From Pro Motocross Crash To Elite Adaptive Golf with Brock Leitner

A pro motocross career can end in seconds, but the will to compete is harder to break. Brock Leitner takes us back to June 12, 2022, when a crash left him paralyzed at T6, and walks us through the exact moment he realized his legs were gone from the equation. What hits hardest is how clearly he remembers it and how quickly his mind starts searching for a way forward. 

From there, we follow his path into adaptive golf, where he’s doing the “impossible” in plain sight: building a repeatable one-armed golf swing, learning to score from a seated position, and chasing the same standard he had before the injury. We talk paragolfers and the Para Motion style of adaptive golf device, the insane cost of adaptive equipment, and the scrappy early days of cutting, bending, and even welding clubs just to get the lie angle playable. If you care about inclusive sports, disability access, or the future of adaptive athletics, this part is a must-hear. 

Brock also shares how epidural stimulation treatment in Guadalajara supports his overall health and muscle maintenance, plus the performance details that matter to golfers: shot shaping, confidence, chipping as a scoring weapon, and how properly fit clubs can change the way you attack a course. We close with his best advice for athletes facing a life changing accident: mindset first, don’t waste time on what you don’t love, and trust that adaptation gets easier with reps. 

If Brock’s story gives you perspective, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one thing you’ve taken for granted lately that you’re going to appreciate more after listening?

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You know, I I knew that I wanted to compete once I started playing because it's just I've been a competitor my whole life. Like that's in my blood. And it was it was my dad. He was like, dude, you gotta like you got you gotta game. So like we gotta get you in a tournament or something.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

You're the most decorated racquetball player in US history. World's strongest man. From childhood passion to professional athlete. Eight-time Iron Man champion. So what was it like making your debut in the NHL? What is your biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes? From underdogs to national champions. This is the athletes podcast, where high performance individuals share their triumphs, defeats, and life lessons to educate, entertain, and inspire the next generation of athletes. Here we go. This is 283. Brock Leitner, am I saying that last name correctly? Littner. Littner! Fuck. Brock Littner, the 283rd episode of the Athletes Podcast, man. Welcome to the show. I always like to ask before we formally introduce our guests, because you know, there's specific ways. I've done this for six and a half years. Got to be precise with the name drop. But dude, jazzed up for this episode. We've been connected online via social media for the past year. I obviously have been inspired by your journey, what you've been able to accomplish over the past uh fuck, 29 years now, I guess. We're about the same age, right?

The Crash And Realizing Paralysis

SPEAKER_02 1:23

And you know, first question, obviously, everyone likes to ask the stereotypical ones, but take me to June 12th, 2022. What's the last thing you remember? I know you remember the entire process other than being KO'd for 50 seconds, but give me the rundown uh for those listening who don't necessarily know your story.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yeah, for sure. So I uh I was 24 years old when I got hurt. I raced motocross and supercross professionally all over Canada and the US. And, you know, when COVID hit, it was kind of racing went to the wayside a little bit just because the whole world shut down. And then everything was kind of getting back going again, and I found the love for racing again. And so I was I was doing the Canadian Nationals, and it was round two of the triple crown series, and that it didn't end the way I wanted it to. But it was it was all in all great. You know, I I have an amazing life now, one door closed and many more opened. But kind of going back to that day, as you said, the last thing that I remember, it luckily for me, I remember everything. I I'm now a T6 paraplegic, but a lot of people when they have a spinal cord injury, they kind of black out for like a couple days just because it's such a traumatic hit. And luckily for me, like wearing the proper protective gear with with my helmet really saved my head. Shout out to Troile Designs for that. And, you know, when I woke up, like you said, 50 seconds after being knocked out, I just remember everyone coming up and saying he's not moving, he's not moving. And then we start performing all the medical tests with the ambulance and the medics and stuff like that. And you know, after about 10 minutes of being on the ground and everything, it I just finally looked up at the sky and started crying because I I knew after doing certain tests that I was paralyzed. I couldn't move my legs or wiggle my toes, all the things that they're asking me to do. And I know I'm no doctor or anything like that, but when I'm when I'm hearing certain things on the radio and they're calling stars ambulance, I'm I'm thinking, okay, this is this is a lot worse than than just going to the hospital for a quick little bone break. So that's kind of how that day wrapped up.

Golf As Escape And New Challenge

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Dude, I know you're not defined by it from ruts to fairways. I'm someone who's featured guys like Chris Cook on the podcast, who's also a Kelowna native, who inspires me every single day with with what he's capable of doing. Before we get into any of it, when you tee off now and stripe one down the middle, does it feel like the same game you played at 13 or is it a completely different sport?

