From Donations to the Driving Range: SO College Golf Tees Off

What started with donated golf clubs, bags and equipment arriving at the Institute for Disability Studies from across the country has officially made its way to the driving range.

On Tuesday, September 1, 13 Special Olympics College athletes alongside IDS staff gathered at Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Hattiesburg for the first practice of Southern Miss’ newest SO College sport: golf.

The turnout was an exciting milestone for a program that has been taking shape long before the first ball was hit.

Over the past year, IDS has received an extraordinary collection of donated golf equipment from individuals and organizations across the country. Clubs, golf balls, bags, tees, grips and other equipment began arriving in numbers far beyond what we could have imagined.

Monetary contributions from the IDS Inaugural Golf Tournament and sellers within the Whatnot community bridged the gap between us simply having the equipment needed for our team to play, and actually being able to get them on the fairway.

When golf was first announced as an option for SO College, only a handful of athletes initially signed up. But as word spread, so did the interest.

More names were added. Then more.

By the time the team arrived at Shadow Ridge for its first practice, 13 athletes were ready to give golf a try — most of whom had little or no previous experience with the sport. The first practice wasn’t about perfect swings or keeping score, but rather about learning basic techniques, building endurance, and maintaining correct posture.

Shadow Ridge Head Golf Professional Judd Brewer worked directly with athletes who were brand new to the game, introducing fundamentals and helping them begin developing the skills and confidence they will need on the course. With support from SO College student coaches and IDS staff, athletes had the opportunity to practice, ask questions, make adjustments and — most importantly — start figuring out what playing golf feels like for them.

Athletes will return to Shadow Ridge for three additional practice clinics this fall, giving them time to continue developing their swings, learn more about the game and become increasingly comfortable on the course.

Then, they’ll take a much bigger step.

On October 23, SO College golfers will put those skills to work during the 2nd Annual IDS Charity Golf Tournament at Shadow Ridge Golf Club. Rather than immediately placing new golfers into traditional individual competition, athletes will play alongside teammates in a scramble format.

The experience will give them a chance to get their feet wet playing a full course while relying on one another along the way. It will also provide something that can’t quite be replicated on a practice range: the endurance, decision-making, patience and teamwork that come with spending an entire round together on the course.

And they’ll get to do it at the same event that helped make their new team possible!

After their first fall season wraps up, the team will return to the course in the spring for another round of clinics and continued skill development leading toward an even bigger goal: competing in the official Special Olympics Mississippi golf tournament next summer.

From golf equipment donated by people across the country, to golfers supporting IDS through online auctions and our annual golf tournament, to 13 athletes lining up for their first practice at Shadow Ridge, the SO College Golf Team is a reminder of what can happen when community support is transformed into an opportunity for Mississippians with disabilities.

The clubs have finally found their players. Now, it’s time to see where they take them.