Jack Nicklaus helping disabled veteran golfers

A local developer and a golf legend have come together to help disabled veterans play golf. The two are key players in a $4.5 million project to expand and improve American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Lakewood, which calls itself the nation's only course for disabled veterans.

Gene Lynn of Gig Harbor, and his wife, Evie, have donated $500,000 to the Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course, a nonprofit that runs the course. Gene Lynn is a developer, builder, philanthropist and chairman of Careage Inc., a developer of senior housing communities and health care centers.

That famous golfer? It's Jack Nicklaus, who is designing nine additional holes for the course as a donation valued at $500,000. He also is honorary co-chair of the project's capital campaign, which has raised more than $1 million so far.

The golf course is holding a media event next week marking completion of a $900,000 rehabilitation and learning center that is part of the project.

The 8,400-square-foot building has accessible physical therapy areas, classrooms, locker rooms, restrooms, offices, a conference room, indoor putting course and full-swing golf simulator. It was built by Rush Commercial of Gig Harbor at a reduced cost and the design was donated by Northwest Home Designing. North Pacific Design put together the construction documents and designed the interior. Pacific Northwest Engineering was the structural engineer.

American Lake Veterans Golf Course was built in 1955 on 377 acres of the Veterans Administration Hospital grounds near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It was initially designed as a place of respite rather than for rehabilitation, and didn't take into account the special needs of disabled golfers.

The course has nine SoloRider carts that allow disabled golfers to swing while seated.

In 2003, Harold "Pepper" Roberts formed the nonprofit and worked to restore the course and make improvements geared toward disabled veterans, including those who are blind, amputees or suffering from emotional trauma or other impairments. They added a covered driving range, handicap-accessible bunkers and greens, larger tee boxes, a pavilion for veteran events, and nine specialized carts equipped with swiveling seats that allow golfers to hit the ball while seated. A short three-hole course was added for people in wheelchairs.

About $250,000 is earmarked for improvements to the original nine holes, including better maintenance facilities and ADA restrooms. The additional nine holes are expected to cost $2.95 million to build. They are dependent upon funding and the construction schedule could be set as early as next week.

More than 12,000 rounds of golf were played at the Lakewood course between April and August of last year. Golf course officials said there are thousands of service members returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with severe physical and psychological trauma that might be helped by golf therapy.

The finished Lakewood course may become a pilot project for other courses across the country. A three-year study by the University of Utah showed the game of golf promotes physical improvement, increases self-confidence and improves quality of life for the disabled.

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Information from: Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, http://www.djc.com/