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As he gingerly walked up to the tee â€" for the first time in four years â€" his thoughts couldn‘t help but drift back to the hospital room. He recalled telling a nurse, who was lifting him onto the bed, that someday he would golf again. She bluntly told him he likely would not. "I remember thinking, ‘don‘t say that â€" you‘re not God*," he said. "It can be done. I wish she would have been there (at Sawâ€"Whet)." His nineâ€"hole round of golf was not only a tribute to his own gumpâ€" tion, but also to a very unique, volâ€" unteer program that has blossomed at Family Golf Oakville, off Upper Middle Road in east Oakville. The brainchild of president Larry Armatage, it has allowed people who are physically challenged to participate in one of life‘s great pleasures â€" golf. While the golfers don‘t always make it back to the links, like Evans did, they all find their niche at the golf facility, where they can come out on a regular basis and enjoy a few hours of driving, chipping and putting. The golfers range from those who could probably outscore many of the volunteer helpers to those who could not really enjoy the outâ€" ing without considerable support from a volunteer. What they all share in common is the smile on their faces as they engage in that ageâ€"old battle of joinâ€" ing club to ball in the best way posâ€" sible. "It feels good just to hear the whack of the ball and seeing it go in a straight line," agreed Evans. By NORMAN NELSON Beaver Sports Editor There he was, at Sawâ€"Whet golf course in Oakville on a Tuesday afternoon with the first hole lying majestically before him. His first time on a golf course since the stroke. ier. any happ Volunteer program: a stroke of genius cool fall day with the leaves changing color and Richard Evans couldn‘t have been Necessity is the mother of invenâ€" tion, and the golfers and volunteers have learned to improvise to get the job done. Richard Evans (right), who comes all the way from Etobicoke for a unique program for physically challenged golfers, got back on the links Tuesday for the first time since his stroke. He‘s flanked by staff volunâ€" teer Ross Currie and volunteer John Walsh. (Photo by Peter McCusker) Necessity is the mother of invenâ€" _ ramp on to the tee. It saves Evans and tion, and the golfers and volunteers _ the other golfers from messing have learned to improvise to get the _ around with a bucket of balls. One of the simplest ways is an automatic ball dispenser which, when tapped by the golf club, automatically rolls the ball down a pipeâ€"shaped Analheiths. 1x h enc da on NV n ids THE SEASON BEGINS... UNDERGROUND Video Games presents its second annual Hockey Tournament. First prize is the 32X from SEGA! For more information, call 845â€"9683. Hurry, lockâ€"out or no lockâ€"out, our season begins Oct. 14th 282 Kerr St., Oakville Tel: 845â€"9683 This fall, the leaf to watch for is on Wintario‘s Winfall ticket. Find a leaf and win 3 bonus tickets! But only for a limited time. For those who have trouble gripâ€" ping the club tightly, they‘ve come up with a design that has velcro on both the glove and golf club, ensurâ€" ing it stays put. The idea was to "teach golf to people who have had terrible physiâ€" cal setbacks â€" we have people in wheelchairs, hearing and vision impaired, brain traumas, amputees, stroke victims." "People learn how to hit a golf ball again. It gives them success in a period of time where success isn‘t happening very often. The longâ€"time volunteer actually accepted an invitation last year to speak at a seminar in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she was able to pass on the experiences gained in the Oakville program. These days, a fall chill may be in the air, but Dunbar pointed out that the program, in some years, has (See ‘switched‘ page 26) Another even more innovative use of velcro is for a seatbelt. It straps the golfers securely into a modified truck seat so they can take their swings on the driving range platforms without fear of losing their balance. When Mack Truck, which has since closed down, became aware of the situation through a story in the Oakville Beavéer, they promptly started to donate the equipment. The entire program rests on the shoulders of community minded people, starting, of course, with Armatage who got the idea five years ago at "a PGA (Professional Golfers Association) seminar called Special Emphasis Teaching." Armitage thought it would be "nice for this area" so he started the program and initially attracted half a dozen participants. "We‘ve expanded it until today where we have about 40 challenged golfers and about 40 volunteers who come here weekly. All of his facilities are donated, of course, and the United Way of Oakville is now chipping in funds. Enjoying it almost as much as the participants, is Jill Dunbar, one of the head volunteers. To sidetrack a little bit, when that first seat holder was inadvertently left out one night, it was doused with gas and torched by some idiot. "It‘s a great way to play an old favourite" gY Y FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1994 PAGE 25 Sportsboard Blades host Derbys It could be a classic Provincial Junior A matchâ€"up tonight as the Oakville Blades host the Streetsville Derbys, 8 p.m., at Oakville Arena. Streetsville may have finished in sixth place last year, but they made a lot of noise in the playoffs, knocking off the heavily favored Brampton and taking the eventual divisional champions â€" the Hamilton Kilty Bees â€" to a full seven games in the divisional semiâ€"finals (as did Oakville in the divisional final). This year, Streetsville, which has about a dozen returnees, opened the season with a pair of wins before losing 5â€"2 to Brampton on Tuesday. Oakville was in Brampton Thursday night. Soccer semiâ€"final Oakville Blue Devils underâ€"16 socâ€" cer squad finished in first place in the Ontario Youth Soccer League with a record of 13 wins, one loss and two ties. This Saturday at 3 p.m. at Sout East Sport Field (Lakeshore and Winston Churchil!), the Blue Devils will take on Pickering Power in a league semiâ€"final game. Other accomplishments in the sucâ€" cessful inaugural year included the Dartmouth Cup and the Robbie Tournament in Scarborough. This year, they tuned up by again winning the Indoor League. In the summer season, they won the Oakville Friendship Tournament, the League Cup and finished second in the league with a 15â€"3â€"2 record. The team‘s leading goal scorers are Andy Medieros (16), Claudio Faccine (15), Alan Hume (8) and Anthony Shaw (8). The road to the national champiâ€" onship included victories over East York, Niagara Falls Club Italia Juventus, Scarborough Maivern, North York and Whitby Celtic. The Oakville Winstars, who knocked off Whitby Celtic 4â€"2 in the Ontario Cup last month, play three successive preliminary pool games on (See ‘Winstars‘ page 26) In only its second year, the Oakville Winstars underâ€"17 soccer team, which is playing in the national champiâ€" onships this weekend in Etobicoke, has already made quite a name for itself. The team started off on the right foot, winning. the 1992â€"93 Indoor League with a 20â€"0â€"0 record. It folâ€" lowed up by winning the 1993 Ontario Provincial League title with a 16â€"2â€"2 record, scoring 85 goals while only givâ€" ing up 17. Cdn. championships