Meet Marty Turcios

Meet Marty Turcios

A life shaped by golf, resilience, and the power of self-actualization

 

In 1994, a local newspaper ran a headline that still says as much about Marty Turcios as anything written since: "Golfer not only plays, he teaches." The surprise in that headline was the point. Most people assumed that a man with cerebral palsy, who has lived with speech and mobility impairments since birth, could not play golf, let alone teach it. Marty had already been teaching it since grade school.

 

Marty was six years old when he taught himself to play, and it did not take long for him to notice what the game was actually teaching him: balance, center of gravity, power, and agility. Golf was never just a sport for him. It was a way to build confidence and a sense of control over his own body and choices, at a time when very few people expected that of him.

 

That pattern continued through school. He was placed in one of the lowest-performing high schools in his district because his parents were told he probably would not succeed anywhere else. He proved that wrong, went on to earn a bachelor's degree, and later a master's degree in Therapeutic Recreation from San Jose State University, after a professor pulled him aside and told him he had what it took to make a real difference in the field.

 

The path there was not straight. After college, a teaching position he expected did not materialize the way he had hoped, and for a time he lost his footing, including a period where he struggled with alcohol. He rebuilt his life from the ground up, and golf was part of how he did it: regular time at the driving range, a sense of direction returning. A call offering him a position teaching golf at Fremont Adult School in California became his first real job as an instructor, and it changed the course of his life. He walked into a room of skeptical students who doubted that a man who had trouble walking and talking could teach them anything about golf. Seven weeks later, they were not just a class anymore. They were a team.

 

That experience shaped what Marty now calls Therapeutic Golf. He teaches the swing the same way any respected instructor would: grip, stance, mechanics, real skill, and real improvement. But he doesn't stop at a good golf shot. He teaches people how to go golfing: how to book a tee time, arrange transportation, understand course etiquette, and use whatever adaptive equipment they need. Many people living with disabilities have never been shown those steps. As participants build confidence in his clinics, Marty takes them out on a real course himself and plays alongside them. He calls golf a bridge between therapy and living a fuller life, and describes self-actualization, realizing what you're truly capable of and going for it, as the backbone of everything he teaches.

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A Letter from Arnold Palmer

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In 1989, a letter Marty wrote about his work reached Arnold Palmer through the USGA. Palmer wrote back personally, congratulating him and calling it "gratifying to hear from persons who derive great enjoyment from golf by overcoming handicaps."

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Experience at a Glance

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• 35+ years teaching adaptive golf, including 15+ years working specifically with veterans recovering from traumatic brain injuries

• Taught able-bodied students at UC Berkeley

• Served as an assistant coach in high school golf programs

• M.S., Therapeutic Recreation, San Jose State University

 

Building on Success

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In 2010, Marty founded Marty Turcios Therapeutic Golf (MTTG), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to focus his work more intentionally on golf as therapeutic recreation. Some of his earliest students were autistic teens and adults, several of whom progressed to a level that qualified them for the Special Olympics. He also worked with hospitalized veterans recovering from traumatic brain injuries, where he observed real gains in balance and mobility, including progress from wheelchairs to canes that participants themselves attributed in part to their work with golf.

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Success in Augusta, GA

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In 2016, Marty brought MTTG to Augusta, Georgia, building the program from the ground up in a new region. Since then, MTTG has grown steadily across the CSRA, expanding into partnerships with healthcare institutions, rehabilitation centers, and community organizations seeking therapeutic recreation opportunities not otherwise available to the people they serve.

 

Marty still teaches the same way he always has. He makes himself available to everyone and always shows up. Based on the person in front of him, he adapts the game to fit them, not the other way around.

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Profile last updated: August 2026