In his rookie year, Jesse Florkowski went from being sixth best to first out of eight golfers on his college team. That is no easy feat for any golfer, but it’s even more remarkable because Florkowski was born without his right arm.

The native of Medicine Hat, Alta., took up golf at the age of 4 at the insistence of his grandparents, both avid golfers.

Besides his grandparents, he’s only ever had one coach. He also taught himself some of what he knows by trial and error. The affable 22-year-old admitted his may not be the method most conducive to learning the proper technique.

“With the results and being on the golf team, I guess you can say I’m doing a pretty good job,” he said with a laugh.

Florkowski and the Medicine Hat College Rattlers are in Oshawa for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national golf championship, hosted by Durham College and taking place at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club.

On Wednesday, Florkowski shot an 85, a “terrible” score in his opinion. He usually posts scores in the 70s.

Rattlers coach Trevor Moore first met Florkowski when he was coaching at Medicine Hat’s Notre Dame Academy, where Florkowski attended middle school. Moore remembers his pupil as a boy who never saw himself as different.

“That was the thing that struck me right away, was that there was certainly no limitation to him in his mind, and he would tackle problems as they came along like everybody else did,” he said.

The two were reunited this year at Medicine Hat College. Moore insists that Florkowski’s problems are no different than the problems of other golfers.

“The whole body is moving exactly the way it would if there was one arm or two. So it’s just another connecting point to the club is all that second arm is. It doesn’t change how he swings it or how he moves it at all,” he said.

Teammate Brett Griscowsky first saw Florkowski golf when he was 8 years old. Griscowsky said he was a teenager before he fully grasped just how good his friend was. And though Florkowski is a quiet guy, Griscowsky says he still sets an example for his team.

“He doesn’t have to go and preach to anybody how they should do something . . . he just goes out there and plays golf,” 19-year-old Griscowsky said.

Florkowski has played and won numerous tournaments for amputees in Canada. This summer, he finished fifth out of 120, and first in his division, at an international tournament in Indianapolis.

Florkowski said he was approached by the North American One-Armed Golfer Association and he has added their tournament, which features golfers from Canada and the United States, to his calendar of events for next year.

He’s planning on studying golf management at MacEwan University in Edmonton next fall, but isn’t ruling out a professional career once he completes his studies.

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While on the links, the comments he gets from other golfers are overwhelmingly positive. And the ever-focused Florkowski has no problem with being interrupted.

“I don’t mind it, because when they do that it’ll inspire me to go out there and do the best I can so that more people can see that you can accomplish anything.”