No Handicap

To shoot even par -- that's every hacker's dream. Hey, I'm no different. I've come close a time or two. I carry a 9-handicap and every now and then, when the putter gets hot, I'll threaten par. But I was never able to quite hold it together until Sept. 17, 2001.

I am the "ambassador captain" (senior ranger) at my local course, so I get to play several times a week. On that day, after getting the shotgun off, I dropped in on the 17th tee expecting to play two holes and go home. But I checked with the starter and No. 1 and thought I just might as well play a few more. I had a tap-in birdie at No. 4 and a chip-in birdie at No. 6 and another birdie at No. 11. After a couple of pars and a couple of bogeys, I made it to my last hole. I bombed my tee shot, put a short iron on the green and two-putted for par. I then went back and added my score up. Hmmmm, Three birdies, three bogeys, 12 pars.
Even-par 72. I'd done it!
Not bad for a guy in a wheelchair.

Mike Reeder
Franklin, Tenn.



Editor's note: Mike Reeder lost his legs while serving as a Navy corpsman with the Marines in Vietnam. According to the club official Mike Heil, Reeder plays the Forrest Crossing Golf Course in Franklin, Tenn., from 6,000 yards and drives the ball more than 200. He gets off his chair to chip and putt.

 

As seen in Golf Digest, February 2002