Soldiers Rehab by Spoiling Good Walk

Billy Bartlett, a Vietnam veteran, was trying to find ways to help soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at Walter Reed Hospital think about something other than their injuries when he hit upon the idea of taking them to play golf.

Bartlett, a volunteer at Walter Reed who lives in Silver Spring, approached Tim Landres, CEO and founder of Olney Golf Park. He asked Landres if he would provide the soldiers with a discount. Landres did better than that. He told Bartlett that the soldiers -- all of whom are amputees -- could hit balls for free and that he would ask the golf park's PGA teaching professionals to work with them at no cost.

"A lot of these guys at first [said] 'Oh, yeah, golf,' " Bartlett said. "Now, they're hooked. It's been so great to see these guys. We've got a few pretty doggone good golfers."

With the help of PGA professional Jim Estes, Olney Golf Park's director of instruction, and his staff, the soldiers -- many of whom had not played golf before their injuries -- have learned the fundamentals over the last several months. Bartlett and Estes hope to put together a team of soldiers to compete in a disabled veterans golf tournament later this summer. First, however, they must raise enough money to purchase specially designed clubs for them.

To that end, Olney Golf Park is holding a Veterans' Appreciation Day on May 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Activities include golf equipment demonstrations, teaching clinics, skill contests, color guard presentations, raffles and games for children. Free club inspections and 15-minute video lessons also will be offered by Olney Park's PGA and LPGA professionals. Representatives from Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra, Ping, Taylor-Made, Titlest, Tour Edge and Mizuno will be on hand. Admission to the event is free. The fee to enter the contests as well as any donations will go toward a fund for the soldiers' golf equipment.

For more information, contact Olney Golf Park at 301-570-6600.

NCAA Tournament

The Maryland and Virginia men's golf teams received at-large selections to this year's NCAA tournament. The Terrapins and the Cavaliers will compete in the East regional, held May 19-21 at Golf Club of Tennessee in Nashville.

Maryland's top golfer is John Eades, a junior from Charlotte. Eades has six top 10 finishes, including a victory April 30 in the Rutherford tournament hosted by Penn State. Eads shot an 8-under par 64 in the final round to win by seven strokes. It was his second individual title of the month.

Senior Kevin O'Connell, a two-time Georgetown Prep All-Met from Potomac, is one of the top golfers on Virginia's team. O'Connell was selected to the all-ACC golf team and has a 73.6 stroke average. His best finish this season was sixth at the Birkdale Collegiate in March. . . .

The Virginia women's golf team advanced out of the East region last weekend to the NCAA tournament finals at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore. The 72-hole championship takes place May 17-20.

Led by sophomore Jenny Suh, the 2003 All-Met golfer of the year from Chantilly, Furman also advanced out of the East Region. Suh, who has won two tournaments this year, tied for second at the East regional championship with a 210, one stroke behind medalist Anna Grzebien of Duke.