{"id":36,"date":"2017-09-24T05:31:06","date_gmt":"2017-09-24T04:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/?page_id=36"},"modified":"2023-08-11T11:51:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T10:51:33","slug":"mike-jones-interview-v2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/mike-jones-interview-v2\/","title":{"rendered":"53 – Mike Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Audio:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

In October 2015, proud Welshman Mike Jones, an electrical engineer and single figure golfer, climbed astride his Yamaha MT09 Sports Tourer motorbike for the trip across the Severn Bridge from Cwmbran into England for a shift in Bristol. With a toot of his horn he said goodbye to wife Beth without a care in the world.<\/p>\r\n

Four days later he would wake-up in hospital in Swansea in severe pain and confusion. Mike has been told he nearly died at the scene of the accident and lost a lot of blood. A leg was badly crushed, his thigh bone was rammed through his pelvis by the crash. These bones could be rebuilt in complicated operations but his lower left leg had to be amputated three days after the accident; the start of a long road that would include 22 hours on the surgeon\u2019s table, six months of regular out-patient visits and a hip replacement as recently as last November. And even then it could have been far worse. His biker\u2019s protective clothing may have saved his life as such was the injury, more exposure of the wound could easily have led to a fatal infection.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

The super-keen sportsman, former footballer, a golfer who had been close to scratch [2 handicap], would later learn that he was still very much \u201cjust Mike\u201d but right then, in a room on his own and desperate for sleep, all he could consider was his new identity as \u201cMike with a lost leg.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

He explains: \u201cIt was so traumatic. Your mind is whizzing at 100mph. I\u2019m feeling my leg but it\u2019s not there, a phantom sensation. I struggled with this so badly. They tried all different drugs with it. Nothing helped. I came very close in hospital to a breakdown. I remember one evening banging my fists on a tray, holding the buzzer and the nurse came in and said \u2018What\u2019s going on Mike?\u2019 I don\u2019t like asking anyone for anything and I was trying, but I lost it. I was screaming at the top of my voice, you either have to get me out of this room or give me something to put me to sleep. I thought I was going mad.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Somehow Mike soldiered on.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

A move to a ward with other guys in a similar condition helped, as they could talk and support each other with a bit of banter. The second telling element of his initial recovery came because Mike was holding on to his love of golf as a focus in this most difficult time. Could he ever play again?<\/p>\r\n

He watched golf videos in his hospital bed and found clips from one golfer in particular, Manuel De Los Santos. De Los Santos hails from the Dominican Republic and lost his left leg in a traffic accident to destroy his dream of playing professional baseball in the US. He would not only later discover a new sport in golf but he would excel in it, as a fine striker of the ball which has seen him win trophies on the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) Tournament Series and become something of an emblem for EDGA and its players as to just what can be achieved.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Mike said: \u201cI was obsessed with playing again. It saved my life. I really don\u2019t know what I would have done if I hadn\u2019t had golf as a focus, God knows what, I would have ended up in not a very nice place I think, so it literally saved my life.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI watched videos of Manuel and heard him speak with such enthusiasm. You don\u2019t often get the chance to reset your life but that was my opportunity there. That\u2019s the attitude I want, I thought \u2013 I want the can-do attitude. Saying it and doing it is another thing, so when I am feeling a bit low or sorry for myself or \u2018woe is me I\u2019ve lost my leg\u2019, I watch the video and it\u2019s \u2018right, just get on with it Mike, stop moaning about it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Fast forward less than 18 months to February 2017 and Mike Jones is a long way from that hospital bed. He is actually teeing it up in an EDGA tournament in the sunshine in the Spanish Open, playing so well he won the Stableford trophy with two solid rounds off a new 19 handicap; while also meeting Manuel De Los Santos in the flesh and making a new friend.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cTo actually meet Manuel in Spain and for him to speak to me like a real friend and give me advice and shake my hand, that\u2019s the beauty of EDGA. And also Juan Postigo Arce [another top EDGA player] \u2013 you just <\/em>get it, you just feel that positivity coming out of them towards you and that\u2019s what I want to deliver to the people I play golf with. Manuel has been a big role model of mine in the way he approached his disability, and he told me, \u2018don\u2019t let your disability define you\u2019. So I\u2019m not Mike with a lost leg, I\u2019m just Mike, and that is what\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

After his trauma and the surgery in 2015, Mike showed plenty of bravery as he learned to walk again as an out-patient with the help of physiotherapist Jo and staff at Rookwood Hospital in Cardiff\u2019s Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre, before later continuing his improvement under the expert care of staff at the nearby Morrello Clinic in Newport.<\/p>\r\n

Mike said, smiling at the memory: \u201cI was at the limb centre on my first visit and supposed to be holding onto the parallel bars but I was swinging my arms; all I was thinking of was \u2018Can I swing a golf club?\u2019 And Jo called out \u2018What are you doing!\u2019 They were in shock! Worried I was about to fall over. We all laughed about it. I remember taking my first steps with my mechanical knee which was a very strange sensation. I walked maybe three steps then.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