SPEAKER_01 4:00

It's a completely different sport. Yeah. It you know, when I first started playing, I was I started playing golf because I was living down in California and training with motocross and everything like that, and I wanted something to do on the side. And golf was kind of like the escape. I went to a little sport chalet when they had it open still and bought like this Wilson set of clubs for like 500 bucks. It was not a great set of clubs, but you know, my game at that point was I was just I was taking advice from everyone, and now it's funny, like people take advice from me, even though I golf with one arm, they can see the game that I have, and they're always like, hey, like if you're seeing something, feel free to chime in. And you know, I was I was that person then, so yeah, totally different game, and even a totally different game from you know how I played right before my injury. You know, I I was as I was as low as a four handicap, but I didn't play consistently all the time. Like I wasn't playing as much as I am now, you know. Back then, my I could I could carry the ball 280, 290 yards, where where now I carry the ball, you know, 150, 160. So totally different game, but now it's a lot more consistent, and the game's just so much more well-rounded.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Motocross and golf, those typically don't overlap. What did one give you that the other didn't?

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Man, it's funny you say that because like so many motocross racers golf now. And really, because of gypsy tails or what? No, I don't think it's because of that. I think it's just like the the escape from having like such a high adrenaline sport to something that's like so much less, but at the same time, it's still so mental. It's one of those things where and and you and motocross racers like we're always I feel like we're always trying to like find perfection. And with golf, it's like you're always trying to find perfection. I mean, everyone's swing is so different, so no no one is perfect when it comes to it, and kind of like racing, like there's not there's not one racer that is absolutely perfect, you know. There's there's racers that other racers look up to and want to try and match their style or match what they're doing on the bike, and it's no different with with golf. Like there's so many people that you know they want to have the swing of Rory McElroy or Scotty Scheffler or something like that, where I mean Scotty's footwork's wild, but they they're always they're always trying to just better themselves. But for me, you know, I just I loved golf with racing because it was my escape, but it still gave me like that competitive nature where like I was always striving to to beat my score. Just like with racing, you're striving to beat your lap time. And then also it's just like so mental. It you have to really like learn to let shots go, and that's something that I've not always been great at. You and me both are that hole. You you start out par par, and then you throw throw one in the water and you and you get a double, and then it's like you gotta shake that off. Where it's just like you know, with racing, you you have you have a bad lap or you go down a couple times or something like that, and you gotta shake it off coming into the next lap. So there's just there's a lot of similarities that a lot of people don't ever think of.

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Not not necessarily service level similarities, but down under in the ruts, right? And in the fairways, dude. Uh you you mentioned seeing the game, you being able to play, you're still playing, obviously, at a North American level, competing on the world stage, you're on golf channel, no big deal. It is insane to think that you were a four-handicap at 24 years old, and you are now still playing the game that you love to play with one hand.

Learning One-Handed Golf Mechanics

SPEAKER_02 8:08

I might add, as a golfer myself, usually if people are gonna hit one-handed, they use the lead hand because that way they have a bit more control. You've got that left hand locked in on your three-wheeled. Uh, what what's the the exact term? I don't want to screw it up. It's called a paragolfer. It's a paragolfer. Okay. So that paragolfer, honestly, legit unit, first off. I know that that was something that maybe I'll let you dive into who was able to coordinate that for you, but like that left hand locked in, the fact that you're able to consistently put that ball in play is absolutely absurd. Like, I have to start there too, because people can struggle breaking a hundred normally with all of their limbs under function. You're doing it with literally one arm. How were you able to do this? Like, what was the thought process? How did you like break it down to get to this point?

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yeah, so it kind of goes back again to when I was racing. You know, with with racing, there comes a lot of injuries. And I've I've had both collarbones broken multiple times, you know, shoulder blades broken. So being a golfer at the time when I'm hurt and there's nothing to do, I want to golf. So if if usually it was the left shoulder that was that was broken a couple more times. So I always had to then golf with my right hand. And that's just how I'm doing it now. So I've actually, even before being paralyzed, I would golf one-handed if I if I had an injury. There was a couple times, one of the times I ended up using my left arm, so kind of like the the lead hand, like you were saying. But yeah, I've I golfed more one-handed if I was injured than with my right arm than I did with my left. And then there was even one year where I tore my ACL, MCL, meniscus on my left leg, and I golfed one-legged. Like I sat and I stood on one leg. Like I've I've always found ways to just want to golf. And with any injury, and so that's why when this happened, I was just like, there it's a no-brainer. Like I love golf so much, and I'm not giving up this sport. So yeah, I I thought about going with the lead hand, but it was just way too hard for me not having my core. I couldn't get any rotation coming through. Where now, like you say, how I'm holding on to my handle with my with my left arm, I actually can use that that leverage. And when I'm coming through on my downswing, I can pull myself in and it kind of ignites the hips a little bit. Even though I am strapped in, my hips only move like that much. But it's enough to kind of like I can come through, but I can also work the ball a little bit more that way as well. Because if I do need to hit a draw, you know, I can I can really make sure that I come like inside to out, or if I need to hit a fade, I can do certain things. And it's it's just I I found that it was a lot more workable being my right arm and being my strong arm.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Yeah, no, I mean, obviously, freaking phenomenal work. Kudos to you for being able to come up with that and to probably compete on the golf course with some guys that I can imagine get pretty frustrated when you're slotting it down the middle as uh Sean C69 would say, eh.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

