Members of the Eastern Amputee Golf Association attended Tavistock’s Veterans Appreciation Day.

Tavistock pays special tribute to veterans

  In an effort to further connect with those who served in the armed forces, Tavistock Country Club presented a Veterans Appreciation Day on Nov. 9. Officials invited members of the Eastern Amputee Golf Association, a non-profit organization based in Bethlehem, Pa., to a round of golf followed by cocktails.

  “The guys that came from the association were extremely thankful. They don’t get the opportunity to play places like Tavistock all the time,” Hugh Matthis, the club’s head professional, said. “It was a week after our heavy aerification so some of our members were hesitant to jump in, but after the buzz that went around and the stories that were told, it will be a pretty big event next year.”

  “It was a real nice program that they had. I was glad we were able to participate,” Bob Buck, Executive Director of the EAGA, said. “The game of golf is what brings us together.”

  Sixty individuals, 16 of which were amputee veterans, participated in the event. Tavistock previously offered a cocktail party to honor its veterans annually, but added a golf component this year and reached out to the EAGA for its involvement.

  The EAGA aims to assist in the rehabilitation of amputees and provide for their general welfare, both physical and psychological, through the medium of golf and its associated activities.

  “We had one gentleman who was 82 years old and didn’t have a right arm or a prosthetic arm either. The member who played with him (Francis A. Keegan, Tavistock’s golf chairman) shared a story not about his life or what happened in the past, but he said at 82 years old, he smiled the entire day and gave the group good stories,” Matthis said. “He said that he probably hit five good golf shots all day, but you would have thought he shot 69. It just gave him and the rest of the group such a good feeling. It was neat to see these guys get around and still play the game, given their disabilities.”

Golf Association of Philadelphia
  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 151 Full Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.