{"id":527,"date":"2018-04-23T11:22:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T10:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/?page_id=527"},"modified":"2023-08-08T10:05:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T09:05:55","slug":"ales-susser","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/ales-susser\/","title":{"rendered":"02 – Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t choose your family, so\u00a0Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser was very lucky to have parents Frantisek and Jana, and older brother Michal to help him through the most difficult of starts in life. When he was born in 1973 in a part of then Czechoslovakia that had been scarred by world events, the sport of golf hardly figured. Here, the South Bohemians who had endured much military and political upheaval, found relief on the chessboard rather than the fairway.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser however, golf would actually help to define his philosophy of life, but this would come much later \u2013 first he had to survive his birth.<\/p>\n

As a newborn, the medics thought baby\u00a0Ale\u0161 had died and he was put in a waste basket. As an infant with cerebral palsy he faced a dismal prognosis and needed six hours of rehabilitation every day for five years, exercises prescribed by physician Vaclav Vojta, a renowned Czech doctor forced to leave Czechoslovakia by the Soviets in 1968.\u00a0S\u00fcsser’s own grandfather had been in a Nazi prison for years in World War II. Not surprisingly, one of three family mottos is: \u201cNever give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This motto has worked for the family, and continues to work now for Ale\u0161. Long before he played golf (he has been playing six years now), it was the love and support of his parents and brother that created an iron will in\u00a0Ale\u0161 to think of himself not as disabled, merely \u201climited\u201d; limitations that he could take on and conquer. He could be the best, and why not?<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the very beginning I was brought up as non-disabled child, spending a lot of time with older children \u2013 my brother\u2019s friends \u2013 in a very safe environment. No bullying, no unfairness but also no relief from obligations. I learned you do not have to be the strongest one when you are emphatic and smart enough. It was the greatest experience in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in 1973, baby\u00a0Ale\u0161 very nearly didn\u2019t make it out of the birthing room at the hospital in Ceske Budejovice. It seems\u00a0Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser was presumed dead and his mother\u2019s own life was in danger. Ales tells us: \u201cI was born nine years after my brother as a much wanted second child. Due to a very complicated birth I started \u2013 or better say almost ended \u2013 my life in a waste basket while doctors were saving my mother\u2019s life. They did not pay attention to me until I cried out. The doctor\u2019s diagnosis was paediatric cerebral palsy and other impairments, hardly any movement, with the final prognosis: \u201cLying person forever \u2013 wheelchair needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ale\u0161 said: \u201cMy parents believed in God, even in the times of communism. It was the starting point of their long fight for my better life. I spent six hours of rehabilitation every day solely in my mother’s and father’s hands during the first five years of my life \u2013 hard work for them with step by step results \u2013 from moving, sitting, standing, to walking and later playing sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ale\u0161\u00a0can remember exercises to strengthen his stomach muscles and when he lifted himself up he was rewarded with a \u201csweet kiss\u201d from his mum. His father Frantisek had the faith of Ale\u0161\u2019s grandfather of the same name who had endured a Nazi prison and survived the 900km \u2018death walk transfer\u2019 from Poland to Germany at the end of World War II.<\/p>\n

The other two family sayings? \u201cWhen you are not able, try more, try harder\u201d is one, and the other, more subtle, relates to his grandfather\u2019s time but speaks volumes about the world, then and now: \u201cIf you are hungry, you are not hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ale\u0161\u00a0says now: \u201cIn my head I\u2019m not disabled, maybe limited in some way and I think limits are good for everyone, even people who are disabled, because I can overcome them. My limits are a motivation for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His condition may have heightened his capacity to use his intelligence \u2013 he was beating adults at chess aged nine and studied at university while holding down a full-time job in computer software \u2013 all great for his career but not so great as he missed out on friendships with like-minded people.\u00a0\u00a0Fortunately, growing up he had the best friend possible in his older brother.<\/p>\n

