Team Bob Thibodeau prepares for the Inaugural GSGA Adaptive Golf Championship. (L-R) Chris Osborne, Bob Thibodeau, Tom Hartzell (photo courtesy Bob Thibodeau)
By Bob Thibodeau
October 2019
The team of Bob Thibodeau, Chris Osborne, Tom Hartzell, and Marcus Williams gathered on a brilliant, Saturday, October 12 morning at the Bobby Jones golf course in Atlanta (GA) to play 18 holes, in anticipation of the upcoming Inaugural GSGA Adaptive Golf Championship that is to be played there on October 23 and 24. Georgia State Golf Association hosts the tournament and it is open to players from all disability categories with a nationally recognized golf handicap index and an Access Pass or WR4GD Pass through the EDGA. GSGA membership and Georgia residency are not requirements.
The Bobby Jones Course PGA team, employees and volunteers are very supportive of Adaptive golf clinics on the driving range, short game area, and putting green. Accessibility for those playing out of specialized carts is provided with advance scheduling.
Amputee golfer Chris Osborne has overcome a swath of challenges in his life and golf has been a perfect activity for helping him stay positive. “The upcoming event at Bobby Jones is a change of pace from the typical 18 hole championship tracks that I play. I played the course several years ago, prior to the renovations, but the new reversible design is unique,” said Osborne, who turns 48 in November. The avid golfer became an amputee in 2004, following a hit and run motorcycle accident. Osborne says, “99% of the time, I am the only African American in the field of disabled golfers. This is my 3rd and last ranking/qualifying event of 2019. And, with Atlanta less than 3 hours away from my home in Birmingham, AL, it’s a no brainer that I’ll attend and try to improve my world ranking. I am also seeking a sponsor to support me.”
The Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to growing the game of golf through access to improved public golf and professional golf instruction and programming. Their mission was to transform an obsolete, dangerous golf course named after the most iconic figure in golf into a facility worthy of his name that will become the home of golf in Georgia, including a revolutionary reversible golf course designed by Bob Cupp, with state of the art practice facilities, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, and programming designed to grow the game of golf with a specific focus on juniors and adaptive/accessible golf.
The original course was built in 1934 about the time Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie were building Augusta National.
Amputee player Chris Osborne and Marcus Williams who uses a para rider to play.
The course has great vistas of downtown Atlanta and is very close to the Shepherd Center Hospital. Patients from the hospital use the course as part of recreation therapy. A special Shepherd program called SHARE use the course to help veterans with PTSD recover through the power of golf as a rehabilitative and restorative sport. Many will go on to use golf as an ongoing way of life for golfs, socialization, challenge, and fun.
It was a special outing, and the team was the first off with the sunrise. The greens were perfect the putting less so! The socialization was great with the usual banter of “I don’t believe how lucky you are!” filling the air.
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Chris lives in Birmingham Alabama and was on the road at 4 am Birmingham time to join the group. Marcus lives near downtown Atlanta and competes in Para Longdrive competitions. Bob and Tom have been involved with the adaptive golf program for four years. One of the keys to play when one of your players is using a mobility device is to always be aware of your position on the course and let others play through if appropriate. When courses such as Bobby Jones established a baseline for accessibility and playing cooperation, great things can happen to bring the disabled into our great sport.
To learn more about the Inaugural GSGA Adaptive Golf Championship visit https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2128796
