Golfer: One arm ‘just part of my life’

Song Sam-sub: He sees golf as life.

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang ― He extended his left hand for a handshake. His right hand, an artificial hand, remained in his pocket.
Song Sam-sub is a professional golf teacher at a driving range here. The 48-year-old Song is a popular teacher among junior golfers today.
He lost his hand as a middle school student after touching a high-tension wire while cleaning his roof. Song lost his right arm from the shoulder down, along with a toe, and was hospitalized for about a year.
His car, however, doesn’t display a disability sticker.
“I’ve never considered myself a disabled person,” Song said. “Sometimes, I see a relatively healthy person carrying that sticker. It’s just foolish. Why would you want to be known as disabled?”
Song started golfing in 1988, when a friend took him to a driving range after he saw a one-armed Japanese man play golf. Song had saved up enough money from his construction business, and soon, he fell in love with golf.
“I see golf as life,” Song said. “A golf course has hazards and out-of-bound areas.”
The competitive Song became a single handicap player after three years. In working through his disability, he had to develop his swing. For a time, he couldn’t hold the club still at the top of his backswing. So he practiced “to a point where my left hand didn’t have the strength to unbutton my shirt.” His best score is a 75 for 18 holes.
Once word of mouth traveled that Song was a perfectionist with a thorough knowledge of golf theory, young players came calling. His prized pupil is 21-year-old Lee Dong-hwan, who won the Japan Golf Tour Organization’s rookie of the year award in 2006. When Lee sought Song’s help while in public school, the coach said, “I could see the sparkle in his eyes.”
Song one day hopes to visit Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters every April, to see his students play there.
In the meantime, Song is nurturing young golfers, comfortable in his own skin. “Having only one arm is just a part of my life,” Song said. “And I don’t stay up and wonder, ‘What if I had both arms?’ I don’t need to compare myself to others.”

By Sung Ho-jun JoongAng Ilbo [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]