Following the course of faith

From a president to cowboys to ‘Smuggler’s Lane,’ golfer’s cross-country fundraising adventure has been a frightening and fulfilling experience

Luke Bielawski watches the flight of a shot after hitting his golf ball off railroad tracks in California during the early part of his cross-country adventure. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Two months into his drive to hit a golf ball across the country—from California to South Carolina—Luke Bielawski has experienced an incredible assortment of adventures.

The experiences for the 24-year-old Catholic have ranged from the thrill of hitting a golf ball across the Mississippi River to the fear he felt after having his truck break down on a dirt road known as “Smuggler’s Lane”—so named because Mexican drug cartels use the road to transport their contraband.

His “Tee to Shining Tee” journey has also led him to be featured on “CBS Evening News,” to a private meeting with former president George W. Bush, and to an unexpected encounter with “Christ’s Cowboys.”

And perhaps best of all, his golf-swinging summer has been a success so far in terms of the reason he is making the cross-country trek—in the hopes of raising at least $100,000 to help youths receive a Catholic education at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, a college preparatory school that combines academics with a work-study program that lets its students from mostly low-income backgrounds experience different career possibilities.

“We’re on track to either hit our mark or be close to it,” Bielawski said on July 11 before teeing up for the day in Vicksburg, Miss. “We’re at $42,000 right now.”

A frightening and fulfilling experience

As of July 11, the 2007 graduate of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis said his score for the cross-country course was 36,490 shots, including the loss of 3,889 golf balls along the way.

At that point, he had also hit a golf ball 2,174.1 miles—across a desert, around mountains, over rivers and through numerous other natural and man-made obstacles while passing through the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana.

Yet while the statistics he has accumulated are stunning, they don’t compare to some of the memorable moments that Bielawski has experienced since starting this rare round of golf on May 8.

Indeed, the journey’s most frightening experience also led to the most fulfilling moment for him.

After their truck broke down on “Smuggler’s Lane” in New Mexico—an area with no cell phone service—Bielawski and his cousin, Nick Bielawski, set off in a small John Deere utility vehicle to look for help.

“After having driven roughly 30 miles and not seeing a single sign of any town or city, Nick and I decided to stop at someone’s house to ask for directions and to possibly use their landline telephone,” recalled, Bielawski, a member of Holy Spirit at Geist Parish in Fishers, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese.

“There is no doubt in my mind that all of the events that had transpired that day had purposefully guided us to the Kniepkemps. We were in need, and God led us to the Kniepkemp’s ranch.”

During the course of several days, Paul and Christy Kniepkemp fed the cousins, gave them a place to stay and lent them tools before the truck was repaired.

“Now, they’re our lifelong friends,” Bielawski said. “That was a moment where it was a tough obstacle, and it turned into the biggest blessing on the trip.”

Seeing a president and Christ’s cowboys

Other blessings have blossomed from being featured on “CBS Evening News.”

“They did a fantastic job,” Bielawski said. “It was kind of surreal seeing yourself on the national news. It’s helped us out, and it’s continued to help us with our fundraising efforts.

“Former president Bush saw our spot on the ‘CBS Evening News.’ And we got to meet him in his office in Dallas. We got to spend over an hour with him. That was a tremendous honor.”

So was the unexpected encounter with “Christ’s Cowboys.”

“That was very cool,” Bielawski recalled. “We were golfing along the back roads in Louisiana. We were in God’s country—rolling hills and beautiful pastures. I came upon these two guys on horseback. They asked me, ‘What on earth are you doing, son?’ When I told them, their eyes lit up because they’re preparing for a cross-country trip on horseback. Seeing someone else doing it gave them inspiration, and they gave me inspiration, too.

“They let me get on one of the horses—Doc Holiday. That was a lot of fun. And we shared multiple prayers. To me, that’s the essence of being a man—living your faith and doing everything for God.”

The cross-country course has come with challenges, too.

“It gets difficult at times to know that day in and day out that what you will do is the same. But we’re doing it for a great cause, the scenery keeps changing, and you never know who you’re going to meet next. All in all, we’re having a blast with it.”

Following the course of faith

The toughest shots have come when the ball lands among rocks—part of Bielawski’s commitment “to play the ball where it lies” whenever it’s possible.

The best shot so far was hitting a golf ball across a bridge that spanned the Mississippi River.

“That was the most exhilarating shot. It took 15 swings.”

He hopes to take his last golf swing on the course on Aug. 13, ending the roughly 2,500-mile journey by plunking a ball into the Atlantic Ocean from the shore of Kiawah Island, South Carolina. A short time later, he will begin his final semester at Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis.

Asked what impact the journey has had on him so far, Bielawski hesitated before saying, “It’s tough to say. This trip has offered me a lot of time to be on my own and think. You think a lot about friends and family and other people you care about—and helping the community. When I get to the end of it, I’ll think about how it’s changed my life.”

One point he’s certain about—the course has strengthened his faith.

“When you get to see all of his glories like I have—the beautiful terrain, the gorgeous sunsets, the stars at night, all the great people I’ve met—it’s hard for your faith to dwindle. At the end of the day, you just have to say, ‘God is good. He is glorious.’ It’s definitely solidified and strengthened my faith.”
 

(For more information about Luke Bielawski’s adventure, log on to the website, www.getonthegreen.org.) †

 

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