11 Years and Still Going

Friends and family know that my memory is a bit odd. I have a knack for remembering dates and numbers, but if you ask me what day it is I will very likely give you the wrong answer, however I can quote pretty obscure baseball stats if you ever have use for those (Jimmy Buffett wrote a song called "Useless But Important Information" that could easily describe a lot of things in my mind). Every once in a while, though, being able to remember dates and numbers does have some benefits.

May 10 just so happens to be one of those times. Eleven years ago, on May 10, 2011, I pulled into the parking lot at 11365 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, Missouri, for the first junior golf clinic at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital. That first junior golf clinic was the beginning of our weekly, year-round junior golf program at what quickly became one of my favorite places. Yes, you read that correctly. For 11 years we have had junior golf clinics every week, all year long, in St. Louis, and at a pediatric hospital. Kids have come to play golf in hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, and walking on their own. They have had to stop in the middle to take more medicine, get a quick check-up, or wait while a hospital staff member finds out why a machine is beeping. Many of the kids have never played golf before, and many have thought golf was something they would never be able to play. All of them have been included, shown they can play, and learned how much fun golf can be for everybody!

When I first started the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan after reading about a similar program at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew is I wanted to use my knowledge of the game of golf to help very sick children heal and get better. Over the last 11 years and more than 575 junior golf clinics (every once in a while we have two clinics a week), I think golf has done just that. One thing I quickly learned during the very first clinic is that there is no better feeling than putting a smile on the face of a child in a pediatric hospital. Golf has become a part of the "Care Beyond the Bedside" model of healthcare for the kids and just typing that brings a big smile to my face.

A successful junior golf program like the one at Ranken Jordan would not happen without continual support from a lot of people. I know one thing I am not good at is expressing my gratitude and appreciation for this support. So many of you have helped through kind words, volunteering your time, financial contributions, and so much more. All of the support is so greatly appreciated and has allowed the game of golf to make such a difference in the lives of so many children and their families. I cannot say thank you enough for all of you who have contributed in some way through the first 11 years, and I can tell you that we are just getting started! And to Janine Roe -- the biggest thank you of all for believing in the crazy guy who presented this idea to you. I am beyond lucky and fortunate to have the opportunity to spend time every Wednesday at Ranken Jordan teaching golf to and learning from some amazing kids. Thank you, thank you, thank you!