WACO, Texas — The Southwest Amputee Golfers Association took over Cottonwood Creek in Waco over the weekend with an annual tournament that has been hosted since the 1970s.
Carl Foster has been a participant in the tournament since 1983. He said the first round he ever shot after his arm was amputated was a 139, but years later shot as low was a 74. He loves the challenge of the game.
“Several people, they always say, 'I don’t think I can do that,'" he said. "Well, number one you got to concentrate more and you’ve got to want to do it. I mean, you can have a pity party all your life, but that doesn’t get it.”
He said the tournament is an excellent support system and it's great to see others who deal with similar issues as him.
“I love the camaraderie and the challenge of the course and you, playing."
The camaraderie has been organized by Roy McCoy since 1980 and looks forward to the event every year. He can no longer play, but was an avid golfer after being involved in an incident that resulted in the amputation of his leg. He says proving others that their stigmas are wrong is a bonus.
“End of the round, the two other guys would always say something like, we thought this was gonna be a terrible round when you walked up," McCoy said. "I’d either play as good as them or sometimes beat them.”
McCoy wants to preach not hiding your disability but rather showing it off.
“You know, instead of being embarrassed about it, show it off. That's why we all wear shorts, every person in this group wears shorts. We’re not trying to hide anything, we’re going to show the world that we can compete.”
This year there were 42 golfers who participated in the event and there have been as many as 72 in previous years.