Johannes Grames Grateful To Have Golf In His Life
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
QUALICUM, B.C. (August 12, 2024) — Johannes Grames says golf has helped give his life balance, which is a tad ironic given that maintaining his stability while he swings the club is perhaps the biggest challenge he faces on the course.
Grames, a musician who just turned 60, lost his right leg above the knee to a form of cancer when he was 22. His professional life as a guitarist is a busy one and, especially in his younger days, he spent considerable time on the road.
“Golf really did help me,” says Grames, a Vancouver resident who is competing in this week’s B.C. All Abilities Championship at Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course.
“I was on the road a lot playing gigs all the time and living a complete night-time existence. Golf gets you outdoors and is a game you can play with your peers. I think it made a big difference in my long-term recovery and quality of life. It has had a huge impact. The road can really wear you down mentally, so it did help me psychologically.
“Golf also gives me more motivation to go to the gym, stay in shape, stretch, all those kinds of things.”
Grames played junior golf growing up on the Sunshine Coast and when he lost his leg, he thought for a time he had also lost golf. But he was persuaded by a friend to get back on the course. He found that with some major adjustments, he could still swing the club well.
Many years ago he began competing in tournaments with fellow amputees and others with a wide-range of challenges. He enjoys the competitive spirit of tournament play and appreciates the challenges his fellow competitors are facing. He is probably the most experienced member of this week’s field when it comes to competitive rounds played. “As an amputee I have been competing since the late 1980s,” he says.
Grames’ biggest challenge is keeping his balance while swinging the club. He’s had to slow down his swing to find the right rhythm. Wth his prosthetic, he isn’t able to put as much weight on his right side as he begins his backswing. “Balance and how the hips move through the ball are the biggest challenges,” he says.
“Controlling how much weight gets on to my back (right) side. I am probably getting 50-50 (weight distribution) whereas some people may be getting 80-20. And then in my short game I feel like most of the time I am 100 per cent on my left side. “And day to day, the fitting (of his prosthesis) is different. I can get more power at times getting back on my back side, especially on the range. Trying to bring that to the golf course can be tough.”
A new prosthetic leg he has had for the last nine months has helped. “It’s a little firmer and they put a rotator in it. I didn’t have one in it before. So if I put weight on it, it will actually rotate a little bit. I am still getting used to that with my golf swing. I can feel it move. If my timing is good, it helps a lot. But if my timing is off or if the grass is slippery it will slip instead of turn. It can throw my game off a bit.”
As for his score, Grames is no stranger to being on the right side of 80. He scrambled his way to an 84 in the opening round at Qualicum, when he didn’t have his best stuff. “I didn’t hit the ball well,” he said. “I had too many doubles. My driver wasn’t good today. It’s a very narrow course, so if you just lose it a little bit you can get into some trouble.”
Golf is a hobby that Grames has a passion for. He loves the game, almost as much as he loves music. Grames has been playing his guitar to make a living for about 40 years. He plays just about everything. “Jazz, rock, blues,” he says, before smiling and adding: “I play Greek music as well.”
He and his brothers have a band called, not surprisingly, The Grames Brothers and they have a CD coming out soon. He also plays in an Allman Brothers tribute band called The Almost Brothers. “In a year I might play with 40 different artists,” he says. “I do recording, I do all kinds of stuff. I also play jazz, corporate events and I play at golf courses, too. I play at Richmond and Quilchena just doing background jazz music. I am very busy.”
This is the second year British Columbia Golf has run an All Abilities provincial championship. Grames is delighted to see some of golf’s governing bodies begin to get involved running all abilities tournaments. “I think B.C. Golf and Golf Canada stepping in is really good timing,” he says. “The grass-roots organizations that were running it before, their people were getting a lot older. We need to get more young people into the game.”
CHIP SHOTS: The second and final round of the 36-hole event goes late Tuesday morning. Walter Vanderrijst of Gorge Vale Golf Club in Victoria grabbed the first-round lead with a two-over 72.
Click HERE for complete scoring after round one of the All Abilities Championship.