He adds: \u201cI thought maybe I am slightly different, like Beth kept telling me. I found that positive attitude switch inside me, and you have to have a go. Don\u2019t wait and dither thinking \u2018Can I do it, should I do it\u2019, go<\/em> and do it!\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Only six months after the bike crash, Michael Overton from the Welsh Disabled Golf Association (WDGA) met up with Mike at Green Meadow Driving Range for Mike\u2019s first return to hitting any sort of golf shots. He hit a succession of wedges that really impressed Overton who urged him to take part in a WDGA golf day only a month or so later at Peterstone Golf Club. Here, Mike met two new friends whose welcome and support would spur him on to great things in the year ahead.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Mike said: \u201cI played with two guys, Richard Willis and Bill Savage and they were absolutely amazing with me. I was on crutches and really struggling to get in and out of the golf buggy. They\u2019re both leg amputees and they helped me with my crutches and helped pick up clubs off the ground for me. I was off 24 [handicap] then and I only got 10 points [in Stableford scoring] but I was really pleased with 10 points! Afterwards I slept for two days I was so exhausted, my hip was so sore.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

From here, Mike\u2019s golf improvement allied to his work on physical conditioning would be a revelation and is much talked about in EDGA circles today. Mike would win the Stableford in both the Welsh and Scottish Opens of 2016 before his hip replacement slowed him down for a spell. Supported by wife Beth, who has been a regular caddy, Mike has now become a leading player in EDGA tournaments culminating with his win in Spain this February. The organisation is backed by 32 national golf federations as it helps golfers with a disability to compete internationally as \u2018Golfers First\u2019, while allowing them to measure their progress in the Ranking for Golfers with a Disability [R4GD] supported by [WAGR]. The Ranking is relevant here because less than two years after the accident that nearly killed him, after thousands of golf balls hit on good days and bad, Mike, at the time of writing, is currently number one in the Net Ranking, actually ahead of those friends Juan Postigo Arce and Manuel De Los Santos.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Today, now that Mike has won his toughest battle, he is keen to help others who are in need.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe first thing for any person who is disabled or has suffered [other illnesses] or are struggling with a condition, golf can<\/em> turn your life around. You don\u2019t have to be a superstar, all you have to do is be able to hit a golf ball and putt a golf ball. You can go to a golf club and meet people. It\u2019s all about not being isolated because when you have suffered a disability it\u2019s quite easy to turn in on yourself and not communicate with others. So golf and golf for the disabled especially is a great forum for people to start communicating with each other and realise you\u2019re not on your own. There are people out there who can help you, there are people who can turn your life around.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI am always telling people you can do it, you can do it, you can do it. Come and play golf with us and make yourself healthy again.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Mike was recently appointed as a Golf Development Wales (GDW) Inclusive Ambassador and he will be promoting inclusiveness in the sport, as well as assisting with events and meetings to promote GDW schemes and initiatives.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Zoe Thacker, GDW development officer, said: \u201cMike is a real inspiration and force for good to people with a disability. He constantly spreads the message that golf can be enjoyed by everyone.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Mike says he is only looking ahead now, wishing to support other golfers while honing his own game to try to get back to single figures [he has been working with respected PGA coach Rob Moss]. He remains hugely thankful for everyone who has backed him.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe guys I\u2019ve played with for 20 years have been amazing in the way they have supported me, and the guys with a disability have been like another level again. For example, EDGA player Mathieu Lebon [France], a fellow leg amputee, has been a very good friend while finding my way in the events, and Ian Halliwell of British Inclusive Golf has also been so generous with his support.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cAlso, my golf club Woodlake Park GC\u00a0has been fantastic, they support me no end and they have had a couple of collections for me to help me with travelling and tournament entries.\u201c<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

The R&A has been brilliant; the Golf Union of Wales, GDW and my family have all helped me out, as has my best friend Gary Derraven who has encouraged me from the night of the accident until today.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Mike knows that the injury has changed him in other ways. He admits to now being a \u201ccry baby\u201d and happy to open up his emotional side, who\u2019ll sing Country & Western songs to Beth in the car (Josh Turner and Garth Brooks), while showing steely determination on both the golf course and in the gym as he gets better at golf and fitter and stronger. Just what you would expect from a \u201cWelsh Dragon\u201d who follows the nation\u2019s footballers and rugby men with great passion.<\/p>\r\n

Of all his supporters Mike reserves most praise for wife [and caddy!] Beth.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

He said: \u201cFrom the day of my accident Beth has been the rock and foundation of every part of my recovery and new life that has started since losing my leg. I would not be the man I am now without her help every day from when I wake until I put my head on the pillow at night. I love her more than life itself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Mike\u2019s story is not too dissimilar from a number of the golfers involved with EDGA, who share a unique bond with each other along with certain characteristics: courage, fortitude, determination and often a sense of humour as they have not let their injuries or disabilities define them as people. Rather they have accepted these as a starting point of the second chapters in life and they compete in golf tournaments around Europe knowing their red numbers on the leaderboards are not just for them but also for the friends and family around them. They are all \u2018Golfers First\u2019, while Mike Jones is also \u2013 very much now \u2013 just Mike.<\/p>\r\n

Contact EDGA<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

NB: When using any EDGA media, please comply with our <\/span>copyright conditions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audio: In October 2015, proud Welshman Mike Jones, an electrical engineer and single figure golfer, climbed astride his Yamaha MT09 Sports Tourer motorbike for the trip across the Severn Bridge from Cwmbran into England for a shift in Bristol. With a toot of his horn he said goodbye to wife Beth without a care in … <\/p>\n

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