By Gil Diaz, News Channel 3 Reporter
gdiaz@kesq.com

PALM DESERT -  Leave it up to golf legend Jack Nicklaus to show a group of beginners how the game's played.

But to learn life's lessons, turn to someone like Jim Martinson. He lost both legs in the Vietnam War, and that does not hold him back.

"When you are given a disability like I have, you have to make a choice: If you want to keep going on or sit around and watch TV," says Martinson, who begin golfing in June. "I love being out."

Martinson, plus two other disabled vets, had the rare chance to learn golf from the best --- the Golden Bear himself. -- at Bighorn Golf Club.

"Half the people who've been golfing for years probably never get the chance to meet the guy, and here he is giving us a lesson!" says Leroy Petry, who lost his right arm in the war.

Nicklaus and his buddies are here for a second reason: to raise money for the American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Washington state. Their fundraising goal is to raise $6 million.

They have received $1 million already from the Coachella Valley.

Nicklaus says he did not hesitate to invest in building that course for disabled vets. He says golf is great therapy for them.

"Golf is a game that gives you confidence. A game of golf is always played inside yourself, and you can only play to the best of your abilities."

The vets say they enjoy playing at their specially-designed course. It gives them a sense of belonging.

"In one round of gold, they no longer see me as a person with a disability," says Martinson. "They just see me as a person. That's what it's all about."

Nicklaus says he feels privileged to be teaching these vets a thing or two about a sport he loves. There is no better feeling, he says, than helping those who need help and who just want to have fun.