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Mike Hitchcock has been here before.
Published Jan 31, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Stratford’s Michael Hitchcock is gearing up for the Special Olympics golf provincials in Brantford in July. (Cory Smith/Beacon Herald)Article content
Mike Hitchcock has been here before.
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Not just another Special Olympics provincial championship, but the Brantford golf course where he’ll compete in July against Ontario’s top athletes in his Level 5 division. Hitchcock played there last summer, shooting 100 both rounds, and his silver medal performance recently earned him a spot on the Special Olympics’ Southwestern Ontario district team.
“Our community is very proud of Mike,” Special Olympics Stratford and Area co-ordinator Jane Larkworthy said. “Mike is a wonderful ambassador for the city . . . and for our Special Olympics community.”
The 33-year-old, who now lives in Stratford after making a name for himself in St. Marys, called his latest provincial nod an “awesome” opportunity.
And it helps to be familiar with the course.
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“I’ve played it a couple times,” he said after a training session this week. “I’ll play it more when golf season comes.”
But the game never stops for Hitchcock, who spends weekly sessions working on his swing in the Stratford Country Club’s indoor golf simulator once the weather dictates. He plays in the Stratford Municipal Golf Course’s men’s league and with other Special Olympic athletes from spring to fall.
“He would play golf every day of the week if he had an opportunity,” Larkworthy said. “His passion for physical activity has driven him to be really good at a lot of activities. He’s picked up the gauntlet to do this, and he really wants to do well.”
Hitchcock’s determination has taken him to nearly 10 provincial championships in various sports, and he’s qualified for nationals in golf, floor hockey and softball. He’s got the ability and co-ordination to be successful, his caddie said.
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“It’s a matter of putting everything together at one time and slowing things down, getting him more mentally ready so that he’s not necessarily concentrating on hitting the ball as far as he can every time but hitting it to spots,” Ross Snider said. “I’m going to try to guide him along the way.”
While his short game is strong, much of Hitchcock’s training will focus on drives. If he can stay out of trouble off the tee, he’s got a good chance to contend at provincials. That could lead to another spot at nationals, where he finished seventh in his division in 2018.
“He can do anything he puts his mind to,” Larkworthy said. “He has decided he really likes golf, and he works really hard at it. He (was) in there smacking balls . . . and he’s got a big grin on his face . . . and doing the best he can to incorporate what he’s being told to do.”
The reward? Making is back to nationals and, perhaps, the worlds.
“Go out and have fun,” Hitchcock said.
Spoken like someone who has been here before.
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To help cover Hitchcock’s costs for provincials, visit soontar.io/MikeH.
cosmith@postmedia.com
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