Philadelphia VA's annual First Swing Golf Clinic held in Marlton
MARLTON, N.J. (CBS) -- It was a beautiful day to hit the links, and in South Jersey, that's exactly what a group of amputee and vision impaired veterans did.
Some – for the first time – learned how to swing a club.
Justin Masellas will be the first to tell you he isn't the greatest golfer.
But he'll remind you -- that doesn't even matter because simply put – he loves the game.
"Sometimes it's nice to just go out and decompress," Masellas said.
Masellas, a Marine veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, has played for years.
Now – as an amputee – he lost his leg to a rocket misfire during a training exercise in 2012.
"It took out my femoral artery, most of my hamstring, so I did femoral popliteal bypass and it saved me, I'm very grateful," Masellas said.
For the last five years, Masellas has come out to the Philadelphia VA's annual First Swing Golf Clinic in Marlton.
This year, more than two dozen veterans from the VA's amputee and low vision clinics came out, too.
"We hold this event in April because it is Limb Loss Awareness month," Tim Llewellyn, an amputee coordinator with the Philadelphia VA, said. "This year's motto from the amputee coalition is inspire to elevate, and I think the veterans are doing a really spectacular job."
VA staff, including physical therapists and golf pros, were also on hand.
Some of the veterans at the range learned how to hit a golf ball for the first time.
"Giving back is something that we're really never going to completely pay back, we're always going to be indebted," Johnny C, a Vietnam Army veteran, said.
Johnny C is one of the PGA golf pros helping at the event. He says there's no place he'd rather be.
"It's not only golf – it's a mental process too and it enriches the lives of veterans," Johnny C said.
Golf will always be a constant in Masellas' life, and safe to say it's the same for the other veterans out on the links alongside him too.
"I don't have a lot of amputee friends, so it's a good chance for me to come and meet new people," Masellas said.
