{"id":13524,"date":"2014-09-17T14:50:53","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T14:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/independentweekender.com\/?p=13524"},"modified":"2014-09-17T14:51:29","modified_gmt":"2014-09-17T14:51:29","slug":"handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge’s Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY MARTY MYERS<\/strong>
\n Times-Shamrock Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Greg<\/a>

Greg Lee chips from the rough near Monday in a Blue Ridge match against Holy Cross at Scott Greens Golf Club. Butch Comegys \/ Staff Photographer<\/p><\/div>\n

He steps between the markers, plugs his ball in the ground and takes a couple of practice swings.
\nWith a solid click off the face of his driver, Greg Lee\u2019s tee shot travels up the right side of the fairway.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just the first shot of a high school golf match, but it\u2019s already another victory for the Blue Ridge sophomore.<\/p>\n

Every stroke is a win for Greg, who has been fighting another opponent since birth. He has cerebral palsy.<\/p>\n

Cerebral palsy is a broad term for neurological disorders that in short, impair the control of body movement. In Greg\u2019s case, it makes it virtually impossible for him to use his lower body in the golf swing.<\/p>\n

He wears plastic composite braces emblazed on the back with the Pittsburgh Steelers logo.<\/p>\n

Those help him walk, but limit his ball striking. There is, however, no limiting his enthusiasm for the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the game,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t bother me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get out of (golf) that I can\u2019t let something about me stop me from what I want to do. I can\u2019t stand sitting in my room doing nothing and thinking, \u2018I could do this, but I can\u2019t.\u2019 I\u2019d rather go out and try it and if I can\u2019t, if it comes to the point I can\u2019t, well I can\u2019t. But there are things I can do that other people think I couldn\u2019t. And I like trying to prove people wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his limitations, most other sports are out of the question. There was never any question that Lee was going to get out of life as much as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband is a big golf fan,\u201d Greg\u2019s mom, Lisa said. \u201cHis uncle has a 2 handicap. We have always encouraged him to do things. We don\u2019t see his disability as that. We want him to do whatever he wants to do.\u201d
\n***
\nGreg\u2019s interest in golf started when he was young, taking his dad\u2019s clubs and chipping around the house. About three years ago, he was bitten by the golf bug.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knew his dad loved golf, and with his handicap, I had to find some sports that he loves to play,\u201d said his father, Dan, who played football and basketball for Susquehanna High School in the mid 1980s. \u201cI took him out once and he fell in love with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

How else could you describe his relationship with a game that\u2019s hard enough for players with perfect balance?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he was young, he\u2019d fall down, but he\u2019d get right back up and hit it again,\u201d Dan said. \u201cHe really didn\u2019t want anybody\u2019s help getting up. So when he fell, I\u2019d say, \u2018good try.\u2019 He got up, went right to his ball and hit it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing slows him down, and that\u2019s why I admire the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father isn\u2019t alone in that regard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis determination and perseverance out there is incredible to watch,\u201d said Holy Cross junior Tom Dzwonczyk, who was paired with Lee in their match Monday. \u201cYou can see he does play a bit of a fade just because he doesn\u2019t have the lower-body power. But he makes it work for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope he sticks with the game because he\u2019s got a great skill set now. If he stays with it, he\u2019ll only get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talk of his skill set is a reminder that for golfers, most look at a handicap as a number, not a disability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of him as another golfer,\u201d said Holy Cross junior Angelo Mancinelli, Lee\u2019s opponent in the match. \u201cHe\u2019s pretty good for having a disability. He can play with anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s inspired me a little bit, too. It\u2019s not a big deal anymore. It\u2019s just a bad shot. Get over it. Now that I see him, he\u2019s hitting some shots better than me. It shows I have to practice a little bit more, too.\u201d
\n***
\nHis swing is self-taught, and when winter limits outside play, Greg has come up with a way to get in some practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have hit golf balls in my room against a wall before, with blankets up,\u201d Greg said. \u201cI have done that. I have cement walls so the ball comes back at me hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also have a 9-foot putting mat that brings the ball back.\u201d<\/p>\n

