Good Day Atlanta viewer information: August 31, 2021
Metro Atlanta student finds therapy in adaptive golf
Smyrna teen Mak Yost suffered multiple strokes, leaving him in a wheelchair and with limited speech and mobility. He and his family thought his life of being an athlete was over, but within minutes of getting a golf club in his hands, the old high school athlete was back.
Adaptive golf becomes therapy for local college student:
Three years ago, Mak Yost was a typical high school senior: a lacrosse player, ready to graduate and head off to the University of Georgia.
"I would say that he defined himself as an athlete," says Mak’s mother, Faye. "And we always did, too. I mean, I have four kids, and this is my athletic kid."
Then, one day in the school weight room, a tangle of blood vessels in Yost’s brain ruptured; the Smyrna teen ended up suffering two strokes, leaving him in a wheelchair and with limited speech and mobility.
"When that happened — and Mak and I have talked about this extensively — he pretty much thought that his life the way he knew it was over," says Faye Yost. "Especially as an athlete; he thought it was over."
But on a sunny day earlier this year, the now 21-year-old college student and his mother were invited to an adaptive golf clinic hosted by Shepherd Center and the Georgia State Golf Association that was held at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Buckhead. Within minutes of getting a golf club in his hands, the old high school athlete was back.
"Once he broke that smile striking the ball, I knew I had him hooked," says instructor Orlando Rodriguez.
Adaptive golf uses some specialized equipment — like a Solo Rider, which allows Yost to stand — and various adaptations to make golf accessible to people of all abilities. Working regularly with Rodriguez at Bobby Jones Golf Course, Yost isn’t just getting the chance to play sports again, he’s also getting physical therapy.
"I've seen him grow and get stronger; to this point since we started, I mean, leaps and bounds. He’s getting better and better," says the instructor.
For the Yost family, adaptive golf has truly been a "game-changer" — a driving force, they say, that’s nothing less than heaven-sent.
Says Faye Yost: "We are people of faith anyway, but I'm telling you, God has been here and His hand has been on this from the very beginning."
For more information on the Georgia State Golf Association’s Adaptive Golf Program, click here.
Fans welcome back at this year’s TOUR Championship:
Thirty of the world’s top golfers are back at East Lake Golf Club this week, competing to clinch the PGA TOUR’s top prize. And after being played without spectators in 2020, fans are also returning to the TOUR Championship — which means a return of fan-favorite activities.
The TOUR Championship returns Sept. 1 through the 5 to East Lake Golf Club, the famed Atlanta course with a history stretching back to the early 1900s. The TOUR Championship is the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs and marks the end of the PGA TOUR season; the top 30 players in the standings advance to Atlanta, and compete in hopes of taking home the coveted FedExCup.
Of course, along with watching the action on the course, fans flock to East Lake Golf Club for the various activities open to ticket holders; hangouts include the SO Cool Zone presented by Southern Company (at the 14th and 15th green), the Coca-Cola Fan Lounge (at the 8th green), the Meiomi Wine Lounge, and the Back Nine Brews (at the 13th fairway).
We got a look at some of these spots during our morning visit to East Lake Golf Club — click the video player in this article to check it out. And click here for more information on this year’s TOUR Championship.
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Rotimi's new album "All or Nothing" is available now:
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