Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, holds a bucket full of range balls while practicing at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022, Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident, he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
We make our way to the Valley View driving range to finish our interview. Max drives his Vertacat cart to the tee, dumps out a bucket of range balls and begins his practice routine. His swing is all arms, of course, but it remains a solid, technically sound golf swing full of power. Since the accident, Max’s upper body has only gotten stronger. He might not drive the ball 300-plus yards like he once did, but he’s consistently at 230 yards.
After hitting a variety of shots with uncanny accuracy, he eventually comes back to the question about rewriting history.
If he could return to Feb. 19, 2022, what would he do?
“You know,” he says, “I don’t think I’d change anything if I went back. I think I’d still have the accident, because it’s made me grow so much as a person. Before, I was just focused on golf, and nothing else really. I wasn’t as close with my family, I was still close but not as close as I am now, and I didn’t have the perspective that I now have that everything’s going to be OK after a bad accident or a trial that happens in your life. I didn’t see that before, because nothing bad happened to me. I’m not saying everyone needs to go through a life-challenging experience to learn that, but I’ve been able to learn that, and I’ve been able to learn a lot about the goodness of people.”
He pauses before teeing up another ball.
“I’m out here right now hitting golf balls,” he says, smiling. “So I really can’t complain about anything.”
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, hits a drive while practicing at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, tees up a ball while practicing at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Stickers adorn Max Togisala’s manual wheelchair at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, looks out over the range after a drive while practicing at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, practices using his VertaCat cart at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, transfers from his manual wheelchair to his VertaCat cart at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Max Togisala, champion adaptive golfer, adjusts the strap on his VertaCat cart while practicing at Valley View Golf Course in Layton on Thursday, July 25, 2024. After a ski accident in 2022 Togisala was paralyzed from the waist down. Since the accident he has gone on to be a two-time champion in the U.S. Adaptive Open Seated Category. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
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Publish date : 2024-08-11 13:55:00
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