Yeah, yeah, it's it's fun. It is it is pretty funny when when some of the people get get a little bit discouraged, but I mean I also gotta gotta watch at times because you know, I'm mad if I shoot if I shoot 80. Like I'm if I'm not in the 70s, I'm not happy. And you know, you're you're playing with some people that like they're the best they can do is like mid 80s, and they're like on a high, and I'm mad at certain shots, and even though it's in the middle of the fairway, it's just it came off the face wrong, or I, you know, I thinned it a little bit, but it was a good miss. And you know, I'm mad at the shot, but it works out, and they're over there saying like uh I would die to be in the middle of the fairway, and I'm like, I yeah, I gotta quit being so hard on myself.

SPEAKER_02 12:19

It's the toughest sport in that regard because there's always room for improvement, right? You know, that little ball didn't go in the hole off that T-box, so you still got room for improvement. Um but tip typically that ball's coming off that face pretty solid every time with those PXG clubs, I imagine, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Oh man, it's been such a game changer since linking up with PXG. Like, I easily gained like 10 to 15 yards per club. Like last year, before I before I got my full set of PXG clubs this year, I was I was down in Arizona and Palm Springs in December. And you know, if I needed to carry the ball 90 yards, I was hitting a seven iron where I went down back to California to visit my parents in February, and I had all my brand new PXG Gen 8 irons, the lightning driver heads, and all that kind of stuff. And I was I was carrying my pitching wedge 90 yards. Nice. It's such a game. Like I I honestly barely pull my seven iron now. And Sheldon, my fitter, he he even said he was like, because I wanted a six iron. I was like, hey, I need a six iron in the bag as well, because on t-shots, like I want something that I I can carry, you know, 115 yards or something like that. And he's like, I I don't think you're gonna need a six iron, but like we'll get you one. And it turns out like I I didn't need the six iron. Like I I feel terrible because like I actually it's sitting in my house, it's not even in my golf bag right now. Because I like I can carry my eight iron off the T on par threes, like a hundred and hundred and ten, hundred and fourteen yards. So like it's just it's crazy. The the technology and the way that the clubs are made, it's been it's been a game changer. Like I can fully say like I play golf way differently now than I did last year because I can actually be driver iron into greens instead of driver seven wood, right? Like, so now I'm getting now I'm getting clubs, because even last year, like with rollout on my driver, I would kind of get to like that 150, 160 mark. Now I carry the ball 150, 160, and it rolls out to 175 to 190, like depending on the the contour and how firm the fairways are. So it's just I I I say it every time to my dad when we're out golfing. I'm like, man, like it's such a different game this year. Like it's so much more fun because this is how golf is supposed to be played at a certain level. Like, you should always be like driver iron into a green. You should never be on a par four that's 300 yards being driver seven wood, right? Like so now it's just it's such such a good game. It's so much more fun.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Shout out to Sheldon Slonski for setting you up in the PXG squad, eh?

SPEAKER_01 15:25

100%. Shout out to Sheldon, shout out to Christine, everyone. It's it's amazing. Now, now I just hope to when I'm down in Arizona, be able to check out the headquarters.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Right. I know I I remember hearing on one of your previous episodes uh you were only 30 minutes away, weren't able to do it. Maybe we'll coordinate something this summer, get down there. I know you were just at Predator yesterday, but we'll we'll have to do a little mini version of the the fairway uh long drive tour this year for those who weren't involved. We tried to get Yelte last year, me and Cal, but not successful. It sounds like it might happen in a couple weeks up there. We just got to find a course that's willing to host us. Maybe we'll hit up Predator, Sagebrush, Tobiano, who knows? We'll see who's uh comes knocking. Hey, what's the best offer?

