Arthur & Golf

It was Tiger Woods’ win at the 2002 Masters that caught Arthur’s attention.  Watching Tiger march to victory, Arthur grabbed his grandmother’s cane and began hitting a ball around.  So his Grandmother bought him a Little Tykes golf set.  As Arthur continued to watch and pay golF at home, hIs parents got him a set of junior clubs and took him to a local chip and putt course. 

Shortly after his family moved to Montclair, his mother took Arthur to the Willowbrook Golf Center, a driving range in Wayne, New Jersey.  As soon as they entered, they were approached by Walt Baker, the golf pro.  It was a fateful encounter.  Walt was a decorated Vietnam vet who after his return from war decided life was too short not to play golf.  He was also the grandfather of a boy with autism.  For the next ten years, Walt gave Arthur free lessons every Friday afternoon after school.  Walt also knew the owner of the Meadows, a golf course in near by Lincoln Park, N.J., and arranged for Arthur to play golf for free after his lesson.

When Arthur’s family moved to Rockville, MD, they found a home just a mile from the Needwood golf course.  Within a week of moving, Arthur’s dad took him to the course where, in another fateful encounter, they met Dustin Stearns one of the pros at Needwood.  Dustin quickly took Arthur under his wing.  Dustin is working hard on developing Arthur’s short game and strategic thinking and club selection.

Providing lessons through Needwood and donating a lot of his own time, Dustin has fully embraced Arthur’s quest for the Special Olympics.  Although they occur on Saturdays, when he does most of his business, Dustin plans to caddy for Arthur at the two qualifying tournaments.  

As Dustin says, “on the golf course, Arthur is not a guy with autism, but just another guy setting up a birdie putt.”