TUCSON, Arizona — John Bell first learned to play golf from his grandfather in Ohio.
"He let me hit balls in the front yard, and that’s how things got started," said Bell.
However, life as John Bell knew it would end following a motorcycle accident in 2011, resulting in the amputation of his left leg.
"There’s no handbook on having a disability. It’s just boom, you go."
Bell went back to the sport he played as a child. And, he has since been playing competitively in adaptive golf tournaments.
"I want to say the hardest thing for me, because I’m an above the knee amputee, is the uneven lines that you have, uphill, downhill, left to right.
John Bell and other adaptive golfers will be competing in the.
Conquistador Paragolf Championships coming this week to Sewailo Golf Club. Competitors will include everyone from paralyzed golfers, to those who are completely blind.
"Somebody always has it worse than you."
They play in part for camaraderie, with the hope it becomes an annual event.
In the meantime, "I wake up every day and put my leg on," added Bell.
The tournament is partnering with the University of Arizona adaptive golf program. UArizona was the first in the nation to have such a program.
