Defying the Odds: Physical Limitations Not Stopping This Myrtle Beach Golfer

Brandon Canesi was born without hands. But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his golfing dreams, and achieving a feat that has since gone viral. In our recent interview with Brandon he discusses how he’s handling the perceptions of others, the social media attention he’s received, and what he likes about Myrtle Beach as he attends the Golf Academy of America.

On how he handles perceptions of others:

It wasn’t easy at times. There were things … Certain coaches wouldn’t play me because they didn’t think I had the ability until I showed them that I did, and then I would be a starter. It had its ups and its down all the time. If you’re meeting someone for a first impression and you want to firmly shake their hand, and I just put my hand out there, and they kind of grab it and go, “oh,” because thy weren’t expecting … or whatever. And then there’s that slight awkward moment where they’re like, “Oh, I’m sorry.” I kind of just laugh it off and I think it’s funny, and it shows me the character of who I’m meeting. It shows me their character if they mind or if they don’t, and it’s a great way to kind of visually have an outside look of how people react to certain situations and how people handle different situations.

On getting his recent hole-in-one:

So it was a Monday at The Wizard, 17th hole, 150 yards, I had a seven iron, and yeah, I just flushed it. It was a perfect high little baby draw heading right at the front pin location on the right side, and I saw it just land soft, and just start to roll, and it struck the right side of the pin, and dropped in the hole, and me and my buddies lost it and went wild, and went and grabbed drinks after that. I knew that it was going to be a viral video: a no-handed person makes a hole-in-one. I didn’t know it would go that viral. It was a pretty amazing feeling to wake up all of the next week and every morning, my phone was just lined with views, and comments, and people all over the world telling me that I inspire them, and that they’re going to continue doing what they’re trying to do because of me, and that’s incredible right there.

On his first impressions of Myrtle Beach:

I didn’t know much about Myrtle Beach (at first). I know that it was the golf capital of America, that it was the place to go with your buddies on a golf vacation. I had never really been on a golf vacation with my buddies. I knew that I eventually wanted to make it down here on a vacation. I didn’t ever think I would live here. It was kind of a real spur-of-the-moment thing. I’m very glad that I made that decision to come to the Golf Academy of America (in Myrtle Beach).

On what he likes most about being in Myrtle Beach:

It’s really tough to pick a favorite. There are so many great courses down here that I have access to. I’m just loving the fact that there are so many golf courses within a tight area; that’s my favorite part of Myrtle Beach. You can play a different course every day of the month. It’s just incredible. The beach is right there. There’s nightlife. It’s a great place to be if you’re young, if you’re really of any age. It’s a family vacation spot. There’s a little bit of everything here.