SPEAKER_01 16:04

There we go. Exactly. I mean, there's there's lots of places, lots of lots of good spots in the area, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

It uh you are in a hotbed up there in the interior. I I do uh I do have to shout out the fact that birdie juice, because you know, you're making more birdies with the PXG clubs. So obviously you got circles on the scorecard. We actually just announced that this became the official flavored vodka for PGA Canada. It's the official celebration shot. So we might have to we might have to crack a bottle of that up in Kelowna too while you're there. Summerlin more specifically, you know, just as a way to celebrate with the boys because birdies don't happen often, but when they do, you gotta cherish them, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:44

You gotta you gotta celebrate them. I it's quite funny. I I'm not much of a drinker, but so the one guy that I always play with, he's not a drinker either, and he always he's got birdie mints. So every every time that's we get a birdie, he he cracks open his bag of mints and he starts passing out passing out mints. So it's it's pretty funny. It's uh it's a good little good little ritual we got going on. So we might have to get like do some sort of like flavored mint or something like that for the yeah, that I like that.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

It's a good way to stay fresh on the course, hey? I love that. I love that. I love that. I'm not a big drinker either myself, but the golf degenerates out there are crazy consumers of alcohol. So you got to cater to the fans. And hey, when you're out there with some athletes, you know, they like to get after it. You gotta make sure you have something there to support. But no, I I'm I'm fired up. We're gonna be crushing some mints. What's the flavor of mint your go-to? What would it be?

SPEAKER_01 17:36

I'm just I'm a mint guy, man. I uh everything, everything that I that I do is mint, gum, all that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Dentist visit, fluoride, all that fun stuff.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Yeah, 100%. Gotta gotta rock the mint zinners too.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

It's uh Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You got the lip pillows in there. Those don't hurt the game typically. It's either one way or the other. It either turns things around or turns things down, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:01

For me, it always it always turns it up. We're we're if we don't got the the lip pillows in, we're we're a little bit more antsy on the course. So you always got to throw one of them in and it kind of relaxes you a bit.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

Yeah, it dials you in a little bit of focus, focus for the for the folks out there on the green stuff, like what we got behind me here.

Rehab Spark And Adaptive Gear Costs

SPEAKER_02 18:21

I do have to ask though, like we just talked about all this. You have continued to be able to play the sport that you love. I do have to ask though, was there ever a moment in those first weeks in Calgary where you thought, I'll never play this game again? Or did you know from day one you'd find a way back?

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Honestly, the first couple weeks I didn't really think of anything other than just like trying to trying to get as like my body the best that it can be. But then it was it was more when I got to GF Strong in Vancouver. I was like rolling down the the hallway going to rehab and physio, and I looked up on the wall and I saw that they had this picture of someone golfing in a paragolfer. And I was like, hey, like you can still golf. Like this is this is unreal because I'm thinking, like, okay, how how am I gonna golf? Like, I can't stand up. I need like it's not like I can get someone to roll me around in a standing frame, and every time I want to hit, like, all right, let's pump ourselves up and stand up and hit the ball. And so I saw that thing, and I immediately started like googling to figure out what it was, and but then I saw the price tag of it, and I'm like, god damn, like gonna have to freaking take out a line of credit to buy one of these things, and but no, it was it's just it's crazy how expensive adaptive equipment is. Like a brand new, they don't have the paragolpher anymore, it's called a para motion. Okay, um, they have the para motion and then they have a verticat. And like brand new Canadian, it's like 40 to 45 grand. Like, oh my gosh. Yeah, that's a new vehicle, like for most people. Yeah, that's that's a down payment and not in Vancouver, but yeah. Yeah, definitely not in Vancouver, maybe Alberta or Saskatchewan or something where people don't really want to be anymore. But yeah, so then we I kind of scratched that idea, and I was like, you know what? Like, I'm gonna figure out a different way. And I was talking to a couple guys down in California, one of them, he's in the Motocross Hall of Fame, David Bailey. Him and him and Mike Young with Road to Recovery, they they were telling me how they golf, and they're like, hey, we just golf in our wheelchairs. Like it's the the paragolfer being a T6, you know, like you're a little bit floppy at the top. And so immediately I was just like, okay, well, these guys know what they're talking about. I'm gonna just golf in my wheelchair. So the first year, I that's what I did. I just I cut clubs, I I bent them until they broke, and then I got them welded, and so that I had the proper lie angle. And that's actually the first that's when I first ever reached out to someone with PXG. Because I I was like, hey, I know they do a lot of specialty work, so I'm gonna see if they can make a club that's a flat enough lie for me. Because there is a company out there that made like seated clubs, but as a golfer, like when you look at a club, if you don't like the look of it, you're not gonna hit it well. Like, I don't care. It could be it could be Tiger Woods Club, but if you don't like the way that that one looks, it's just it's not gonna work for you. So that's when I went and I just went to like a little driving range, and they had they had a bunch of old like used clubs and stuff, and I just picked up some clubs for like I think it was a hundred bucks or something like that. Took them to golf town, immediately just got them to bend them till they cracked, and I sat in my chair and kind of looked at the lie angle. We cut them, and that was that was how I played. I played with a full length driver still, so that I had. as much leverage as possible and you know I I knew that I wanted to compete once I started playing because it's just I've been a competitor my whole life like that's in my blood and it was it was my dad he was like dude you gotta like you got you got a game so like we gotta get you in a tournament or something and so I started calling some places and they're like yeah like what do you use to golf in I'm like well my wheelchair they're like no you're you're not you're not golfing in your wheelchair like you have to have one of these machines so then then that's kind of when I started sourcing out to figure out if where I could try one of the machines before I you know go and spend $25,000 on a used one and so yeah once I once I got using one I I loved it I was I was hitting the ball well and yeah then then kind of rested history now we're now we're here how much did Guadalajara help with that process for those listening who are interested in potential other modalities to help in the recovery process?

