The Lightpath Long Island Classic, a senior PGA Tour golf event, opened its gates at the Meadow Brook Club in Jericho on July 24. Gates opened at 8 a.m. and the feature event was a one day Pro-Am.

Tuesday's events focused on the children as a free Junior Clinic was held and featured Dennis Walters. a golfer who is disabled, in the Dennis Walters Golf Show. The show is a one-hour combination of golf mastery and human inspiration and focuses on dreams. Many years ago, Walters was driving an old three-wheel golf cart and was going down a steep hill. The brakes failed and he was thrown out of the cart and dislocated a vertebrae which pinched his spinal cord. He is a T-12 paraplegic which means he has no movement or feeling below his waist.

"My dream was always to be a golfer," said Walters. "I had an accident 25 years ago that left me paralyzed from the waist down and it was looking pretty bleak for my dream. I found there were a lot of things I couldn't do, but there was no way I was giving up playing golf. I use my own experience to encourage all to reach for their dreams. My message is that with hard work and perseverance, you can achieve success at almost anything."

Walters stressed to the audience, comprised of local children sitting on the green and parents watching intensely from the bleachers, that anything is possible. Although most children openly admitted that they have no interest in golf, Walters told them that if you have a good swing you can hit good shots with almost anything. "I prove this theory by hitting precise shots with clubs made from a fishing rod, a crutch, a radiator hose and a cell phone," said Walters. "I also have a club with three universal joints on the shaft and a club with three heads, my 3 iron. I hit shots blindfolded, through fire and while the balls are rolling down a ramp."

The show began with a question and answer period between Walters and the children. Everyone who asked a question, received a golf ball which inspired many hands to be raised. Also, items such as Maxfli golf balls, Jelly Bellies, a Guess watch and a can of Arizona Ice Tea, are given out during the show to further entice audience members to participate.

Next, the opening act was introduced to the crowd - Super Dog Benji Hogan. Benji performed a number of tricks, but most impressive was his ability to correctly answer math problems by barking out the answer. The audience next tried to stump Benji by asking him questions. "How many times does 20 go into 40?" was shouted out from the crowd. Two barks came from Benji indicating the correct answer.

"My favorite golfer is Ben Hogan and since this dog looks like Benji, I decided to name him Benji Hogan," said Walters. "He can tee up a golf ball and bring me a tissue when I sneeze. My dog has also passed a test to be a service dog. This means that he helps me a great deal in my everyday life. It also means that he gets to go with me wherever I go and wherever I stay. He has also made 8 K-Mart commercials. However, most important of all, he is my pal."

Walters showed the children how he golfs sitting down in his custom built Yamaha golf cart. The special swivel seat allows him to re-create a natural golf swing, which makes his cart one of his most important pieces of equipment. When Walters has to putt, he uses leg braces. He locks them in place with the help of crutches, goes on the green and putts one-handed. The same scenario is true in the bunkers.

Walters and Benji perform about 100 shows a year across the country. They made their usual stop in Jericho for the Lightpath Long Island Classic, although they were not here the past few years.

The Lightpath Long Island Classic main event will be taking place on Friday July 28 through Sunday July 30. Seventy-eight Senior PGA Tour professionals will be competing for a $1.5 million purse with $225,000 awarded for first prize. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 1-877-803-7065. Tickets are also available at the gate.