Canada and one European country began its four day event at a first class resort with these world class golfers.

Many of the world's great golfers, and today was no exception, have walked the halls and blessed the well manicured and beautifully landscaped courses with their presence at the exquisite PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It was here that Y.E. Yang won the 2009 Honda Classic. 

This very gifted group of physically challenged members of the "NAOAGA" displayed their incredible athleticism, never ending positive outlook, and appreciation for life, which truly epitomizes the meaning of humility despite all they have endured. This has created such a lasing impression deep in my soul which at times leaves me speechless. Excerpts from a press release issued by "NAOAGA" highlighted a few golfers participating in this event: John Barton, Michael O'Grady, Mike Carver, Joshua Patton, Steve Quevillon, and Vince Biser who will be featured throughout this and future articles.

Gbytez Live! was honored to be invited to this pre-championship event, consisting of "NAOAGA" members, sponsors, and special guests who came together to support this organization's mission, while following in the footsteps of fellow champions through the fairways and roughs in the name of golf.

We had the pleasure of meeting, interviewing and sharing unforgettable stories from these golfers who have persevered despite the hooks or slices that life so freely swings.

Day One:

Here are highlights from the first days events which include: Registration, practice green and range warm up, media interviews, "Beating The Odds To Win" a very special driving range exhibition featuring some of the top one-armed golfers in the world today.  

It was a very busy morning at registration.

On this beautiful Monday morning the golfers located their carts after registering. Some of the golfers were relaxing prior to their tee time while others were preparing for the one-armed golfer exhibition on the driving range.

On the practice range we witnessed some amazing golf swings with the incredible power generated by some of these one-armed ball strikers. Here are some photos and videos from the practice range.

In these 6 photos we see Shawn Munn from Indiana one of this years golfers (who was injured in a farming accident when he was 17) in a time lapse photography sequence showing his swing in motion.

Kellie Valentine, from Erie, Pennsylvania, is an above elbow amputee who lost her right arm as a passenger in an automobile accident. She was the only female one-armed golfer to participate in the tournament. She has been playing golf for about 15 years and was a softball player prior to her injury. Kellie shoots anywhere from the mid 80s and up and has a fantastic swing!

Jeff Bardel, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was involved in an industrial accident. Jeff's rotation is incredible. One of the many challenges of being a one-armed golfer is that "the club face opens up more than normal to get it back in the right position and then shuts back down when you come through. And the end result is you have a square club face at shorter intervals than a regular two-armed swing," said  Alan Gentry, NAOAGA Executive Director. Jeff uses a backhanded swing to generate a great deal of club head speed. Can you believe it?

Keith Johansen is from New Jersey and has been one-armed from birth. He has been playing golf from childhood and use a more traditional, right, fore-handed approach. He placed third in the 2006 NAOAGA Tournament in Richelieu Valley Golf and Country Club in Montreal, Canada.

Alvin Lalonde and his family came down from British Columbia, Canada to play in the tournament. Alvin uses an interesting grip apparatus to connect his hand to his clubs. He too generates a great deal of power from his swing.

Steve Quevillon is also from Canada. Because of his injury "both his hands are good but where his challenge starts is below the waist" stated Gentry. He has almost no balance so he is assisted with a crutch and still wears a brace on his left leg. He has to maintain great tempo and a very smooth swing. He uses a tennis top-spin approach to try to draw the ball like in tennis when smashing the ball.

Mike Carver has one arm and it has only three fingers, which Gentry jokingly referred to as "the claw." Mike is still able to play exceptional golf. As Gentry recounts, "...we got rained out yesterday, he made the turn 35, one under on the front nine." Mike replied, "We got lucky." Mike utilizes a right-to-left draw with an over-spin on the ball.

As paraphrased from Gentry's remarks, the key to playing golf is that each person needs to find what works for them...as those of you who golf know, this is true for all golfers.

One-Armed Golfer Extends his Helping Hand

In retrospect the only disappointment I had in covering this event was that I was unable to witness first hand the awesome talent of Mr. Joshua Lee Patton. Josh was the former body guard of celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris. Because of a stabbing incident to his ribcage he developed scar tissue which has limited his range of motion on that side of his body to the extent that he had to give up his dream of a career in baseball. A former Marine he taught himself to play golf in 15 months and then competed in the World One-Armed Golf Championship in Scotland where he not only eliminated the two former world champions but won six of the nine tournament trophies. His longest drive at the tournament was a whopping 335 yards becoming a tournament record. We would like to commend Josh for his unwavering dedication to helping children, law enforcement, and veterans. Josh "believes the sport of One-Armed Golf should have a place in the world of Golf and that the One-Arm Golfer be recognized for his ability to play golf as well as the pros." He "actively pursues a passion for increasing the public's awareness of One-Arm Golf."

To help promote one-arm golf he will be playing in two more tournaments in Florida this month: the Police Athletic League's (PAL) Sarasota tournament on 9/11 raises money for at-risk children and this year is focusing on children and returning veterans. The other event is the day before on 9/10 at Temple Terrace and is hosted by the Adaptive Golf Foundation of America (AGFA). There will be returning veterans, stroke victims who play one or two armed, and a blind player. If you are in the area don't miss the opportunity to see these players and to help these organizations raise money for their causes. To read more on Josh please visit his website at onearmgolfer.com     

We would like to thank Renee Goergen, Golf Sales Manager, Jimmy Fagan, Conference Service Manager and rest of the staff at PGA National for the remarkable service they provided us all, with their dedicated professionalism and attention to detal in making this tournament a world class event. We would also like to thank Howard Levy of Photography by Howard and Robert Hall with Flying Pig Productions for their assistance with photos and videos during the coverage of this event.

This is the first of a three-part story from our coverage of this event. We have a lot more to share so please return to learn more. We are also producting a full length video that will compile the day's events which will assist NAOAGA raise funds to help meet their goals and objectives.

Comments (4)

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written by Golf Addict on September 06, 2009

Hey guys I have not played for a few weeks and after reading this article I have been re-inspired and have taken up the pilgrimage once again. Thanks NAOAGA!

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written by howiegb on September 07, 2009

I just want to take a moment to thank ALL the members of NAOAGA.
For there hospitality and for making me realize that I have nothing to complain about.
Too often able bodied people complain about what now seems like inconsequential aches & pains and when things don't go exactly the way we expect. You guys and gals in spite of whatever setbacks life has dealt you don’t complain or sit around and watch life pass you by, you make life happen.
Thanks again for making me view life through a different lens.

Howard
The Photographer

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written by FlaAlfa on September 10, 2009

I will forever be changed.

When Rojah asked me to come to Palm Beach to shoot some video of one armed golfers I had no idea what to expect. I had seen a few short video clips of people driving the tee. But that is just s a short snippet of time, a snapshot of a brief moment. You really can't get a sense of who these people really are from a video clip.

Even though I only got to experience the first day of the NAOAGA Golf Tournament at PGA National, I will be forever changed in my outlook on life. Meeting a few of the members and hearing their stories of how they overcame huge physical and mental challenges has made me re-think my own problems. In comparison, they are very small.

I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have gone to the NAOAGA tournament in Palm Beach.

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written by 1Armer on September 16, 2009

I cannot thank Roger and crew enough for the coverage they have provided our organization. Our mission is to promote the benefits of golf as a rehabilitative tool.
If you in any way feel inspired, or after watching us on the course,and think if they can do it Why can't I, then our mission is being accomplished.

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