Stimulation Therapy And Building Power

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Yeah so when I was in Guadalajara for the you know the epidural stimulation it was it's been such a help I I do my like with that spinal cord stimulator it's given me the ability to still use muscles in my legs and maintain muscle in my legs in my in my core in my back like my lower back where I can't really work on those muscles and I don't use everything to the potential that it that it has like the main one that I always use is like I sit in my chair and I do leg extensions. So it really builds my my quads and I don't actually use the stimulator when I'm golfing just because it would kind of work against me a little bit like it wouldn't it would contract rather than let me be free. But having having my legs keep the muscle tone and building muscle and everything has just helped my body in an overall health aspect and like I can't say enough good about it. They're super supportive they they said you know when I left like hey we might have to do some remapping down the road and I haven't had to do anything. I haven't had to contact them about anything like the the whole team there was just absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Love to hear that obviously it's something that I I don't like to be focusing on this but it's important for people to know what's out there available to them and also like hey you're proving every single day what you're capable of doing despite this and like most amateurs out there believe and talk about the lower body driving the swing and for sure there's power generated there but you've had to rebuild yours from the ground up and what's that taught you about where power actually comes from yeah it obviously like if I could bring my hips into it it would be like I'd be able to hit the ball a lot further.

SPEAKER_01 25:07

Even if I could have my core it would bring bring a lot more distance to it. Like you look at you look at Max that he's the number one seeded player in the world he swings with two arms but he's I think he's paralyzed at like T12. So he's like right down at the waist and so he has his core so when he is able to come through like there's such a massive difference him his carry yardage I I think he can get up to like 230 yards carry where I'm getting 150 yards carry. So even where my ball is finishing on a rollout he's carrying that but you know everyone it's no different than on like a normal tour in a sense like there's there's big hitters and then there's hitters that are much shorter that you know they got to rely on their the other parts of their game so you know it's not always easy when when you know I would have driver driver nine iron or something like that and he's got driver 60 degree like just a little chip shot in but hey it's it's all part of the game and everyone everyone has their own own struggles and battles and they all find a way to get it done. What's your biggest strength in the game of golf I would say my chipping yeah yeah like I I mean I drive the ball like I I'm very overall consistent like off the T usually usually my driver doesn't get me in trouble. But then so jealous of that yeah I I mean I I love it I I was like that before my injury too I always had like just like a either a straight bullet or else like a little baby draw and like I absolutely loved it. That was like the maximized distance that I could get and then so then now I still I still love the the the right to left ball flight like it's just shaping the ball that way it makes me happy but you know if I if I do have to hit like a little bit of a high leaky fade like I'm okay with it. But yeah like off the T I'm consistent my iron play has gotten a lot more consistent this year. I I am gonna have to say that the clubs have helped me on that but then yeah with my with my wedges again PXG sugar daddy wedges unreal those things got some nip to them and every time that I'm greenside like I I'm going for the hole like I'm not yeah I'm not going to to get it within like six feet. I'm I'm hoping for it either to go in the hole or it's a tap in part.

SPEAKER_02 27:46

So that's uh that's probably one of my one of my greatest strengths now and before my injury it's something like 60 70% of the shots that you take are inside that hundred yards so for you if you're dialed there and that's where most amateurs pros for that matter everyone wishes they could be better. I I didn't ask what does that gear setup look like obviously like we talked about adaptive golf underserved market PXG being able to put together like the best forged clubs on the market. What does your lie look like what is that like what is the setup if you don't mind me asking yeah so everything is like the lie the lie angle and everything is just standard.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Oh okay but I I am a half inch shorter than men's so yeah it's a half inch shorter than men's length and a half inch longer than women's so I'm right in the middle. Last year I was women's length so it was a full inch shorter and it's insane how much difference that is like is like when I first started playing them it was a little bit difficult to get used to like especially when you get up to kind of like the eight and seven iron it was just like oh man these are a lot longer but now it's now I I love it. And that is another reason why I think you know I gained a little bit more yardage but it's also the shafts and the heads like the the whole combo that we have is just incredible and yeah again can't thank them enough.

