No-Handed

A year later, Sterling High School golf coach Don Zimmerman said what Michael Gellerman accomplished borders on unbelievable. Gellerman was limited to two competitive rounds of golf last spring after breaking both wrists in a basketball fall. His play at regionals and state in Class 2A last season is the stuff that legends are made of. As a freshman recovering from two broken wrists, Gellerman won a state championship. "What Michael did doesn't seem possible and I doubt you'll ever see anything like that again," Zimmerman said a year later. "It took remarkable circumstances for everything to work out. Michael's advantage is he is a lot more mature in golf than his age." Gellerman had no idea he'd face the toughest test of his young life after he agreed to play some pick-up basketball with some friends last year. The friendly game ended badly when he tried to break his fall after getting bumped off balance. "I was coming down backwards and put my hands down to catch my fall, but I landed on both wrists," Gellerman said. "My wrists were aching pretty bad. I couldn't even open my front door at home." X-rays at the Kansas Orthopaedic Center revealed the bad news - a broken right wrist requiring surgery and a broken left wrist that would heal on its own with a splint. Recovery time was estimated at six weeks - just in time for regionals. "My first thought was maybe I'd get back to regionals, but I knew it would be close," said Gellerman. While missing six weeks, Gellerman chipped a little left-handed, but basically could do nothing. He waited until a few days before regionals before he tried to hit full shots. "I played nine holes before regionals," he said. "Windy conditions at Herington's regional were just fine. I tried to make pars and survive from regionals. I hit more club and laid up on holes. I had to pick shots off the ground because I didn't want to dig into the dirt. I still had a screw in the right wrist." State preparation wasn't much different. Gellerman's wrists were so sore after playing one round, he couldn't practice for a few days. "My wrists were quite stiff because they hadn't been used," said Gellerman. His experience of competing in summer junior golf events helped overcome the lack of practice. "I knew all those years of practice and work would help me because I'd played in quite a few events since I was young. I was excited to be back with a chance to compete at state. Going to state was mostly all mental toughness." He had modest goals - play as well as he could and maybe post a score around par 72 at Garden City's Buffalo Dunes Golf Course. He started off poorly but saved a par with a 30-foot putt on the first hole. He made another long par putt on a par 5. Then he birdied two holes on the back nine to shoot 71, one stroke under par. He captured Sterling High's first-ever state golf title by four strokes over St. John's Tim Spare. Gellerman said he couldn't strike full iron shots with divots because of lack of flexibility and strength in his wrists. He conceded his normal game by sweeping his iron shots off the turf. "I was maybe playing at 85 percent. I didn't have the touch I'd normally have and I knew I didn't want to take a lot of divots," he said. "What I did was pretty decent." He captured the title by playing with confidence. "I had a belief in my mind I would play well," he said. "I played percentage golf. To me, it was all mental. My hard work in the past definitely paid off." Zimmerman said being a freshman had its advantage for Gellerman. "Michael had what I'd call youthful naiveté - he expected to win, he didn't know any better." Make no mistake, though, Gellerman has been building a reputation as a golfer to watch. He was a prominent player in the Kansas Golf Association's junior events last summer. "What he did by missing the whole season should be impossible to do," says Zimmerman. "But I knew it was possible because Michael likes hitting shots when the pressure is on. He's right in his element in a state tournament." Michael credits his father Jerry for teaching him how to work hard and keep a positive attitude. "My dad has been my one and only teacher," says Gellerman. "He's been tough on me at times. There have been times where I didn't think golf was too much fun. There have been times where I wanted to walk off. But all that hard work is paying off. "My goal is to play consistently well and keep working on different phases of my game," he says. "My tee-to-green game is strong, but I need to work on my ball striking. My iron game is my major strength with my short game right behind." A move to Class 3A this season offers a whole new set of challenges, including competition against perennial contender, Wichita Collegiate. "My goal is to win every tournament I play in," said Gellerman, which, after watching what he did in two tournaments last spring, is saying something.