I received this from an old friend a West Pointer, it revived my affection for the Ping family.
Good story . . .
This is quite a story, and I think it deserves to be sent around the golfing world!
Jane and I have just returned from a short trip to Disney in Orlando to
decompress from the Thanksgiving holiday. Our plan was to see the holiday
decorations at Disney and while Jane shopped, I would play a little golf.
On Monday, I played the Disney, Lake Buena Vista course. As usual the
starters matched me with three other players. After a few holes we began to
get to know each other a bit. One fellow was rather young and had his wife
riding along in the golf cart with him. I noticed that his golf bag had his
name on it and after closer inspection, it also said "wounded war veterans".
When I had my first chance to chat with him I asked him about the bag. His
response was simply that it was a gift. I then asked if he was wounded and
he said yes. When I asked more about his injury, his response was "I'd
rather not talk about it, sir".
Over a few holes I learned that he had spent the last 15 months in an army
rehabilitation hospital in San Antonio Texas .. His wife moved there to be
with him and he was released from the hospital in September. He was a
rather quiet fellow, however, he did say that he wanted to get good at golf.
We had a nice round and as we became a bit more familiar I asked him about
the a brand new set of Ping woods and irons he was playing. Some looked
like they had never been hit. His response was simple. He said that this
round was the first full round he had played with these clubs.
Later in the round he told me the following. As part of the discharge
process from the rehabilitation hospital, Ping comes in and provides three
days of golf instruction, followed by club fitting. Upon dicharge from the
hospital, Ping gives each of the discharged veterans, generally about 40
soldiers, a brand new set of custom fitted clubs along with the impressive
golf bags.
The fellow I met was named Ben Woods and he looked me in the eye and said
that being fitted for those clubs was one of the best things that ever
happened to him and he was determined to learn to play golf well enough to
deserve the gift Ping had given him. Ben is now out of the service,
medically discharged just a month ago. He is as fine a young man as you
would ever want to meet.
Ping has the good judgment not to advertise this program. But the next
time I am in the market for a club, I know what I am going to buy.
God Bless America and the game of golf.
Bob