SPEAKER_02 29:16

Dude the Gen 8s are insane I I really almost scrug struggle now on the course because I haven't been playing enough to know my yardages and like you're saying it's like 10 15 yards increase on every club and I'm like yo I shouldn't be hitting my nine iron this far but it's happening and like I was like you really know I'm like yeah yeah I I didn't actually think I hit it that good but it the ball is just flying off the club face. So yeah kudos to PXG and what they've continued to put out the lightning driver's absurd too like you said 15 plus yards hey you're gonna be up to cat catching up to max there in no time I'm sure with the way the technology's increasing.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Yeah hopefully that would that would be nice but yeah and then it's just having the like the different variation like I you know I got a five wood in the bag this year which I didn't have last year and at the end of the year I got the the secret weapon mini driver and nice like I love that thing as well like there's so many so many times where you know my my mini driver and my my driver aren't too far off when it comes to like distances and I find like if I'm struggling with my driver a little bit like I have total confidence in my mini driver that I can pull that and it'll be like a perfect slight baby draw down the middle of the fairway and it'll roll out. So again like it's just having the confidence in your clubs is such a huge key to the game.

Influences And Staying Competitive

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Have other keys to the game include kind of emulating others on the golf course is there specific athletes that you looked up to or that you watch you're like yeah I want to ball like Rory or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Yeah I mean I love Ricky Ricky Fowler he being He was our generation man the orange being a moto guy like when I was when I was younger too like I I just chopped the mop off but you know I I had long hair and uh you know he was always rocking the long hair he had sick style on the course like it's still like that's you look at him on Sundays now like the other Sunday he's wearing all orange like he's he's the bright guy on the course and it's just you know it sucks that he went through a bit of a struggle time and but like his game's trending again and I just I love his style I love his game he's got such a nice swing and but then obviously there's like the Scotties and Rory's you know Tommy Fleetwood they're all they're all beauties. All of them have like such a different part of their game that like is so incredible to watch I'm also a big fan of Brooks. Like I just love his I love his attitude like he's just kind of like a don't give a shit attitude and goes out and does his thing and if people don't like him he doesn't really care.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

100% yeah and you gotta have that kind of swagger that kind of gusto when you're playing at the top and you know I'm sure Tiger was like that when he won every tournament between 97 and 08 you know you talk about Tommy Fleawood he just signed with like BlackRock too as his sponsor something crazy I think I'm if I'm not mistaken which was crazy because he had some apparel he was like a no name didn't have any brand sponsorships for the longest time and then just signed with some huge PE firm which is a little bit of a left field curveball but you know we'll go with it. The uh the Ricky though man I I grew up playing golf with Kevin Smith his dad was a Cobra Puma rep and Kevin would always have the freshest gear he hooked up our high school team actually and dude Ricky it's weird to see Ricky now as like you know one of the elder statesmen on the PGA tour because obviously you and I grew up watching him and he was the young guy the fun guy like it's wild I've obviously you know in every sport everyone ages but I really really appreciate Ricky and everything that he's done even a guy like Gary Woodland who's come back after like years again incredible. Right? Like those those stories need to be highlighted more so that people are aware of the fact that you're not going to be at the pinnacle of success for 20 straight years.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Sometimes there's gonna be pitfalls and there's going to be ups and downs along the way right yeah no for sure another one that like I I love is Justin Thomas he's just it he's he's so good. Just the whole that whole trio Justin Thomas Ricky Fowler and Jordan Spieth you know I feel like speet has a struggles more than more than the others but I just love how animated he is on the course and you know it I I will say that's kind of how I am on a course like I hit a shot and sometimes like before I even like right after it hits the club face I start like I'm saying something like oh you idiot or just I'm such a hard person to please like when it comes to the game of golf.

SPEAKER_02 34:04

I'm always so hard on myself I've been like that with every sport my whole life it's it comes to individuals like us naturally because we expect excellence. We've played the game at a high level previously so you expect that or better every single time you step on that turf and it's just frankly not feasible most of the time but our mind is ingrained to achieve excellence every single day. So I know exactly how you're feeling man I can attest to also being a little animated on the golf course as someone who is easily frustrated if I don't hit the ideal shot. People on the long drive tour can attest to that last year. You'll probably see it in a few weeks up there in the interior but man like all in all I've got one kind of couple more hard hitting questions. I always like to give my guests an opportunity to highlight people that have worked with them along the way I know in a previous podcast you said like every person that some way shape or form has impacted you similar to how every person who's come on the athletes podcast over the last six and a half years has impacted me in some way but for you in particular I feel like you know this has been a transitional

Why Golf Won Over Other Sports

SPEAKER_02 35:12

journey. You've competed am I right in also saying you've competed in parasurfing wheelchair basketball adaptive golf like why did why did golf win out also over those other sports?

