Hanover
About 15 White River Junction VA Medical Center members, enrolled in the hospital’s recreational therapy program, joined a handful of veterans from elsewhere and a few family members and volunteer golf professionals for the first of four free golf clinics on Thursday at the Hanover golf course.
The brainchild of Newport (Vt.) Country Club pro Kim O’Neil, the series continues each of the next three Thursdays at Hanover Country Club and is open to all VA members and family.
O’Neil has been working on organizing the event since last winter, he said, and chose Hanover because of its proximity to the White River VA.
“My father (Robert O’Neil) was a World War II vet, and this is the 10-year anniversary of his death,” O’Neil said prior to the clinic. “It’s a way to honor him and to get people out here, enjoying the game.”
Braintree (Mass.) PGA head pro Bob Beach, St. Johnsbury (Vt.) Country Club PGA teaching pro David Jankowski and Hanover head pro Alex Kirk were among the volunteer instructors as players split into two groups, those who were brand new to the game and those with at least some prior experience.
Beginning the day on HCC’s practice holes on the east side of N.H. Route 10, the clinic focused on lob shots and general short game work in the morning before transitioning to drives and longer shots in the afternoon.
Josh Colby, a Bellows Falls, Vt., resident celebrating his 37th birthday, was among the experienced group. He took up the game five years ago and says he golfs four times per week when the weather allows.
“I have (post-traumatic stress disorder), and anger is one of the symptoms,” Colby said. “There was a lot of yelling at the clubs and the balls at first, but I’ve kind of settled into it.”
Colby’s intermediate group practiced approach shots from lower terrain about 30 yards from the hole, while Jankowski led true beginners on a more level green.
The beginner group included Haverhill resident Bill Signs, a Navy veteran who’s been treated for multiple visual impairment conditions at the VA.
“I’ve been legally blind since 2005, but it doesn’t stop me from getting out and doing things out of the house as much as I can,” said Signs, 68, who was joined by his daughter, Mona Sanville. “I love kayaking. In the winter, I go down to Mount Sunapee and go skiing.”
Signs’ ambition is perfect for the VA’s recreational therapy program, led by White River Junction resident Brooke Robinson Drew. The year-round program exposes VA veterans with disabilities to adaptive sports and creative arts activities with a mission to enhance overall quality of life.
“We want vets to come to the VA not only for their new glasses or hearing aids, but also for whole body health,” Robinson Drew said. “Whether they’re dealing with an injury, PTSD or anything else, learning a new sport and socializing is very beneficial.”
Many of those training in the beginner group had only previously played miniature golf, including Navy veterans Lynda DeForge and Rachel Ardin, of North Hartland. The married couple once binged on putt-putt, stopping to play at as many East Coast venues as possible during a road trip in the 1990s.
“That was a lot of fun; we must have gone to 15 places,” Ardin said. “That was 20-25 years ago, and that was probably the last time either of us had a golf club in our hands. It’s great for me, because I studied physical education in college and I’ve tried a lot of sports, but never golf.”
Keene, N.H., resident Ronald McPherson was among those with prior experience but hadn’t played in several years because of balance issues related to polyneuropathy and other conditions.
In order to play Thursday, he used an adaptive golf cart provided by Durham, N.H.-based nonprofit Northeast Passage. It featured a mechanical seat that lifted McPherson into swing position while he was still fastened.
The game didn’t exactly come right back to him, but it was worth the effort.
“It’s difficult, but there are two choices — doing something difficult or doing nothing,” said McPherson, who was joined by his wife, Ame, and German shepherd service dog, Mikey. “I’ll take doing something difficult over doing nothing any day.”
While most of the participants hailed from the Twin States, Albany (N.Y.) VA Medical Center member Kyle Dalton made the 2-hour, 45-minute trip from upstate New York to attend.
Dalton, who has significant visual impairment, clearly enjoyed himself while becoming reacquainted with the game.
“I used to play in golf tournaments with my dad, but it’s been about 15 years,” Dalton said. “As you can tell by my shots, the game isn’t exactly coming right back to me. But it doesn’t matter because events like this are therapy, both physically and mentally. Whether you’re in a wheelchair like (McPherson) or have visual impairment like me, it’s therapy.
“It shows you that these types of activities are still doable.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.