Golf crop.JPG

Wounded U.S. Army veteran Rick Yarosh swings the golf club two SUNY Polytechnic Institute students designed for him.

(Photo by Richard Howlett)

U.S. Army Ret. Sgt. Rick Yarosh suffered burns over 60 percent of his body when an IED exploded while he was serving in Iraq in 2006

The 32-year-old Windsor native lost his ears and nose, his leg, his pinkies and parts of other fingers. Yarosh has had a long road to recovery which has included more than 50 surgeries and 100 procedures.

Before he joined the Army, Yarosh had begun playing golf and was getting quite proficient at it. When he lost the use of his fingers and much of the function in both hands, he could no longer play.

That all changed for him Tuesday, when two SUNY Polytechnic Institute students presented him with a golf club specially they designed just for him. The institute in Utica was formerly called SUNYIT.

Nicholas Arbour, of Herkimer, and Adam Peters, of New Hartford, met Yarosh and began working on the golf club in January. They tried various designs and met with Yarosh several times before finding a club that works for him.

"I'm so happy,'' Yarosh said. "I tried the club and I could hit the ball with it quite a distance. Now I can go out with my friends again and play golf. It's an incredible feeling."

Yarosh, who works part-time at the Sitrin Health Care Center and assists with its military rehabilitation program, had searched for an adaptive golf club he could use, but couldn't find any that worked for him.

The club engineered by the two students works using a modified wrist guard that attaches to Yarosh's forearm with Velcro. Two pistons attach to a pair of clamps that then attach to the club itself.

Yarosh then swings the club with his left arm, gripping a handle - which is like a fat Sharpie marker - to help control his swing.

The students studied the golf swings of pro golfers to come up with their design, and made three prototypes using a 3-D printer before making their selection.

After his injuries, Yarosh said he didn't have any sports he could play.

"I used to wrestle and play football, and I like to be competitive,'' he said. "It was another piece of my life that I lost, and these two helped me get that back."

Arbour, one of the students, said he is part of the Air Force ROTC at Syracuse University, and enjoys helping veterans. "We are proud that we could help Rick,'' he said.

The two presented Yarosh with the club at a special ceremony Tuesday at Sitrin Medical Rehabilitation Center in New Hartford.

"We're pleased and proud that Nicholas and Adam were able to turn their classroom learning into a real-world solution," William W. Durgin, SUNY Poly provost, said in a news release. "Their commitment is exemplary, and it sets a fine example of the power of project-based learning that can make such a difference in our community."

The two students received an "A" for their project.

"I would have written to their professor and protested if they didn't get an A,'' Yarosh said. "They worked really hard at this, and it means a lot to me."