Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, has hosted seven U.S. Opens, most recently in 2016, two PGA Championships and two U.S. Women’s Opens.
But this week is different. This week, it hosts heroes.
Veterans from the United States and Great Britain are gathering at the historic golf club for the Simpson Cup, with matches scheduled for August 30-31.
The Ryder Cup-style event was born in 2012 at TPC Sawgrass and has since traveled to some of the most historic courses in the world including Congressional, Royal St. George’s, Royal Birkdale and the Old Course.
The United States team won handily last year and now leads the all-time record, 5-4.
Simpson Cup: Scoring | Team USA | Team GB
John Simpson, the founder of the event, is the former Senior Vice President of International Management Group and managed several of golf’s legends including Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Greg Norman. Simpson has just one fully-functioning leg due to polio as a child.
One of the players teeing it up for Team USA is Nick Kimmel, who lost both his legs and left arm during service when he jumped on an IED to protect his fellow soldiers.
“What also tortured me was the notion of never playing golf again,” Kimmel told the Pacific Northwest Golf Association in May 2022. “The desire wasn’t there, and the primary thought was that missing limbs would cause me to sit on the sidelines forever.”
Kimmel loved golf from an early age and eventually became a scratch golfer. Years after his injury, he picked up a club again just to see what it was like. He struggled for a while but was introduced to the On Course Foundation in 2018 by a fellow Marine. From that point on, he re-established his passion for the game.
“Early on, it was difficult learning to play with one hand holding onto the club for a whole round,” he said. “I tried to figure out how to hit a ball with a lie below my feet. It’s like trying to hit a golf ball with all your weight on your heels.”
The Simpson Cup isn’t all about the golf. It’s about being part of something again.
“The Simpson Cup gave me a goal to strive for again,” he said. “I so much wanted to make the team and compete against my fellow veterans. The camaraderie is extraordinary, and we all feel deep military bonds with new friends and old when we’re together at Simpson Cups and between each event.”
Thanks to the handicap system, all players — regardless of disability and skill level — can play fairly against each other.
Tuesday will consist of six four-ball matches while Wednesday will feature 13 singles matches.
If you’re invested in making a donation to the On Course Foundation, click here.
On Course Foundation (OCF) is a 501(c)3 organization in the US (oncoursefoundationusa.org) and a registered charity in the UK (oncoursefoundation.com) that offers servicemen, women and veterans in both countries the opportunity to participate in golf, in order to help restore self-confidence and provide a sense of purpose after injury. OCF aims to help its members learn the game of golf and find employment in the golf industry.