The great news is that years later, through his golf, that camaraderie he loved as a boy is back and\u00a0Ale\u0161 is one of the most popular players on the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) circuit. An EDGA source told us: \u201cWhen others see the name \u2018Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser\u2019 on the tournament draw sheet they know it will be a fun day!\u201d The Czech golfer is not the most serious player, that is certain. \u201cFrom my point of view golf is a non-competitive activity. Competing in golf is like competing in meditation, relaxation, friendship, fun. Not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Instead, his golfing philosophy is simple: \u201cI would say, number one, do not take anything for granted. Right now I have something, and a few seconds later I may not have it. So you have to enjoy it. This leads to number two: enjoy every minute of your life. Three, never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

He first tried and rejected golf 20 years ago. It wasn\u2019t for him with his non-conforming left hand. \u201cSix years ago I was at another golf academy at my colleague\u2019s 50th birthday party. I saw a man hardly standing on his legs [after a car accident] on the driving range. He was very supportive and convinced me to try golf. I was full of doubts about my \u2018grip\u2019. It was not a problem for the local professional coach. He told me: \u2018Nothing is easier, grip it as you can and swing. Golf is a game, golf is fun, enjoy it!\u2019 He encouraged me enough with his 150% positive approach\u2026These few minutes changed my life a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ale\u0161\u00a0made a good decision to work with a mental coach as well as a swing coach. He explains: \u201cMy mental coach has changed my life more than my golf game. Because now I enjoy every minute of my life. The simple advice (on the golf course and in life) was that you must expect nothing, good or bad, which has made me more optimistic. Without expectations I am not disappointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not a much better golfer in terms of number of strokes, but I suppose I am a better person now \u2013 keeping calm, enjoying every day, working for other golfers with disability and kids as an instructor and a golf events organiser. So, enjoy every minute of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And\u00a0Ale\u0161 is able to do that today. Happily married to Zuzana with two sons Matej and Jakub, he is managing to work a little less in the world of software and instead enjoying the ski slopes with his snowboard and the golfing fairways. Ales is also enjoying giving back to the sport. He is now vice president of the Czech Disabled Golf Association and helps spread awareness at home and abroad, while helping PGA coaches to deliver golf training sessions to golfers with a disability of all ages. He represents the CDGA at the key international meetings of EDGA while enjoying playing with his EDGA friends and in his fourballs with mates in the Czech Republic. His family are now all golfers too.<\/p>\n

His advice to other EDGA players is: \u201cYou are not disabled, you are in some way limited. Try to overcome your limits and enjoy your journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask him about his golfing heroes and, apart from his coaching hero the legendary Ben Hogan,\u00a0Ale\u0161 will say: \u201cEveryone is a hero. I think that everybody is a unique hero in some area every time he or she overcomes whatever limitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ale\u0161\u00a0concluded: \u201cMy big thanks go to my parents, wife, both sons and the rest of my extended family for their never-ending support, motivation and love.<\/p>\n

\u201cImportantly, I am very grateful, due to golf and EDGA, that I finally have friends. Not only in my home country but in Europe and around the world. Friends, friends, I have friends!\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact Ale\u0161<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Facebook at\u00a0www.facebook.com\/ales.susser<\/a><\/p>\n

NB: When using any EDGA media, please comply with our <\/span>copyright conditions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Audio: You can\u2019t choose your family, so\u00a0Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser was very lucky to have parents Frantisek and Jana, and older brother Michal to help him through the most difficult of starts in life. When he was born in 1973 in a part of then Czechoslovakia that had been scarred by world events, the sport of golf … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “02 – Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14293,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\n02 - Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser - EDGA Player Profiles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edgagolf.com\/profiles\/ales-susser\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"02 - Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser - EDGA Player Profiles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Audio: You can\u2019t choose your family, so\u00a0Ale\u0161 S\u00fcsser was very lucky to have parents Frantisek and Jana, and older brother Michal to help him through the most difficult of starts in life. 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