{"id":620,"date":"2012-10-18T11:11:27","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T16:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomharack.com\/?p=620"},"modified":"2014-11-10T12:24:10","modified_gmt":"2014-11-10T17:24:10","slug":"old-head-golf-experience-redefines-lively-round-for-wounded-warriors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/golf\/personalities\/620\/old-head-golf-experience-redefines-lively-round-for-wounded-warriors","title":{"rendered":"Old Head Golf Experience Redefines \u201cLively\u201d Round For Wounded Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Photo: Caroline Quinn<\/p><\/div>\n

Tim Lang shot 79 in a drenching gale at Old Head Golf Links, the otherworldly course jutting into the Atlantic near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. But the numbers, and even the spectacular setting, pale in significance given the occasion.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because it was Lang\u2019s sixth \u201cAlive Day\u201d \u2013 the term armed service veterans apply to an anniversary commemorating a catastrophic war wound, a trauma so ghastly that, in their words, \u201cthey have no business being alive today.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Lang\u2019s case, he lost his right leg below the knee when an improvised explosive device detonated while on patrol in Iraq, in 2006. He also suffered back and other injuries and has undergone 48 surgeries over the span of four years.<\/p>\n

Like many of the dozen Wounded Warriors on this 11-day excursion to many of Ireland\u2019s most exotic seaside links, Lang found motivation to enlist in the Marines following September 11, 2001. He was 16.<\/p>\n

(The trip is magnamiously sponsored by newly launched Golf Digest<\/em> Irish Tours<\/em> and also includes stops at several iconic Emerald Isle venues: Ballybunion, Tralee, Waterville, Ardglass, Royal County Down, The European Club, all of whom contributed rounds gratis<\/em>, as did the first-rate hoteliers accommodating the group. Assisting in the logistics is the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships and other assistance to severely injured service members and their families while they transition to civilian life; and the Salute Military Golf Association, which champions golf\u2019s rehabilitative benefits for wounded war veterans in a family inclusive environment.)<\/p>\n

Now a handsome 27-year-old, Lang, from a Michigan family that includes 11 siblings, still fights a daily battle to manage pain, a struggle exacerbated by his conscious decision to stop taking various pain medications.<\/p>\n

Things are looking up, though. Lang married last October and has found inspiration in devotion to his golf game and sharing that enthusiasm with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to affect other people the way [golf\u2019s] affected me,\u201d he says, having just explained how loading the right side during his backswing is different for someone with a prosthetic leg.<\/p>\n

With a handicap index at six — and obviously headed lower \u2013 Lang can really crush a golf ball, as this reporter can attest after watching him hit a par 5 at Old Head with a 215-yard 5-iron for his second shot.<\/p>\n

And surveying the mesmerizing terrain surrounding us, it\u2019s easy to relate to his assessment of the best of the golf: \u201cYou realize how awesome life is.\u201d<\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n

\u00a0www.woundedwarrior<\/strong>project.org\/<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n

\u00a0http:\/\/www.smga.org\/<\/cite><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tim Lang shot 79 in a drenching gale at Old Head Golf Links, the otherworldly course jutting into the Atlantic… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,39217,18,17,7],"tags":[628423,628737,628990,629216,629595,414,628101],"class_list":["post-620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-golf-road-warriors","category-lifestyle","category-courses-and-travel","category-personalities","tag-wounded-warriors-project","tag-tim-lang","tag-kinsale","tag-salute-military-golf-association","tag-golf-digest-irish-tours","tag-ireland","tag-old-head-golf-links"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2012\/10\/CPQ_8658.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":924,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620\/revisions\/924"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}