"Let's see if you can do that," she said.

As he sat in his wheel chair, DeMattia swung and then laughed as the ball meandered a few feet in front of him.

"That's OK. A good start," said Al Blomquist, social worker at the Illinois Veterans Home La Salle Clinic.

DeMattia was golfing as part of the Revelation Golf program, with the assistance of Williams, a Ladies Professional Golf Association teaching professional.

Revelation Golf is a nonprofit organization that uses golf to enhance and develop a meaningful quality of life for cancer survivors, individuals with a physical disability and at-risk youths.

Williams and Donna Strum were at Dayton Ridge Golf Club in Ottawa Monday to teach golf to five residents of the Illinois Veterans Home La Salle Clinic.

DeMattia decided to stand for his next swing in hopes he'd have better results. This time he made contact and the ball traveled more than 30 yards.

"This guy. He's a natural," Blomquist said.

A natural, indeed. Golf skills run in his blood. DeMattia's brother, Emil, was named golf champion by the NewsTribune in the 1930s.

DeMattia, 90, is no stranger to the green himself. The Peru native remembers when he began playing golf while he was a caddy at age 14 at South Bluff in Peru.

"We got 25 cents for carrying nine holes," said the World War II veteran. DeMattia still remembers every hill, turn and trap, Blomquist said.

"Every chance he would get to play, he'd play," Blomquist said. "It's nice just to get out in the fresh air."

Not too far down the driving range, Francis Whitey, 84, formerly of Mendota, was steadily improving his game.

Strum, a clinical certified therapeutic recreation specialist with Revelation Golf, stood behind him to help him properly place his feet and keep his stance. With every swing, his distance improved until everyone gathered around him to watch him hit the ball more than 120 yards.

"Now I gotta get to 200," said the World War II veteran.

He lived in Arizona for 20 years and golfed almost every day.

"These are the first balls I've hit in five years," he said Monday.

The group made plans to return in three weeks and the five men said they are interested in coming back for another round.

"Oh yeah. Any place there's a golf course, if I'm able," Whitey said. "You're not always able to."

Blomquist said the men playing Monday were chosen because they often talk about golf at the Veterans Home.

"These are guys that used to play every week," he said.

Revelation Golf, based in Elk Grove Village, received a grant from the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs in June to begin the clinics for veterans. This is the fifth clinic of the program and Williams said the results have been strong.

"We're trying to use golf as a way to increase their physical ability," said Williams, citing balance, range of motion and endurance as focal points.

"Golf is a game you can play your entire life," she said.

Williams and Strum use adaptive equipment for the clinics. They carry adapted gloves, adapted grip and a gait belt, which is used to create a center of gravity. "Our biggest goal is getting these guys out and giving them something to look forward to," Williams said.

This story is courtesy of Mywebtimes.com