| Like most thirteen year olds, Brandon Edge wants to win a trophy. But unlike most thirteen year olds, he doesn't have as many opportunities to earn a trophy through a local baseball, basketball or football team. Brandon has cerebral palsy and organized sports teams for the physically challenged are limited.
Brandon is a video game playing, sports loving, average kid who fell in love with golf at an early age. His father cut down a hockey stick and turned it into a golf club so Brandon could practice putting in the living room.
 That's why his father Jim brought Brandon to The First Tee of Dyer Park at Tam O'Shanter Golf Course, in 2002. Keith Stuhler, Executive Director of The First Tee and CEO of The Children's Golf Foundation-the organization that administers programming at The First Tee of Dyer Park, designed the golf course especially for kids like Brandon. The end result is a fully wheel-chair accessible golf course and learning center, the first of its kind in the nation, devoted exclusively to physically and mentally challenged individuals.
Each Saturday, Brandon and his dad spend the morning at The First Tee fulfilling a dream Brandon has strived for all his life, to become a golfer. Brandon first learned to golf from his wheel chair, but now uses a golf cart built by Club Car to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. The carts were donated to the facility and provide Brandon with more mobility than he had from his wheelchair.
Like any beginner, Brandon struggled to hit the ball at first. Spurned on by encouragement from both his father and The First Tee coaches, Brandon has improved each week.
"Brandon's always had a great disposition," says his father Jim. "This is more of a challenge for him, he gets to try hard and fail and do better."
Since joining The First Tee, Brandon has become a swinging sensation. He can drive the ball over one hundred yards and his confidence is overwhelming. So much so, that his father affectionately calls him a "hot dog". And most importantly, Brandon gets to display his talent in a "team atmosphere", amongst a group of kids all learning the game at their own pace.
"It's probably the first time we've ever been able to rally Brandon on and participate in a sport with him," said Jim Edge. "It's a family affair; my daughter comes out and watches too."
The little boy whose playing field was once a living room has become an inspiration to families and kids with disabilities. His smiling face can be seen on the Children's Golf Foundation website and the USGA website letting other challenged youngsters know about the field of opportunity that awaits them at The First Tee of Dyer Park.
For the Edge family, the hockey stick remains a symbol of Brandon's undying determination. With every swing of his new club, Brandon gains a sense of pride and accomplishment, climbing one step closer to earning his first trophy. |
