No Handicap When It Comes to Competing

Six months after Jack Williams’ left leg was amputated below the knee, he was back on the golf course. Williams, of Costa Mesa, had always led an active life and it would take more than losing a leg to stop that.

Williams, 52, says he can do as much athletically as most anyone his age. He still skis--snow and water--and occasionally body surfs with an artificial leg. “This leg doesn’t stop me from doing anything,” he said.

Not surprisingly, however, golf can still be a struggle. An eight handicap during the 1960s when he played for the U.S. Army golf team after Orville Moody left the service for professional golf, Williams now has a 15 handicap.

The handicap was up around 27 after his leg was amputated 12 years ago because of a chronic ankle injury. His first few artificial legs didn’t enable him to rotate his hips when he swung the club, so his swing was all upper body.

Now his high-tech leg allows more movement. “I used to have a fade,” he said. “Now I have a slice, but I’ll get rid of that.”

He was controlling it well enough to win his flight last month at the Western Amputee Golf Assn. tournament in Northern California. This week he will compete in the National Amputee Golf Assn. Open Championship at Singing Hills Resort in El Cajon.

Williams is playing in his first NAGA Open. The tournament, in its 48th year, is the organization’s national championship, and Williams says he relishes the chance to compete.

“Playing in tournaments and charity events is one thing,” Williams said, “but when you are playing among your peers, it’s quite different and you find out people are a lot better than you are too.”

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Williams says his game will never be as good as it was before the amputation. Not because he has an artificial leg, but because he spends more time teaching golf than playing it.

He is an instructor for the NAGA and a member of the Functional Amputee Support Team that helps counsel people with diabetes or cancer who are going to have limbs amputated.

The team members serve as role models. Said Williams: “People see me and say to themselves, ‘If he can do this, I can do it and what else can I do?’ ”

Williams is helping to put on a free clinic at soon-to-be-opened Oak Creek Golf Course in Irvine. The clinic, called First Swing and held the last couple of years in Fullerton, will be Sept. 27-28.

The first day is for golf instructors and physical, occupational and recreational therapists. The second day is for people with disabilities. Last year, Williams said, the clinic attracted about 50 people with various disabilities, including stroke victims and heart transplant patients.

For information, call Williams’ pager at (714) 717-9368.

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Hot tip: The Southern California Golf Assn. site on the World Wide Web (https://www.scga.org) is proving to be an excellent outlet for information about competitive golf.

The site, which was set up last month, has been receiving about 1,000 hits a day, according to Bob Thomas, SCGA director of communications.

Along with information about Southern California courses, the site has been providing timely reports on amateur events, including the Western, Pacific Coast amateurs and the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Last week, the SCGA announced on the site new twilight rates for the SCGA Members’ Club at Rancho California. The regular price for the public is $50 (members $35) Monday through Thursday on the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course. Until the end of the month, the fee from noon to 4 p.m. will be $27 ($19). After 4 p.m. the fee is $15 regardless of membership status. Rates for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are slightly higher. For more information: (800) 752-9724.

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The American Junior Golf Assn. has an event this week at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, and Orange County is well represented with seven boys and three girls from the county expected to compete today through Thursday.

Perry Dickey (Huntington Beach), Will Luciano (Huntington Beach), John Park (Fullerton), Greg Pittenger (Coto de Caza), Dusty Schmidt (Sunny Hills High), Nick Seymour of Tustin and Steve Wagner (Mission Viejo) are in the boys’ field.

Julia Allison (Santa Ana), Lisa Costello (Brea Olinda High) and Yon Yim (Irvine) are in the girls’.

Notes

Mike Blum of Seal Beach was one of four to advance Monday at the USGA Senior Amateur qualifying at Mesa Verde Country Club. Blum shot one-over 73. Peter Daley of Costa Mesa was one of two alternates. The USGA Senior Amateur is Sept. 7-12 at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. . . . Lisa Sanders of Alta Vista Country Club lost, 2 and 1, to Candace Meyers of California Country Club in Whittier in the final of the 95th Southern California Golf Assn. Women’s Southern Championship Friday at Saticoy Country Club.

The Orange County Golf Notebook runs weekly. Readers are encouraged to suggest items. Call (714) 966-5904, fax 966-5663 or e-mail Martin.Beck@latimes.com

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County Drives

Here is a look at the features that make one golf hole in Orange County stand out:

Course: Monarch Beach Golf Links, 23841 Stone Hill Drive, Dana Point, (714) 240-8247

Hole: No. 11

Length: 315, 293 and 258 yards

Description: If you’re lucky, you might see dolphins playing in the waves next to this scenic par-4. If you’re strong off the tee, you may be tempted to cut the slight dogleg and try to reach the green, which requires an accurate drive of about 270 yards from the back tee.

Hint: The safer play is to hit a long iron short of the right fairway bunker, leaving about a 100-yard approach shot to the severely undulating green.

Quote: “It’s a risk-and-reward shot. If you feel good over the ball on your tee shot there’s a good chance you can drive the green.”--Rick Valantine, assistant professional