SPEAKER_01 35:23

I'm not a I'm not a team sport person. I being racing motocross it just that was I'm not I don't like relying on other people I know with with parasurfing it's not relying on other people but the thing with parasurfing was I got reclassified and I got put in a classification with like people that can actually walk so in and like when you gotta paddle yourself into a wave and paddle yourself out it's very difficult when you have a quarter of your body. Yeah the first year that I competed with parasurfing I I had like an aide that came with me he like he had flippers on he pushed me out got me out past the break and then we would turn around and he would basically say like hey this is a bomb like you're gonna I'm gonna push you and you're gonna go right and so he would like give me a little assisted push and then all I'd have to do is just like drop into the wave whatever way that I'm going and like he was he was the brains to it all. He's like hey this is this this wave's breaking right this wave's breaking left like turn right go now and like it was great like I didn't I would do like a couple little like paddles just to like get in it and then grab the handles and just like duck into the barrel. But so then when the next year came and I got reclassified it was just like okay well you know I'm not gonna I'm not gonna spend this money and go to these go to these events and barely get a wave because I'm trying to paddle my ass into it like and then you look over and you know and like kudos to them. Like they're that's just the way the classifications happen sometimes. Some people win some people lose but when you're up against people that like they have cerebral palsy but they can fully walk like they have all their core they have their muscles and it's just they have that stability. So that's kind of why like I I didn't choose to keep going with parasurfing. I do it for fun like at home do a lot of wake surfing and in the lake and stuff like that. But yeah and then with wheelchair basketball it was just like it's a team sport I'm not huge on that and also like being a higher injury I I'm not the I'm not the shooter. Like I'm more of a defensive guy. And you're kind of like you're on the bench well I mean you're in your chair on the sidelines you know I guess you're not riding the pine but uh yeah you're on the sidelines more than you're than you're in the actual game. So I was like that's that's not gonna happen. And then well also when I was in the in the hospital and stuff I was like okay like I'm gonna I'm gonna make I I want to make it to the Paralympics. Like that's what I want. That's my goal. And but then you go online and you start like searching what sports are in the Paralympics and you're seeing all these sports and you're trying to like you're trying to convince yourself okay I want to do this like this is what I'm gonna put my heart and soul into and at the end of the day like I don't care about any of those sports. That's like that's not my passion. My passion's golf and you know luckily like adaptive golf is just on a massive rise right now and there's some incredible people behind the scenes that are that are doing all the work to get these tournaments to where they're at and you know one day if if they apply again and they do get into the Paralympics then shit that's awesome. Like I hope to make it I hope to I hope to Canada but you know I'm not gonna I'm not gonna force myself to like a sport just to go be underneath those rings. Yeah yeah yeah no it makes total sense the I guess it leads into like what do you want adaptive athletes 10 years from now to take for granted that you've had to fight for oh just the I I mean I would like to see like prices come down on things like I would just like to see like more people get the opportunity to try things and like I feel like that's such a hard question for me to answer because like I see so many of the the people at these tournaments that are much older than I am and you know you hear their stories of like the things that they had to go without that like we get nowadays and but then you know in 20 years I'm gonna be saying that about the new stuff that comes out as well. I'm gonna say oh man like I wish I had that like look how easy this is and blah blah blah. But you know you you deal with what you're living with and I I think I got it pretty damn good. So I I'm I'm not I'm not complaining too hard.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

One of the things I really appreciate you Brock is your perspective like basically every interview show clip that I've seen you've got an incredibly positive perspective. So keep putting that out there for the world to hear listen to I think it it's probably worthwhile asking you your perspective on like if a 17 year old kid who had just had a life changing accident is listening to this right now what do you need them to hear

Mindset Advice After Life Changes

SPEAKER_02 40:35

from you? Not from a doctor not from a parent but from another athlete I think the biggest thing is just like mindset.

