Nov. 10, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex will host a First Swing Golf Clinic for the physically challenged, including amputees, wheelchair users and the blind, Saturday, Nov. 15.

First Swing is a program of the National Amputee Golf Association, and Disabled American Veterans. The program will introduce participants to the rehabilitative benefits of golf, as well as the fun and enjoyment of the game. The clinic is free to those with physical challenges, as well as to physical and occupational rehabilitation professionals and golf professionals interested in learning more about working with physically challenged golfers. The clinic is also open to students preparing for careers in Occupational and Physical Therapy.

The First Swing Clinic will be taught by Don Zommer, who is a below elbow amputee and president of the Midwestern Amputee Golf Association, and Dan Cox, a below knee amputee and a trustee of the National Amputee Golf Association. They will be assisted by Ben Murray, who is a below elbow amputee, a math teacher at Lafayette Jefferson High School, and assistant coach of the Jeff boys golf team. Each of these instructors has been certified by NAGA in the First Swing Golf Clinic program. As instructors, they have worked around the country working with rehab professionals in all forms of clinical therapy to better serve their clients through outdoor exercise through the game of golf. They have worked with both adults and children and are accomplished golfers in their own right.

Also assisting will be Dan Ross, PGA head golf professional and director of instruction for the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, Brent Wills, assistant golf professional, and members of the Purdue men's and women's golf teams.

For the professionals, the day will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the classroom of the Tom Spurgeon Center. The afternoon session, which will begin at 1 p.m., will be open to physically challenged golfers to work with their rehabilitation therapists on the indoor, heated driving range bays of the Spurgeon Center. The instructors will provide guidance and assistance to rehabilitation therapists in working with their patients.

For more information about the First Swing Golf Clinic program, click here.

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