GOLF:

If anybody has some lame excuse as to why they can’t walk a golf course, I want to introduce them to a man named, D.J. Gregory.

Gregory is 30 years old and was born with Cerebral Palsy. The childhood disease is neurological and affects the ability to control muscles. When Gregory was diagnosed as a child, his doctors told him he would never walk.

He initially got around by sliding with the use of his arms. As Gregory grew, he gained the ability to walk with two canes, and then one.

He came up with an idea to walk every hole of a golf course that was hosting a PGA Tour event. He started in January at the Mercedes Championship and ended last week at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Orlando.

He would pick a PGA Tour player every week and walk with that player during a round. Last week he was with Southern California native Jason Gore.

“It was a great honor for him to pick me this week,” said Jason Gore, with whom DJ walked in his final event Sunday. “It was a very emotional week for him, but he is a wonderful story and an inspiration to us all. I am very proud to call him a friend.”

Gregory couldn’t believe the year was over so quickly.

“This year has truly been a dream come true for me,” Gregory said. “For the PGA Tour to have given me the chance to live this dream of walking every hole of every week’s tournament is incredible. From this, I just want people to know that if they have a dream, they need to chase it and never take no for an answer.”

Gregory did this to shed light on people with disabilities to show them anything is possible. He walked 3,184 holes and fell 29 times but nothing kept him from his goal.

I believe that not only can Gregory be an inspiration to those less fortunate but those of us with two good legs.

When I first met him at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Springs it occurred to me that if he can do what he is doing, why shouldn’t I use the two good legs I have got.

So I decided to do a little more walking, both on and off the golf course. I talked to a couple of local head pros, like Tom Sargent at Mesa Verde Country Club and Brad Booth at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club, both of whom are proponents of more walking on a golf course.

It’s not that difficult really. In the summer months when the weather was warmer, a friend of mine and I went to Newport Beach Golf Course, where there are no carts. We started off slow, playing nine holes, but soon found it pretty easy to negotiate the mostly flat surfaces of the executive course. We moved up to courses like Costa Mesa.

The hard part was playing golf with someone who doesn’t want to walk. I have had several rounds with people who want to use a cart and still managed to incorporate walking into the round.

One tip I found useful was to hit a tee shot and then get in the cart and go to the first ball, whether it was mine or the other person in the cart. If it was mine and I managed to get the ball on the green, I would take my putter and walk the rest of the way.

On par threes, I would take my putter or wedge and walk from the tee box to the green.

That simple walking over a period of six months has already shown benefits. I used to get tired around the 15th hole and the last four holes of my round really suffered.

That is no longer a problem and I actually feel quite good after a round of golf. I have also noticed that a flight of stairs doesn’t put me out of breath like it did in the past.

The changes were minimal, but the advantages were enormous. Plus, if Tiger Woods can walk around 28 miles with a broken leg at the U.S. Open or D.J. Gregory can walk an entire round of golf with withered legs and a crutch, you can take a stroll for 18 holes.

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Thursdays.