I fell in love with golf at the age of 8, when I followed a path that led to Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, N.J. I knew nothing about the game, but I’d heard there was a course not far from my home, and I decided to investigate. As a lover of animals, I was pleasantly surprised when on my walk through the woods to get there I saw a deer, squirrels, a rabbit and heard birds singing, too.

I soon arrived at the 18th tee, just in time to witness a man launch a ball about as far as I could see. As I sat and watched others come through, I became fascinated by the flight of the ball. Later, I told Mom and Dad what I’d seen, and they asked if I’d like to go try to hit some balls myself. The next day, I was formally introduced to golf by the course’s PGA professional, Johnny Alberti.

That day started my lifelong love affair with the greatest game of all. My first golf club was a cut-down Bob Jones driver. All these years later, that club sits in my living room, and I still pick it up and hold it. In 2018, when I received the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award – easily one of the highlights of my career – I brought that club with me as a visual aid during my acceptance speech.

By the time I was 12, I had decided golf would be my life’s work and passion. From then on, my dream was to succeed on the PGA Tour. My life began moving in that direction, and in my senior year of high school, I won three state championships: the state junior, the state public links junior and the state caddie tournament. I received a golf scholarship to North Texas State University, where I played for four years and tied for 11th in the 1971 U.S. Amateur during my senior year. After graduation, I tried to qualify for the PGA Tour and made it to the final stage.

When I missed qualifying, I went to South Africa and gained a lot of experience by playing with world-class players such as Gary Player, the Henning brothers and Peter Oosterhuis, among others. In 1974, I was going to try Q School again when I had an accident that totally changed my life. I was going down a steep hill in an old three-wheel golf cart on a path covered with small blue stones. As I came to a sharp turn, the cart started sliding. That’s all I remember.

I was thrown from the cart and dislocated a vertebra in my back that pinched my spinal cord. Instantly, I became a paraplegic, unable to feel or move anything from my waist down. After four months in the hospital and another four months in rehabilitation, I confronted a doctor, asking if I was ever going to recover. He told me I would never walk again and to forget about playing golf. Many others told me in so many words that if I could not stand up, how could I possibly play golf? All my dreams of becoming a professional golfer were now gone.

Or were they?

With my dad’s never-ending encouragement, I started hitting golf balls from my wheelchair. A friend of mine, Alec Ternyei, cut the legs off a barstool and mounted it on the passenger side of a golf cart. That’s how I got back on the course again.

Naturally, I had to figure out a way to play golf under my changed circumstances. This was extremely difficult. At that time, I hadn’t seen or heard of anyone trying to play with similar challenges.

My new way of hitting the golf ball involved thousands of hours experimenting with my swing, finding the right clubs and trying to cope with the many changes in my new way of life. In one sense, I was elated to be able to hit a ball again. I believed it was great therapy for me, mentally, physically and emotionally – probably far better medicine than any pill I could take. Still, I was conflicted, because I knew that I’d never play as well as I had before the accident. This bothered me a great deal, but I decided not to dwell on that fact, focusing instead on how much better I could get in the future.

I also remembered seeing Paul Hahn Sr. give a trick-shot exhibition when I was a kid. For my own amusement, I started to try some of his shots. In the summer of 1976, I decided to show off what I had learned at a couple of clubs that had held fundraisers for me. I wanted to thank the clubs and show them that I was playing golf again. The trick shots were a big hit, and at the 1977 PGA Merchandise Show, I did my first official performance.

Right from the first show, I told people of my dream to succeed on the PGA Tour. I shared with them how much I loved golf and that almost everyone said it would be impossible for me to ever play again after my accident. At all my shows, I encourage the audience to reach for their dreams, to strive for excellence and to do something positive in their lives that they might think is impossible. I also remind them that if their original dream doesn’t work out, that’s OK, because the solution is simple: “Get a new dream.”

Another of my goals is to prove, with every swing I make, that golf can be a game for everyone. I’m showing people what is possible, not only in golf but in life itself. I hit great golf shots, tell bad jokes, and deliver a universal and uplifting message. As part of every show, I have as my opening act my canine pal, who over the years has always been a rescue. My current dog, Augusta (aka Gussie), is awesome – I’ve even taught him to hit golf shots and answer trivia questions.

During all these years, I’ve been able to give others hope, encouragement and inspiration, and I’ve come to believe these are among life’s most precious gifts. In the last 44 years, I’ve traveled more than 3 million miles and done well over 3,000 performances. What started out as a way for me to cope with a seemingly hopeless situation became a way to help others. I’m especially happy that large numbers of people with disabilities can now experience the joy golf can bring to their lives.

I’m extremely humbled to have received some of the highest honors in golf. In 1978, the Golf Writers Association of America presented me the Ben Hogan Award for my perseverance. In 1994, I became one of only 12 Honorary Lifetime Members of the PGA of America. (Other members include Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, as well as Gary Player and Bob Hope.) The PGA of America also awarded me its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2008. A decade later, I received the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award. My career reached its pinnacle in 2019 when I was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In golf’s long and illustrious history, only LPGA legend Patty Berg and I have won the Ben Hogan Award, the Bob Jones Award, the PGA of America’s Distinguished Service Award, and been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. This is quite an accomplishment for someone who never expected to play golf again.

A documentary about my life, “The Dennis Walters Story: Get a New Dream,” will soon be available for viewing. Spoiler alert: In the end, you should always believe that with enough hard work and perseverance, dreams really can come true.