Georgia Amputee Golf Tournament builds community and relationships

When Jim Young visited Macon back in 1999, he certainly wasn’t thinking about golf.

The West Virginia native was going through a turbulent period of his life. Young had been in a bad motorcycle accident in the 1980s that forced him to spend three years in the hospital. After 20 operations on one of his legs, it had to be amputated.

Young had to adjust to his new life. He worked with a prosthetist, a health professional who helps design, fit and care for artificial limbs, to get a new leg. 

“While that was happening, it kinda of dawned on me that, ‘Hey, I could do this,’” he said. “I thought, ‘What do I have to do to become a prosthetist?’”

So Young went to school at Northwestern, getting the necessary degree to help other amputees. Then came residency.

The options were Jonesboro, Arkansas; West Palm Beach or a little place called Macon.

“Well, you go to Jonesboro, you get one look at all that tornado warning system. … If it happens that often, it’s a no go,” Young said. “Then with the place in Florida, (it) didn’t seem like me.”

So the newly-minted prosthetist — or prosthetist in training, rather — ventured south to Macon. He was not thinking about golf, but the sport would find him in a way that would change his life.

Camaraderie and competition

The Ray Rice Sr. Memorial Golf Tournament, also called the Georgia Amputee Golf Tournament, has been running for nearly 30 years. The event is hosted in Milledgeville and brings together amputees from across the state to compete on the golf course.

The tournament really started back in the late 1960s, though, according to lead coordinator Bill Eason.

“We originally played up in Warm Springs back around 1968, then moved it to Milledgeville when I moved there,” Eason said. “Ray Rice’s family eventually wanted to honor their father, so we named it in his honor.”

Young will compete in this year’s edition of the tournament, now in its 33rd year. In 1999, he more or less stumbled upon the event.

“It just so happened to be going on when I visited and it felt right to go,” he said.

Young met other amputees — ones who had prosthetic legs like him, yes, but also men missing arms or missing both legs. It was a tight-knit group that Young embraced from the get-go.

As warm as the camaraderie felt, though, Young was just as enamored with the skills of the golfers.

The event is sanctioned by the U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance, which helps make golf more accessible for people with physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities. The organization hosts events and also has a ranking system for golfers that participate in their tournaments.

“Even I have a ranking from participating. Now, it’s something like 18,000th place, but I have a ranking,” Young said.

It was the competitors at the top of the table that wowed him. Young recalled how a player named Frank Culpepper who was paired with him the first time he attended the tournament, and how Culpepper ripped a drive about 300 yards.

“God, he hit that ball so pure. I couldn’t believe it,” Young said. “Another year, a (Vietnam war veteran) who was missing one of his legs came up to the tee box on crutches, he didn’t have a prosthetic. … So he crutches up there, tees the ball up, dropped the crutches and hit the ball balanced on one leg. He knocked that ball about 150 yards.”

Eason said the skill level of the tournament has grown with the tournament’s size.

“We’ve had a huge growth since the 1990s. We’ll have close to 100 people this weekend. People have played with us for their entire lives,” Eason said.

‘A family reunion’

Over the years, Young has kept attending the tournament and kept building his presence in Macon.

He is the owner and practitioner of Amputee Prosthetic Clinic on Mercer University Drive — yes, the one with the pirate on the sign — and has opened locations in Dublin and Tifton. 

“I take a lot of pride in just treating people like human beings and taking care of folks,” Young said. “I took my lemons and made lemon-meringue pie.”

Young is charismatic. He jokingly refers to his non-amputee colleagues as “two-legged freaks.” He also seems very caring, though, and his passion for both his practice and the golf tournament reflect that.

That attitude matches the general vibes of the tournament, Eason said.

“Everyone there has a great sense of humor. One year we had a veteran from Afghanistan … people were complaining about how hot it was. He just said, ‘Y’all have never been to Afghanistan, have you?’” Eason recalled. “They’re just a fun group who love being around each other.”

Young’s children helped out at the tournament when he first moved to Macon. Now his grandchildren assist. He sponsors a hole at the event and talks regularly with different organizers. He touts the tournament’s yearly scholarship, which goes to an amputee or immediate family member of an amputee.

“It feels like a family reunion. You have friends you see every year, hear about their families,” Young said. “You also meet new people, you get paired with different people and get to learn about them.”

Eason’s favorite part of the event is the scholarship.

“It’s because it’s funded by things we sell, the (raffle) tickets. We sell mulligans. People just come together and open their hearts to give,” Eason said. “That’s the most rewarding thing.”

When this year’s tournament begins, Young will certainly have fun trying to compete with some of the best golfers out there. Young might have more fun, though, just talking to them.

“It’s the same as with my practice, I just enjoy treating people like people,” Young said. “The scholarships, the golf — it’s all about a community.”

The Ray Rice Sr. Memorial Golf Tournament begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. with a best ball round and runs through Sunday. The tournament is held at The Club at Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville.