How Golf Saved My Life

I started swinging a golf club when I was a little under three years old but I wouldn't fall in love with golf until my return from Iraq and the trials of warfare. While driving through a dangerous area south of Baghdad, a roadside bomb went off as my Humvee was passing and two pieces of shrapnel went through my lower IBA and into my back. I would remain in Iraq for 8 months and in April 2004 I returned from the deployment a disabled soldier.

My life would change forever and the pain in my back would change my disposition on all of my abilities. A few friends in my Unit decided that they wanted to buy new golf clubs and start playing golf, after returning from a deployment our commanders allowed us a lot of free time to relax and recover from the stresses of life in war-time. My love for golf would grow but I was far from being a “golfer”. We played golf a lot but the pain in my back was often too much for me to endure and I started to play less and less until one day I decided I needed the money and I sold my golf clubs. I bought my friend Eddie Byrd’s old Dunlap golf clubs for twenty dollars and regretted selling my other clubs for a long time.

In September 2005, I would leave the Army and head back home to Austin Texas to start my college career at Austin Community College. I stopped playing golf, and I stopped being active all together. I used the pain in my back as an excuse to be lazy and I began to gain weight and with every added pound the pain in my back would only increase. Three years passed and I went from being a 175 lbs athletic person, to weighing 255 lbs and doing everything I could to resist any physical activity.

In 2008, I was accepted to Texas State University and this is where golf grabbed me and changed my life. A friend of mine named Raquel was working in the recreation department at Texas State and I had mentioned how I wanted to coach golf someday and she told me about a position through the REC department that would allow me to coach a Jr Golf Program. Raquel would introduce me to Ryan the manager of the Texas State Golf Course who quickly decided to allow me to take over the program. Part of the perks of being an employee was being able to play the course for free and anytime I wanted. During this time my father would buy me a pushcart and I began to walk the course and I began to change my disposition on my abilities as a golfer and as person again.

Almost a year in to working the Rec program I had my entire golf bag stolen with all my golf clubs and a bag of golf attire (I was heading back to Austin for the weekend and planning on doing some laundry at my parents house). It was a set back in my goal but it wouldn't stop me.

Golf didn’t just help me lose weight and be more active; it allowed me to understand the world again. Golf showed me that I could still be competitive, that I could set goals and achieve those goals. The lessons I learned on the fairways transferred to my life. I have now lost the weight that I have struggled with over the years to lose; I have gained strength in my back, legs, and shoulders. My back will always be a problem for me but now I know I can work through the pain and still do what I love to do.

In May 2011, I graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos and recently moved out to San Angelo Texas where I started working for Bentwood Country Club and will be the Head Coach for the Jr High School Golf program here in San Angelo and I want to become a PGA Teaching Pro. I moved out to West Texas with my fiancé who has been my biggest supporter and I could not have done it without her and now she ‘s my wife. I’m teaching U.S. History at Central High School now and hope to take over as Head Golf Coach if the position ever becomes available.

Golf saved my life; it showed me that I could do anything if I practiced and worked hard and I will spend my life sharing my passion for golf and how golf is more than just a game but a way of life and a strength I take deep pride in. I really think that Mizuno Golf and the #Playfamously contest could help my career, help my grow the game of golf in West Texas and make a name for myself in the golf business. I want to show Wounded Soldiers what golf did for me and what it can do for their own lives.