At The Cairns Cup Charity Golf Day Outing

At The Cairns Cup Charity Golf Day Outing

Cherry Creek golf course hosts The Cairns Cup this week, and I was happy to be invited to play in their opening charity golf outing on Monday.

The Cairns Cup is a Ryder Cup style competition between US and European teams where the participants all are differently abled. The competition days are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. As with the Ryder Cup, the first two days are Foursomes and Fourballs; the final day is singles matches.

I played with two members of the European team at the Charity Outing: Chris Foster and Ian Miller.

Chris lost a leg to cancer as a youth, but persevered to become a paralympic quality swimmer. An injury put an end to that, and he took up golf. He explained that golf appealed to him because like swimming, it is a sport where you succeed or fail on your own. With practice and natural athleticism, Miller quickly became a single handicapper. He currently works as a PGA Professional at the Hanbury Manor Golf and Country Club.

Ian was a high-level rugby player before experiencing a series of traumatic brain and spinal injuries. Following five years of rehabilitation, he dove headlong into golf with the Disabled Golfers Association.

I came away in awe of both of them. They are highly skilled players who deal with challenges most of us cannot imagine.

They remind me in many ways of Dennis Walter, the World Golf Hall of Famer who was an aspiring tour pro before suffering a spinal injury. Rather than giving up golf, Walter designed a custom golf cart and today travels the world performing a trick shot show and giving inspirational speeches.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Walter’s show a couple of times at the Washtenaw Golf Club’s annual Charity Classic for Folds of Honor.

Cherry Creek deserves props for hosting the even this week — and for their commitment to making Cherry Creek a fully accessible course. It strikes me that as such, the legacy of the Cairns Cup in Michigan could last long beyond this week. In making courses more accesssible, courses grow the game.

After the golf, we were treated to a great dinner at Cherry Creek. Prizes were awarded, and several players talked about what golf and competition mean to them.

The schedule for the rest of the week follows:

Tuesday, July 30

• 10.00 am – 1.00 pm – Kids Golf Foundation Clinic (Driving Range)
• Practice Rounds
• 4.00 pm – Opening Ceremony with Ian Waterhouse
  • Welcome by Erle Webber of Cherry Creek
  • USA Vice President – John Bell
  • Team USA Captain – Kim Moore
  • European Vice President – Kevin Booth
  • Team Europe Captain – Tineke Loogman
  • Naming of the Teams for Day One
  • Closing & National Anthem by Waylon Hanel

Wednesday, July 31

• 8.30 am – Day One Foursomes/Fourballs

Thursday, August 1

• 8.30 am – Day Two Foursome/Fourballs

Friday, August 2

• 8.30 am – Day Three Singles
• 5.00 pm – Presentation Dinner
  • Ian Halliwell – CEO – Expression of Thanks
  • Winning Captain Speech & Trophy Presentation