Putting for Parkinson's

Putting for Parkinson's was the newest addition to the Sunflower Revolution family of events in 2010 and raised over $17,000 for Parkinson's disease research and awareness in the first year of existence.   

The event is a four person golf scramble and dinner that will be held at
Highland Country Club  on August 26, 2011 and hosted by Scott Layman and friends.

Please plan on joining or starting a team to play on one of the most scenic and challenging golf courses in the region. Whether you are a 2 or 20 handicapper, you are sure to have a good time.  Not a golfer? Join us for dinner afterwards at Highland Country Club to support the cause. Come early to enjoy a drink before dinner, socialize, and browse the raffle prizes.

The schedule for the day is:
10 AM: Registration
11 AM: Lunch
Noon:  Shotgun start
7 PM:   Dinner

Directions to Highland Country Club »
Click here to register online »
Click here to download and mail a registration form »
 

A few words from host Scott Layman about Putting for PARkinson's:
When I was a kid around age 6 or 7, my next door neighbor and I were thick as thieves, spending day after day playing outside, getting dirty and stung by bees, and into everything kids of that age should be into (we were way before the video game craze). My friend’s father had Parkinson’s Disease. I have no idea how old Mr. Conner was when he was diagnosed, or how long he had the disease before his family moved in next door – those were not things that register in a kid’s mind to ask about, I guess, or at least not in mine. To me, he was simply my friend’s Dad, who happened to be a little different than my own Dad because his arm shook a little bit.

As I got a little older, I learned that Muhammad Ali had Parkinson’s, turning this boxing lion into a lamb. They said it was from too many blows to the head … maybe, maybe not. Then Michael J. Fox comes down with it, which I remember hearing was pretty unusual due to his relative youth.

In May of 2009, at age 43, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and, in hindsight, I started seeing symptoms over a year before that. Mr. Fox was younger then I was, but I was younger than most when I was diagnosed. It was a punch in the gut when I found out and remains a constant reminder of the challenges life can present to any unsuspecting person.

Not a day passes that I am not reminded of my condition – a routine pill swallowing, a stiff neck, simple movements or tasks being harder to execute than they used to – something is constantly there to remind me of the new person I am evolving into.

This evolution is more then just a physical impact to my body; to me it is more about how I take this experience and learn something from it. My body is a collection of pieces and parts that get my from one place to another, from one day to the next, and as long as I am moving in some direction I’m pretty cool with everything. My state of mind, my spirit, my mental strength – they all feel ten times what they were before May 2009. Life is not about the hand of cards you are dealt, it is how you play that hand, and after the end of my card game, which will be many, many years from now, I may have lost a hand or two throughout the years, but trust me, I will win the game.

Why Putting for Parkinson’s? For years I have loved to golf. Now, I have never been a very good golfer – those who know me well can attest to that. In my heyday, though coming pretty close, I could never seem to break 90. Now, I salivate at the possibility of breaking 100. Doesn’t matter … I still love the game.

Putting for Parkinson’s is simply a way for golf enthusiasts like me, including those who happen to have Parkinson’s, and for family and friends of Parkinson’s patients to spend an afternoon and evening together celebrating life and raising money to help fund research grants in search of a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

Spread the excitement. Spread the love. Spread the word. I hope to see you there.
— Scott Layman