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Letter from 
Upper Peninsula Golf Clinic and Challenge a Swinging Success
By Lynn VanWelsenaers
On July 8, with the sun shining, 80 degree temperatures (no, it was not snowing) and smiles everywhere, we had our 5th Annual Adaptive Golf Clinic at Red Fox Run Golf Course in Gwinn, Michigan. The 26 participants were given the opportunity to learn new skills, relearn or improve their game.
We started our day with a morning clinic designed to give everyone a chance to drive, chip and putt. The clinic attendees were instructed in each area by either Frank Guastella a Master PGA professional and co-owner of Red Fox Run, Evan Haske a Golf Professional at Red Fox Run and Gary Dionne and avid golfer and amputee.
Many of the golfers were given clubs that were bent or shaped specifically for their optimum success. Many hit from wheelchairs, one handed and two handed; there were also unilateral, bilateral upper and lower extremity amputees, stroke patients and paraplegics who all were successful and had a great day enjoying our beautiful Upper Peninsula.
The U.P. Adaptive Outdoor Recreation Committee was started 5 years ago to promote adaptive sports for the physically and mentally challenged in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. With this in mind, we started having the U.P. Adaptive Recreation Golf Challenge to help raise money for our endeavors. This is an opportunity for the morning clinic participants to try out their new skills and team up with able-bodied golfers. The challenge this year had six teams, and five of the six teams had at least one clinic participant. The afternoon included a buffet lunch, nine holes of golf played in a 4-person scramble format and a closest to the pin contest. Door prizes were raffled off and encouragement and inspiration were given in abundance.
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their help in making our day a great success:
By Lynn VanWelsenaers
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On July 8, with the sun shining, 80 degree temperatures (no, it was not snowing) and smiles everywhere, we had our 5th Annual Adaptive Golf Clinic at Red Fox Run Golf Course in Gwinn, Michigan. The 26 participants were given the opportunity to learn new skills, relearn or improve their game.
We started our day with a morning clinic designed to give everyone a chance to drive, chip and putt. The clinic attendees were instructed in each area by either Frank Guastella a Master PGA professional and co-owner of Red Fox Run, Evan Haske a Golf Professional at Red Fox Run and Gary Dionne and avid golfer and amputee.
Many of the golfers were given clubs that were bent or shaped specifically for their optimum success. Many hit from wheelchairs, one handed and two handed; there were also unilateral, bilateral upper and lower extremity amputees, stroke patients and paraplegics who all were successful and had a great day enjoying our beautiful Upper Peninsula.
The U.P. Adaptive Outdoor Recreation Committee was started 5 years ago to promote adaptive sports for the physically and mentally challenged in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. With this in mind, we started having the U.P. Adaptive Recreation Golf Challenge to help raise money for our endeavors. This is an opportunity for the morning clinic participants to try out their new skills and team up with able-bodied golfers. The challenge this year had six teams, and five of the six teams had at least one clinic participant. The afternoon included a buffet lunch, nine holes of golf played in a 4-person scramble format and a closest to the pin contest. Door prizes were raffled off and encouragement and inspiration were given in abundance.
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their help in making our day a great success:
- Econo Foods
- Marquette General Hospital
- Pioneer Surgical Technology
- Public Service Garage