COLUMBUS, Ga., February 5, 2010 — Roy Nix, Executive Director of the Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP), leader in the advancement of custom clubfitting and clubmaking around the world announces a cooperative effort with SwingRite to help disabled veteran golfers.
It all started with a suggestion from Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP) member Bill Marshall. The rest is history. Kate Whitney (President of SwingRite, a worldwide golf and baseball training aid company) remembers emailing with Marshall and mentioning something about a disabled veteran’s golf course in Washington that she had donated some of her SwingRite products to last year. “It’s a great place where they help disabled vets learn to play golf. Some of the vets are missing arms or legs, while others suffer from PTSD. No matter what their condition is, they all love the game of golf.” Next thing she knew, Whitney received an exciting email from Marshall that really helped launch this whole thing. Marshall said, “I have a bunch of drivers, hybrids, fairway woods, and iron sets in various flexes. I will do at least one full set per month if it will help these brothers.” That’s all it took to get the wheels turning in Kate Whitney’s head. Whitney has always been one to help others, and it seems like there are lots of other selfless people in the world who also love to help those less fortunate.
“Bill told me that many clubfitters have golf clubs and accessories that they no longer use in their fittings. Instead of throwing them out or letting them collect dust, he suggested I contact the AGCP guys and see if they might be interested in donating them to Veteran’s organizations. I thought this was a brilliant idea and I couldn’t wait to get the ball rolling!” Whitney recalls.
Once Marshall planted this “idea” seed, Whitney began researching different non profit organizations. Whitney found multiple organizations that could benefit from the donation of golf clubs. “I googled ‘disabled veterans golf’ and came up with numerous organizations. The two that we are helping right now are American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Lakewood, WA, and The Adaptive Golf Foundation of America in Sarasota, FL.”
The AGCP is made up of a great group of people, many of whom are also Veterans. With that said, you can imagine the great response that came back after the President of the AGCP, Roy Nix, circulated a heartfelt email from Whitney to all the AGCP members. Emails came pouring in from clubfitters who had product they wanted to donate. Whitney says “It was such a great feeling to get emails from people all over this great country, and beyond, who wanted to donate clubs. People were really excited about making a difference in someone’s life.”
When Whitney emailed Ken Walters, of the Adaptive Golf Foundation of American, and asked what size clubs they needed for the vets, she remembers the response she got back. He said “they could really use junior clubs. Many disabled vets who have lost an arm really benefit from using junior clubs, since they are lighter and easier to swing. Also, many times they provide clinics for soldier’s children. It’s fun to learn a sport and it helps take their minds off the fact that a loved one is overseas fighting a war.”
When clubfitter Dan Wilt (Link to the Links Custom Club Fitting) found out about the need for junior clubs, he immediately got to work. When he realized he had heads, but no shafts or grips, he reached out to others in the industry. Before long, he had 30 junior graphite shafts being sent his way from Lee Sanford at ML Wilson. J. Lynn Griffin (The Golf Stop) donated the grips that Wilt needed. Whitney remembers an email from Wilt that really showed his determination to touch the lives of these special people, “I have approximately 30 driver heads for juniors. If you could give me an idea of how tall some of the kids are, I can build them to their size. I hope that this will be a help in giving some kids the opportunity that they may not have had before to play a little golf or just hit a few balls at the range.”
It’s amazing what non-profit organizations you will come across when you start looking. There are so many out there that need help. Help doesn’t have to be in the form of a large check or a huge box. It can be small. To these organizations, any little donation helps and is all greatly appreciated. Remember what Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” To contact SwingRite please email kate@swingrite.com or visit www.SwingRite.com.
About the AGCP
Based in Columbus, GA, the AGCP is dedicated to the promotion and growth of custom fitting worldwide. To find out more about the AGCP or to become a Member call 706.324.7490 or visit www.agcpgolf.com.
Quick Links: AGCP Roundtable 5, 2010 Information
http://www.agcpgolf.com/html/roundtable_5_-_2010.html
http://agcpgolf.com/Store/html/rt_4_dvds_2009.html
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