That explains what is one of the strengths of his game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a good putter, which is a key in this game,\u201d Dzwonczyk said. \u201cIf he continues to roll the ball like that, he\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

With balance issues, it\u2019s been a priority of Greg\u2019s to be a good putter to make up for other deficiencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of my disability, I\u2019ve learned I have to have a firm base when I\u2019m hitting,\u201d Greg said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m putting, I can just kind of let myself be free. I\u2019ll stand the way I need to that my balance lets me and just hit the ball. It\u2019s not much of a thinking thing for me. It just happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy irons, I have a hard time stabilizing myself. When I\u2019m driving, I can have a firm base. My iron shots that aren\u2019t level, I can lose my balance a little bit and don\u2019t hit the ball as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

His gait issues also require him to take a cart when his playing, and his mobility issues, as well as a lack of compassion from some former classmates, means that he is cyberschooled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a mixture of both,\u201d Greg said. \u201cI had a hard time with kids in my grade, and switching classes made it harder. I figured stay home, do it on the computer would be a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Typical of Greg, there is not much complaining, except when it comes to his golf shoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he\u2019s complained about is that we just bought him brand new golf shoes and he thinks he has too much grip now,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cThat\u2019s why he wears regular sneakers to play golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning, you have to come to terms with things. But we try to make his life as normal as possible. Honestly, I see him as someone who walks a little bit differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

And whose swing, through<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY MARTY MYERS Times-Shamrock Writer He steps between the markers, plugs his ball in the ground and takes a couple of practice swings. With a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHandicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BY MARTY MYERS Times-Shamrock Writer He steps between the markers, plugs his ball in the ground and takes a couple of practice swings. With a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-17T14:50:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-09-17T14:51:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1474\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tpennysaver\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tpennysaver\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/\",\"name\":\"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-17T14:50:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-09-17T14:51:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/75c26bc8e32869a516360463d23964c5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg\",\"width\":1474,\"height\":2400,\"caption\":\"Greg Lee chips from the rough near Monday in a Blue Ridge match against Holy Cross at Scott Greens Golf Club. Butch Comegys \/ Staff Photographer\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge’s Lee\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/\",\"name\":\"PS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/75c26bc8e32869a516360463d23964c5\",\"name\":\"tpennysaver\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6045c51d67078fca07dea2f9a98096ff872042fa26efc301b1a93de9e6020ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6045c51d67078fca07dea2f9a98096ff872042fa26efc301b1a93de9e6020ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tpennysaver\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/author\/tpennysaver\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS","og_description":"BY MARTY MYERS Times-Shamrock Writer He steps between the markers, plugs his ball in the ground and takes a couple of practice swings. With a...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/","og_site_name":"PS","article_published_time":"2014-09-17T14:50:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-09-17T14:51:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1474,"height":2400,"url":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"tpennysaver","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tpennysaver","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/","url":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/","name":"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge's Lee - PS","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg","datePublished":"2014-09-17T14:50:53+00:00","dateModified":"2014-09-17T14:51:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/75c26bc8e32869a516360463d23964c5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/psowegomedia.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/WGSI_GregLee_golf.jpg","width":1474,"height":2400,"caption":"Greg Lee chips from the rough near Monday in a Blue Ridge match against Holy Cross at Scott Greens Golf Club. Butch Comegys \/ Staff Photographer"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2014\/09\/17\/handicap-not-just-a-number-for-blue-ridges-lee\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Handicap not just a number for Blue Ridge’s Lee"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/","name":"PS","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/75c26bc8e32869a516360463d23964c5","name":"tpennysaver","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6045c51d67078fca07dea2f9a98096ff872042fa26efc301b1a93de9e6020ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6045c51d67078fca07dea2f9a98096ff872042fa26efc301b1a93de9e6020ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"tpennysaver"},"url":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/author\/tpennysaver\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}