LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Scott Lusk was 18 when he said he was struck head-on in a car crash and lost his left arm.

Now 50, he gets emotional when he thinks about what he would say to that scared and frustrated young man.

What You Need To Know

  • Some of the best one-armed golfers in the world are competing in Louisville for the Fightmaster Cup

  • It’s like the Ryder Cup, bringing together players from Europe and North America every two years

  • The tournament started Wednesday and ends Friday

  • It takes place at the South Park Country Club in Louisville

“He’d be pretty proud,” said Lusk. “That’s what I always said — I said I wish the 35 or 40-year-old Scott could talk to the 18-year-old, tell him it was going to be OK.”

Lusk, who lives in Meade County, later learned of an opportunity to play golf with others playing with one arm.

“After I had lost my arm, I was pretty depressed and mad,” he said. “I picked up the golf clubs, and I went to the amputee tournament and there was guys with no legs, one arm, one leg … people in a lot worse shape than me. I thought, you know what, this is not that bad. You can do this. And that’s what I think helps everybody. It gives you a different frame of mind, that everybody else is going through the same thing.”

Lusk helped found the North American One-Armed Golfer Association (NAOAGA), which started the Fightmaster Cup in 2008, named after another founding member, Don Fightmaster.

The tournament occurs every two years, bringing together the best one-armed golfers from North America and Europe, including golfers from The Society of One-Armed Golfers.

This year is the second year it’s come to Louisville. 

The competition began Wednesday. Sept. 27 at South Park Country Club and runs through Friday, Sept. 29.

Another NAOAGA founding member, State Rep. Al Gentry, D-Louisville, played in the tournament with Lusk Thursday.

Gentry lost his right arm when he was 28. 

“What happens is you get these individuals together that all has similar challenges, and it’s almost like a fraternity of sorts, and it helps building self-confidence, self-esteem, and that kind of merges on with everyday life,” he said.

Like Gentry, Lusk said the sport saved his life, helping him to focus on all he can do.

“Like Don Fightmaster always said, ‘Don’t think about all the things that you can’t do,’” said Lusk. “Just do what you can do … And that’s the advice I’d give everybody.”