Loss of arm no handicap to the King of Cong
Jarlath is back in the swing with two trophy wins after accident last year. By Brian Keogh
LOSING an arm in an industrial accident would put an end to most golfing careers, but it didn’t stop Ballinrobe Golf Club’s Jarlath King winning not one but two significant events in the space of two days.
The 59-year-old from Cross in Co Mayo, a stone’s throw from Cong and just 10 minutes from the golf club, lost his left arm in an accident at work only last December.
But he was determined not to let his misfortune interfere with his golf and pulled off an incredible achievement by winning both the Irish and UK One-Armed Golf Championship at Portlaoise Golf Club recently.
It was a significant achievement for the former 20-handicapper, whose wife Helen was a member of the Ballinrobe team that won the Connacht pennant in the AIG Challenge
I am chipping better with one arm, letting the weight of the club do the work
Cup under skipper Angela Murphy this summer.
“I’ve been in Ballinrobe for 20 years, and the first thing that crossed my mind after the accident was ‘there goes my golf!’” explained Jarlath, who got back into the swing of things with his wife Helen just seven months after his accident by taking to the fairways of Ballinrobe again.
“It was tough at the start, playing with just one arm but while I am short off the tee, you have that extra shot with your handicap to help you, and I got used to it quickly.”
Playing off 42 after putting in three cards, he had 45 points to win the Irish One-Armed Championship and despite being cut by five shots overnight, went out the following day for the UK Championship and had 39 points off 37.
“I play most days now that I am no longer working and I am gaining a good bit of length off the tee,” explained Jarlath.
“My short game is better than it was before. I mainly hit the driver off the tee and a seven wood to get up close to the green. But I find I am chipping better with one arm, letting the weight of the club do the work.
“I’d say I get even more satisfaction from golf now though I do get more frustrated on the tee than before. I just have to watch that I don’t turn too soon or rotate too quickly because you end up hitting it on the heel.”
He discovered the Society of One-Armed Golfers online and emailed the Irish convenor, Mary Jennings, straight away to find out more and never looked back.
Now his ambition is to lose any lingering inhibitions and get back to playing in regular club competitions at beautiful Ballinrobe with his regular fourball partners so he can relieve them of their hardearned cash once more.
After all, golf helped him recover from a traumatic event, and his love of the game is now stronger than ever.
“One day I woke up and said I’d play golf again,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to getting back out with my pals again and having two, two and two and taking a few pounds off them!
“I haven’t played a Sunday competition in Ballinrobe since the accident and didn’t play in the Winter League. But hopefully, when the new season starts and the summer comes around, I will be back in action.
“I find my arm is very sensitive to cold, so I will have to mind it for the winter!
“It’s lovely to be a member of Ballinrobe, which is a highly rated course. The members have been very good to me and congratulated me on my recent success, and I’m looking forward to playing a lot of golf next year.”
The Society of One-Armed Golfers was founded in 1932, initially for golfers who had lost an arm in World War One.
It has evolved to include golfers who have lost the use of an arm through conflict, road or industrial accidents, congenital disabilities or neurological reasons.
The Society aims to provide a level playing field in golf for those unfortunate enough to have lost the use of an arm, and an international field was at Carlow Golf Club for this year’s World Championship, where Germany’s Reinard Schuhknecht retained his title.
To find out more about the Society of One-Armed Golfers, visitonearmgolf.org.