How Therapeutic Golf Helped a Young Man Find Courage After TBI
- Marty Turcios
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 26
How structured recreation supported recovery, confidence, and renewed purpose after a traumatic brain injury
I received a message from the mother of a 19-year-old who had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a car accident. She was looking for something that might help him become active again and reconnect with the person he had been before the injury.
When they arrived, he was quiet. Even so, it was clear that he understood what was happening around him and wanted to participate.
At our program, we focus on participation before performance. That day, we placed a golf club in his hands and invited him to give it a try. There was no pressure and no expectation that he perform a certain way. It was simply an opportunity to participate.
He responded almost immediately.
Over the next two months, he attended sessions every week. He showed up, engaged with the activity, and gradually became more comfortable. His mother told me she could see glimpses of the confident young man she remembered.
Facing Another Difficult Decision
During that time, he was also facing a second brain surgery. His family had been told that the procedure carried serious risks, but that his chances for meaningful recovery without it were very limited. It was an enormous decision for any family, especially for a young man who had only recently graduated from high school.
The golf program did not change the medical reality in front of him. What it may have done was help him approach that reality with greater confidence. His mother later told me that the weekly routine, the small successes, and the support he received gave him additional strength as the surgery approached.
Through golf, he was reconnecting with coordination, focus, confidence, and a sense of purpose. Those gains mattered, even in the middle of an uncertain situation.
Before he left for the hospital, I told him, “I’ll see you in two weeks.” I wanted him to know that we expected him to return.
Returning as a Participant
On the day of the operation, his mother contacted me to say that he had made it through the surgery. One week later, he was back at the program.
His physician had cleared him for light activity, and we followed those restrictions. Still, his eagerness to return said something important. He had found a place where he felt like a participant again, not only a patient.
After a serious injury, much of a person’s life can become scheduled and managed by others. Medical appointments, therapy sessions, and daily routines may leave little room for personal choice. Returning to golf was something he chose for himself.
He wanted to be there. He wanted to make the effort. He wanted to continue.
That sense of ownership can be especially meaningful for a 19-year-old whose independence has been interrupted by injury.
When someone living with TBI willingly returns to a challenging environment, it may indicate that the person feels respected, supported, and safe. It can also reflect a readiness to re-engage, tolerate effort, and begin taking greater responsibility for personal progress.
Looking Forward Again
What also stayed with me was the hope he began to show afterward. Despite everything he had experienced, and despite the uncertainty that remained, he began talking about college. He discussed classes, goals, and possible timelines.
That change was significant.
Planning for the future showed that he was beginning to see himself as someone with possibilities again. The path ahead was still difficult, but he was looking beyond the next appointment or procedure.
As both a recreation therapist and a golf instructor, I know that progress rarely comes from one activity or one professional discipline. For this young man, the combination mattered. Golf provided physical activity that challenged coordination, balance, attention, and focus. The therapeutic environment gave him room to make choices, experience success, and rebuild confidence.
Together, those elements supported his forward movement.
Why Participation Matters
I think about that young man often, not because he became a great golfer, but because he became more confident in himself. Progress does not always arrive as a dramatic breakthrough. It often appears through consistency, choice, renewed effort, and the willingness to keep at it.
His experience is one of the many reasons I continue doing this work. Watching someone regain belief in what may still be possible is powerful. Sometimes that process begins with something simple: an invitation, an opportunity, and the freedom to try.
Progress begins with the opportunity to participate.
-Marty
This Article was written for educational purposes.
