A ‘birdie’ to Parkinson’s: this is how golf helps those affected by the disease | Sports

It has been difficult for him to climb the small hill because his body no longer responds as it should, because Parkinson’s in his case has resulted in a certain annoying rigidity. “Let’s go, Willito,” he encourages himself before hitting a six-iron shot that returns the ball to the fairway. And, although he comes down from the hill using two sticks, he smiles. “You have to laugh at life,” he resolves as he continues playing the tournament. The competition has been organized by the association Golf with Parkinson’s to raise funds for a project led by the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Research Group of the Sant Pau Research Institute. Researchers believe that golf can help these types of patients. “If you start looking at physical activities, there aren’t many they can do, other than swimming or maybe running. But golf fits their needs because it is slow and because it helps cognitive development and brain plasticity, because the sport activates neural networks and activates the brain. In addition, they have to anticipate the type of blow, set a goal, plan…”, explains neurologist Carmen García, in charge of the project; “So this is an ambitious study because it wants to evaluate the benefits at a motor, cognitive and emotional level.”

The blame (or the great merit) of all this lies with Juan Carlos Campillo, an experienced golfer who saw that over the years he was losing speed in his swing, that everything was much more difficult for him – “like putting the key in the lock or concentrating,” he slips –, that he added blows instead of losing them no matter how much he trained. They told her she had Parkinson’s. But that was never a wall for him, no matter how much he considered leaving the sticks in a corner, finally convinced by the doctors.

Amateur golfer like Willito, William Gutiérrez, 54 years old and from Guatemala, who traveled to Barcelona to play the tournament this Friday. “I listened to a podcast, The Bad Golfers Club, and Juan Carlos explained the initiative of the tournament. A few days later he had already written to her on Instagram and was putting the bag of clubs on the plane,” he says; “Because he wanted to play and explain my testimony.” One who says that in Guatemala there are no centers specialized in Parkinson’s, that he had to find a life in Colombia and that he had to undergo DBS surgery (Deep Brain Stimulation; deep brain stimulation). In Spain there are, but Campillo wanted to give it a twist.

“It all stems from one day in April 2022 when I propose to go throw some balls in the WhatsApp group supporting people with Parkinson’s,” he says; “and it worked very well because people were excited, wanting to repeat, to the point that there are several who later got hooked on golf.” The initiative made him think that something more and better could be done, so he went to the Sant Pau Hospital. “I remember that he came to tell me his idea one day when there was a presentation of a project for people with Parkinson’s who were in a choir, singing as a rehabilitation technique,” ​​explains Carmen; “And since he is a persistent, somewhat obsessive guy, in the end we agreed to do it well, write it and pass the project through the ethics committee.” No sooner said than done. And achieved.

The study is being carried out on 14 people who, after being picked up by a van at the hospital, attend an hour and a half class every Friday at the Barcelona Golf Club, which has dedicated itself to the initiative. It will last three months and then it will be done with another 15 patients. “This is a more complete sample,” intervenes Carmen, who gets down to business: “Before starting the project, all cognitive, emotional and neurological values ​​have been analyzed. And they will be evaluated again in the end.” The neurologist, in any case, is clear that she will provide positive data: “I see them so happy and enthusiastic… When one is more awake, receptive, that influences memory or cognitive speed.” This is attested by Jesús Martín, one of the patients who does not fail any class: “Playing golf gives you a feeling of well-being and peace, of relaxation of the body that you have not found for 20 years. Looking at my body, the position of my hands, my posture… everything helps you concentrate.” And this is evidenced by William, who hits a hybrid from the bunker on the 9th hole to send it to green, 135 meters of beautiful and precise flight. “Don’t say anything to the guy because he gets flirtatious and then fails,” she jokes; “yes, this is what life gives me.”

William is stiff, but his starting partner Claire Thirion Emberson, 73, French with a home near Girona, is shaking. “It is not easy to play golf because it is difficult for me to balance, but it is a moral and energetic restorative. “It’s the best there is,” she says with a smile from ear to ear, supported at all times by her husband, also a golfer. “Some have a hard time starting to walk, others have tremors or stiffness… And so on until we die. But golf clears your mind, it makes you meet people; “I am going to continue until the end,” adds Jesús Martín. Meanwhile, William misses a putt sung and explains that it is because of the pill he took half an hour ago, which takes effect and makes him a little spirited. “But I need it when I get down, when it is already difficult for me to think and move,” he accepts. Claire has also taken hers, since she eats one every four hours. “You get used to it,” she clarifies.

Five hours later, all the participants are on the 19th hole, toasting with a glass of cava and congratulating the champions, even nervous in case they win something in the final draw. There is a stay in a hotel for two people, balls, trips to the countryside… Awards that Campillo has won with sponsors. “I am delighted with the aid, but the study at the Sant Pau Hospital is covered partly out of my pocket, that is why we have raised funds with the tournament,” he reveals. A project that costs a few thousand euros, even though the hospital, Carmen says, does not charge any extra money. And the van, the classes, the studio expenses… she also counts. “It’s worth it,” says Campillo, happy because they have already conveyed to him the idea that once the study is completed – and depending on the values ​​- they plan to present it to the scientific community at the annual neurology congress.

According to various sources, between 150,000 and 160,000 people are affected by early-onset Parkinson’s in Spain. It is estimated that around 15% of those diagnosed with this disease are under 50 years old, and it has been detected in people as young as 35 years old. Campillo and Carmen, as well as all those who participate in the project, think that golf will give them a little more quality of life. And it is a little that means a lot.

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