Golfer Spotlight with Rich O'Brien
The Power of a Positive Attitude - Chance Griffin
By Rich O'Brien
Justin "Chance" Griffin was born on May 9, 1988 in Hickory, NC and has lived most of his life in Newnan, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. He was an avid golfer as a child and attended the Atlanta Jr. Golf Academy and played in the Georgia PGA Junior series. He also played high school golf and twice qualified for the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state tournament. Following high school, Chance turned professional and began playing on multiple professional mini-tours.
Chance also attended the University of West Georgia and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Marketing & Management. He then pursued a career in medical sales (podiatry) and EMR (Electronic Medical Records) Systems training management before discovering his passion in law enforcement. In 2014, he attended the Police Academy and began working for the Union City Police Department. While working for the UCPD, Chance worked patrol, traffic investigations, special ops, SWAT, and was in-charge of Crime Scene Investigations.
Chance was involved in a car accident on August 24, 2018 that resulted in a coma that lasted a month. When he awoke, he learned he had sustained a T2 complete spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the chest down. For the next two months, he underwent rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA before being discharged to go home the week before Christmas.
Despite his injuries, Chance’s attitude remained positive and he always had a big smile on his face. While undergoing rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center, multiple golf associations and foundations became aware of Chance’s story and his wonderful positive attitude and offered to provide assistance to get him back on course and begin his adaptive golf journey. First, the Stand Up and Play Foundation generously awarded Chance with a paramobile so he could stand up and play golf despite his paralysis. Next, while working with outpatient recreational therapists, Chance was introduced to the Director of the Georgia State Golf Association Adaptive Golf Program. And the PGA Tour Superstore in Kennesaw, Georgia provided him with a custom fitted set of golf clubs to help him return to competitive golf as an adaptive golfer.
The paramobile not only provided him with the ability to play his favorite pastime again, it also allowed him to help out around the family farm, shoot, hunt, fish and other outdoor activities. The freedom, the joy and the peace he feels while using the paramobile is endless. He is grateful for the tremendous gift he received from Stand Up and Play Foundation as a blessing physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Being able to stand up is a tremendous blessing which is visible and helps him physically. Meanwhile, being able to play golf again is a tremendous help mentally and emotionally for him. It is a true gift.
The three foundations have combined to provide him with the tools and instruction to not only begin his adaptive golf journey but also to excel in adaptive golf tournaments.
This can be seen in his winning his division in the 2019 GSGA adaptive golf championship and tying for 3rd in the gross division of the 2021 GSGA adaptive golf championship. This year, the USGA hosted the inaugural US Adaptive Open and Chance hopes to qualify for the event and win the seated division in the next few years.
Chance's positive attitude has helped him battle one of life's biggest adversities with a smile on his face. That same attitude might allow him to become one of the best seated golfers in the world.
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About the Author
Rich O’Brien is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Accessible Golf. Rich is a golf writer who tells the stories of golfers who use golf as therapy to recover from their injuries, illnesses, or challenges. Rich survived a complex polytrauma that included a broken back, a broken neck, four skull fractures, and brain damage in every lobe of his brain. Golf therapy was a big part of his own recovery. Now he is an advocate for individuals with disabilities.
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