My Shot: Bob Wilson

"What for?"

"Because I have a miniature operating room in my trunk, and before you can hit the ball like I do, we first need to remove your legs."

Like I do. That's very key. People have the notion they can be taught to swing like Tiger Woods, but take it from me: Unless you have Tiger's strength, flexibility, speed and hand-eye coordination, you'll go backward trying to copy him. You're better off going with a method that's compatible with the tools God gave you.

Nobody should play through lightning, but I'm safer than most people. I'm very well-grounded.

Which arm supplies the power to a golf shot? Good question. If I'm a right-handed person and I slap you across the face with a forehand motion, it'll make you dizzy. But if I backhand you, you're going to lose some teeth. So you can argue the backhanded motion is more powerful—certainly it's the power shot in tennis. On the other hand, one of the longest hitters in our association, Quinn Talbot, can hit it 290 using a forehand motion with one arm. The greatest teachers in the world argue about this, and you're asking me?

After Casey Martin was given permission to play out of a cart, the media sought reactions from players. The most memorable I thought was Vijay Singh, who is a pretty tough dude. He said, "I'm glad it passed, because I'm getting older." He sort of smirked, but it pointed up the fact that there are a ton of baby boomers who will soon be senior citizens. In 45 years, by 2050, the number of people 60 and older will almost triple. The industry better do something to keep the golfers among them active, something more than the innovation of senior tees. They're going to be your core audience, not the 24-year-olds you see modeling in those equipment advertisements. If the old people quit, the game is not just going to stagnate, it's going to go backward.

Here's how pervasive senior golfers are already: In Florida there are courses that have handicapped parking for golf carts.

Anyone who has walked on stilts will tell you it's harder to stand still than it is to walk. Essentially I'm standing on stilts, which is exhausting mentally because I'm constantly trying to stay balanced. So if you catch me taking a step one way or the other out of the corner of your eye while you're putting, you'll know why.

One NAGA member, Tom Quinn, has made many holes-in-one. He's a "double A.K.," meaning he's missing both legs above the knees. He's made two aces sitting in a wheelchair. I envy him. I'd give my right leg to have one ace—but not my right arm.

You see an interesting dynamic at the annual NAGA championship. There are some seriously competitive people there, and some amputees want to beat certain other amputees so badly their game goes to hell. When I first started competing, there was a guy named Dick Bell, a double AK who balanced himself by swinging one of his prosthetics across a sawhorse. He consistently shot in the low 80s, and I could not beat this guy. His disability was more severe than mine, which we both were aware of, and he knew how much I wanted to outplay him. And I could not do it. He'd hit one stiff and grin. "How'd you like that one, Bob?"

My perception—I'm not a pro, but I've taught disabled individuals through our First Swing program for 17 years—is that strong legs in golf are somewhat overrated. The golf swing is a rotary, and that comes from the shoulders and hips. The legs move, but only to accommodate the movement of the hips. I've seen double AKs who can hit the ball 270 yards. I don't see how sliding the legs laterally on the downswing can help anybody.

NAGA offers an annual scholarship grant of $1,000 to a deserving amputee. We wish it were more, but we've found that when we conduct a fund-raiser in conjunction with our tournaments, the people who put up the money invariably want the recipient to be a kid from their state. Donors can be funny that way. We're a national organization, but not a real prominent one, so it's hard to do something on a nationwide level. But hey, a thousand bucks is OK. Every little bit helps.

Now I'll ask you a question: What's this thing they call athlete's foot?