Golf in the shadow of war: from golf pro to war veteran coach

Golf in a war zone - that sounds like an absurd contrast. But it is precisely this contrast that filmmaker Eric Anders Lang seeks and finds in the first episode of the ninth season of his YouTube series Adventures in Golf. Lang's journey to western Ukraine, forced to cross the Polish border, reveals a moving story: How sport becomes a vital tool of rehabilitation and hope in a war-torn country.

The PGA Pro who became a soldier overnight

Dennis Ryabtsov is at the center of the episode. The Ukrainian has already lived several lives: professional ice hockey player, soldier and finally one of the first PGA-certified golf instructors in his country. Before Russia's illegal invasion in February 2022, Ryabtsov was still working at the Golf Stream Course near Kyiv - a showcase project for the young sport of golf in Ukraine.

But this dream was shattered. On the first day of the war, Ryabtsov took his family to safety, only to immediately join the fight himself. As he himself reports, he had just ten minutes of weapons training before he went into battle. Today, his old workplace, the Golf Stream site, is a devastated war zone where tanks once destroyed manicured Fairways.

Video: Adventures in Golf in the Ukraine

From the war zone to the "golf sanctuary"

After his return from service, Ryabtsov, like hundreds of thousands of others, had to start again in the west of the country, in Lviv. Although the city serves as a safe haven for internally displaced persons, the daily grind of war remains palpable: Nightly curfews and the daily Minute of Silencer at 9 a.m., which commemorates the fallen, are constant reminders. His new workplace is the EDM Golf Club, a quirky 9-hole course lined with sculptures near Lviv. Few golf courses in the country have survived the conflict. This remote course, which Lang describes as a "retreat and modern art gallery", is Ryabtsov's new base.

Golf as therapy: the Superhumans connection

However, Ryabtsov found his true calling as a teacher for war veterans. He works closely with the "Superhumans" rehabilitation center, which produces prostheses for the estimated 40,000 war invalids who are dependent on this help.

Golf becomes a crucial step after physical recovery. The veterans, many of them amputees, learn to regain confidence in their bodies on the green. Ryabtsov recruits his students directly from the rehab center, and often they are amazed for the first time to see what they can do despite their injuries. For many, golf is a "second life". The success is measurable: two of his students, Max and Valentin, have even made it onto the Ukrainian national team for golfers with disabilities and taken part in international competitions in Germany.

The daily lesson: live life now

The encounter with the war veterans has also changed Ryabtsov himself. The most important lesson he learns from his students: it doesn't matter how much you have lost - you can still laugh and carry on. Eric Lang sums up the experience he had on the golf course in western Ukraine: "Golf shows up. And the most interesting thing is that it often happens in the most unlikely places." Ryabtsov's greatest wish, however, is modest: "A normal life". He advises everyone to tackle the things that are important to them immediately, because the experience of war shows that every day could be the last. For the veterans in Lviv, the golf club is therefore more than just a piece of sports equipment - it is a symbol of perseverance and a second chance.