Golf: Wiltwyck’s John Hornbeck returns to sport with remarkable recovery after serious injury

John Hornbeck is photographed on Wiltwyck Golf Club’s par-5 seventh hole during a round of golf in Kingston, N.Y., on Monday, July 1, 2024. (Rick Remsnyder/Daily Freeman)

KINGSTON, N.Y. — Wiltwyck Golf Club member and general contractor John Hornbeck wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to play competitive golf again after suffering serious injuries falling off a ladder while cleaning out a gutter and removing some debris off a roof.

“The ladder slipped out, I fell and the next thing I know I’m in a lot of pain,” Hornbeck recalled of the accident that happened on Oct. 21, 2021. “From the beginning, they (doctors) told me golf would be limited. I was told I would never be able to compete again.”

Hornbeck is the owner of J.H. Construction and General Contracting. His company has done extensive work in commercial development in the area, including large projects at Diamond Mills Hotel and Tavern in Saugerties. The accident happened early in the morning before work at one of Hornbeck’s residences.

Hornbeck was transported to Kingston Hospital after his fall, but it was quickly determined that his injuries were too serious to be treated there. He was flown by helicopter to the trauma center at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.

Hornbeck suffered two pelvic fractures, six broken ribs and a severely damaged elbow, which he described as “broken off.”

Once the swelling went down, Hornbeck underwent surgery.

“The doctors’ biggest concern was the elbow,” Hornbeck said. “But they were actually able to put it all back together.”

Though the injuries were serious, Hornbeck said the outcome could have been a lot worse. He said his head was about 12 feet above the ground when he fell.

“I believe I landed on the ladder, which is probably what broke all the bones,” the 61-year-old Milton resident said. “But if I fell on my head, I would be talking to you from a wheelchair.”

Following a two-week stay at Westchester Medical Center, Hornbeck was transported by ambulance to Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw in Rockland County to start his rehabilitation. Hornbeck said even being taken to his new location a short ride away was an arduous experience.

“I remember going over the Tappan Zee Bridge in the back of the ambulance and thinking, ‘This is killing me,’” he said.

Following a couple of weeks of rehab, Hornbeck met with his surgeon and told him he still couldn’t move his arm. After looking at X-rays, the surgeon determined that Hornbeck would need shoulder replacement surgery.

“He told me there was nothing there,” Hornbeck said.

Hornbeck had reverse shoulder replacement surgery in March 2022. With all the surgeries completed, Hornbeck was left to ponder his golfing future. The idea of quitting competitive golf never crossed his mind despite of what the doctors told him. After all, he had compiled an impressive amateur record that included two men’s club championships at the former Rondout Country Club in Accord, a fourth-place finish in the Ulster County Men’s Amateur Golf Championship (The Herdegen) and seniors’ titles in the Herdegen and the Ulster County Senior Men’s Golf Championship.

Hornbeck’s response to the initial medical prognosis isn’t surprising to anyone who has seen his competitive spirit on the golf course.

“I didn’t believe them,” he said. “What was I going to do? I gave up fishing for golf.”

Hornbeck was told on Oct. 1, 2022, that he could start putting and chipping. That was seven months after the shoulder replacement surgery. A little less than a month later, Hornbeck got the doctor’s clearance to hit full golf shots.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Hornbeck decided to play 18 holes at McCann Memorial Golf Course in Poughkeepsie. Remarkably, he shot an even-par 72.

“I was ecstatic,” Hornbeck said. “I called my wife, Gina, on the 17th hole and told her I might shoot par here. She said, ‘No way!’”

Hornbeck has had to make some changes to his approach to golf. With his right shoulder now an inch shorter than the left, he has cut his swing back a little. He can also no longer carry his golf bag, which he used to like to do.

“I really have to tuck my elbow in because it does whatever it wants,” he said following a round of golf Monday at Wiltwyck. “I’m not playing nearly as much golf as I used to either.”

He said his work restrictions are much greater than those he has for playing golf.

“I can’t swing a hammer and I can’t use a nail gun because of the pressure it puts on me,” he said. “I do run an excavator. I have to be able to operate the equipment. But I’m pretty much in a truck telling people what to do.”

Hornbeck has played well enough to make the 36-hole cut in the last two Ulster County Men’s Amateur Golf Championships. In the 2024 Herdegen, he opened with a pair of 77s at Woodstock Golf Club and Apple Greens Golf Course. But he must qualify next year after shooting an 87 in the final round at Wiltwyck.

“I’m pleased with the recovery and the outcome,” Hornbeck said. “But being as competitive as I am, I think I should be better than I am. Golf is hard. So as long as you stay in the game, you stay in the game.”