| Alia Fitzpatrick's mom wondered why her daughter became fixated on only one show on the new television she bought her. She wondered even more as to why it was The Golf Channel since nobody in her family has ever even played the game. Soon enough Alia was beginning to practice her golf swing in the confines of her own room and her mom knew it was time to let her play on a real golf course.
Alia was born with cerebral palsy and is deaf. She is now 17 years old and attends the Columbus School for the Deaf in Ohio. Alia became fixated on The Golf Channel about three years ago. On more than one occasion Alia would stack up two columns of pennies and attempt to swing a golf club in between them without knocking them over. Her mom began searching for local programs that would give Alia the chance to step out onto a real golf course and utilize her new golf skills. She found Derek Kinzer, a PGA professional and Director of Community Relations for ViaQuest Foundation.
The ViaQuest Foundation began offering golf programming in 2003 as an outlet for individuals with disabilities to experience golf first-hand. Kinzer and the ViaQuest Foundation have seen the impact that the game can have and how much it has enriched the participants' lives.
Derek took a special interest in Alia and her talents she had learned. He started with Alia with SNAG equipment and the Life Skills program while there was still snow on the ground. This was a good introduction to the game for Alia. SNAG equipment consists of oversized plastic golf clubs that help teach the golf swing to beginners. As soon as spring arrived, Alia was ready for the real course. After a brief stint on the driving range the two of them went out and played together T here is a learning curve that the two have had to overcome, but Alia's instincts are very well developed which eased the transition. It has been a challenge to learn how to communicate with each other. Gradually, they are getting the hang of it. Derek has been learning how to sign. Whereas Alia's understanding of the game is much more innate. Derek said also that watching The Golf Channel has engrained some good habits in Alia. She instinctively knows to tip her cap whenever she makes a putt, a trait that only the professionals have. Derek knows that she got this just from watching them on television.
She has not quite learned about patience on the course. Alia is usually so eager to play the next shot that she often walks ahead of Derek while he is playing his shot. "It is like trying to hold a racehorse back," Kinzer said. Like most golfers Alia loves to hit her driver and is always astounded when her professional partner hits a drive farther than anybody else. According to Derek, chipping is Alia's forte. She has a knack for getting the ball close to the hole. She has improved leaps and bounds over the course of the last year and plans on getting better and better with more practice. T his summer the two are planning to play in partner tournaments together on August 9th and 14th. Alia and Derek have developed more than just a coach and player relationship. They are friends and partners on the course. Both of them cheer on the other and are learning a lot from each other in the process. The two hope to qualify for the Ohio State Championship tournament in September. It proves that there are a number of different ways to learn the game and a number of different mediums in which to learn from. All it takes is a lot of practice and dedication and anything is possible. Alia is living proof of that. |