SPEAKER_01 40:42

That's like I always say that to people that's the biggest thing like it comes down to your attitude. You know you can you can say poor me all you want but like at the end of the day this is what life is giving you like it sucks sure like it's shitty some days but you know what like you're still living you still got like you still got family like you still got people to love you like I I was so fortunate like my parents and I like we're all just a such a tight knit group like we're so supportive of each other but yeah it just comes down to mindset like try and there's not not every day is gonna be roses but you know try and make the best out of every day and like I have bad days. Everyone's got bad days people that don't have anything physically wrong with them have bad days. And it's just how do you overcome those bad days and just you know be grateful for what you still have because 24 year old me I took for granted the fact of just hopping out of bed and being ready in 15 minutes. Like now it's like an hour and a half until I'm done everything and like can actually get out the door like it's it's a long procedure or a long routine and it's just like those are the things that you take for granted that you don't realize and even just like I forget something in my truck and I'm already out of my truck and I'm in my chair and it's somewhere where I can't reach like it's in my console. And I'm just like you gotta be kidding me like now I gotta hop my ass back up into my truck just to get this and where before it's just like you just open the door you reach in you grab it because you're standing and like those are all the things that like I took for granted but yeah going back to just like what do you say to someone that just got injured I think it's just just mindset. Just try and try and have that positive mindset look at a look at the good and you know it's it's gonna get easier. That's what I always say to someone that is paralyzed just for the first time or has like a life altering injury you're gonna adapt. You're gonna overcome all the stuff that's hard and it's gonna become easier every day you do it.

SPEAKER_02 43:06

Man we could end it right there. Those are some amazing words for those who are listening if you're not moved by this you should be freak you know check check your pulse I do a little thing now that I'm gonna start trying to do more consistently here Brock calling it the 60 second Stark show where I just rapid fire you a bunch of questions over 60 seconds whatever we fit in great whatever we don't we don't it's pretty off the cuff one hitters but you ready for it?

Rapid Fire Favorites And Final Advice

SPEAKER_02 43:31

Sure. I'll I'll keep it short as possible. Heck yeah best course you've ever played Woodmont Country Club best driver you've ever hit the PXG Lightning favorite hockey team Edmonton Oilers do I look like Connor McDavid the number you'll shoot in the next year that you'll be happy with Seventy.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

At the turn. If I'm happy with I would love to just shoot an even par more than once a year.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

Okay, end of May. We're doing it. We'll we'll figure it out. Sagebrush, Predator Ridge, we'll get we'll make it happen. Pre-round meal.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

What are you eating? Pre-round meal. Probably just a turkey sandwich. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 44:27

Are you getting a sandwich at the turn or a hot dog? Sandwich. No hot dog. You don't like the meat missiles, eh? Fairway beer or birdie juice? I would probably go with the birdie juice. Nice. Mango 20%. You have more than one. And then one athlete, any sport that you want on this podcast next.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

Let's go. Oh man, that's such a hard one.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

Get get Jimmy the kid. Get Andrew Austin.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:08

Have you had him yet?

SPEAKER_02 45:09

No. Why?

SPEAKER_01 45:10

Why do I have him? Give me some dirt. He's just, he's such a he's kind of he's like me in a sense. He's got such a good positive attitude. He's he's a single, he's got he's amputated on the on the arm. He's he goes by the favorite one-armed golfer on Instagram. And you know, he's just I met him last year. He's such a good kid. He's doing amazing things with the game. And yeah, I just I think I think he he's got a lot of perspective. He's a big, big sports guy. He played basketball, he played baseball, he plays golf. Like he he was a pitcher in baseball with one arm. Like you gotta throw and then quickly get that glove on. Like in playing basketball, he's I think he's I think he'd have a good story.

SPEAKER_02 45:54

All right, on it. We're making it happen. You heard it here first, dropping it, Brock Littner. Appreciate you, man. Sincerely, the way we wrap up every episode, and I feel like you've dropped like 47 and a half minutes of pure gold here and probably answered this already. But our biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes, I always ask our guests at the end of each conversation what it would be. So the floor is yours, brother.

SPEAKER_01 46:16

Oh man, just yeah, don't don't take things for granted. Always always give it your all 110% effort every time. Do it for a purpose. If you're not loving what you're doing, don't do it. Don't waste people's time. And yeah, go out there and be the best you can every day and take uh take the good with the bad.

SPEAKER_02 46:38

Dude, you're a shining example of that. I really sincerely appreciate your time. I'm very excited for us to get out on the course. Hopefully, you can teach me a thing or two about how to keep it in the fairway because I might hit it a little bit longer, but it's going longer into the woods. So I'll be leaning on Brock Littner for the insights, knowledge, and expertise on how to stay in the fairway. But uh really appreciate your time, man. Thank you for coming on the show.

SPEAKER_01 46:59

100%. Thank you so much. And when you get down here, we'll have to get you a lit golf hat.

SPEAKER_02 47:04

Love it. Let's go. That's the pod. Thanks, boys and girls. Hope you have a great rest of your week. Bye.