Hilton Head woman limbers up for bionic golf tournament

Patsy Boyle of Hilton Head Island has had both feet, both hands and a knee reconstructed, both hips replaced and a four-level fusion that left eight rods and screws in her lower spine.

That's why she's limbering up to play in a big golf tournament next month.

She'll be in Aiken on Oct. 4 and 5 for the 17th annual Bionic Invitational Golf Tournament.

To qualify, a golfer must have one or more total joint replacements. Amputee golfers with prosthetic limbs are also qualified to play.

"It represents the spirit of determination to come back," Boyle said. "It says that these hardships are not the end. A lot of people need to hear that."

The tournament has grown from 16 bionic golfers to a high of 90. After stories in Golf Digest and an AARP publication, players have come from 22 states and Canada.

Hilton Head Islanders Virgil Moore, Frank Postma, Jerold Rosenblum and Sharon Jennings also plan to play this year.

At 88, Moore may be the senior member of the field. He's had his knee replaced twice, but goes to the gym three mornings a week and plays golf three to five times a week at Dolphin Head Golf Club. He's played in almost all of the Bionic Invitational Golf Tournaments.

"Two years ago, I played with a fellow with two artificial legs," Moore said. "We used his drive all day long. He hit the thing 250 yards right down the middle."

Postma has had four hip replacements and a knee replacement. Going bionic was a novelty when he got his first new hip 32 years ago. That one was replaced in May.

"I'm 80 years old and I'm still at it -- with a lot of metal in my body," he said.

The players like the camaraderie with other people who have lived through pain and disappointment, then put in the hard work of rehabilitation. They believe recovery is measured by how much work one puts in after surgery.

Golf can be an incentive, but as Postma said, "The important thing is to get your life back again."

Tournament chair Flo Holford said they're seeing more young golfers -- people who have gone bionic in their 50s -- than they used to. They have an opening reception and a closing awards banquet. Proceeds go to the Carolina Musculoskeletal Institute Foundation, which awards scholarships for allied health students at Aiken Technical College.

Boyle may bring the most heavy metal, especially when you count her two bionic brothers, one from Atlanta and one from Maryland. They were all dealt a genetic weakness for osteoarthritis.

They're used to kicking off security alarms in airports. But bionic golfers have never gotten used to sitting still. Or giving up.