A Safe Place

You can find them at the end of a clear summer Sunday in central Kentucky, a last flood of orange light gleaming gently across the rolling farmland of Connemara Golf Course. Often it is well past suppertime and the only remaining sounds come from two voices — a casual observer would swear they are father and son — and the peaceful game they are playing.

Josh Dakota and his nephew have found redemption through golf. Photo: Courtesy Josh Dakota

The man is Joshua Dakota, a 34-year-old who has been an occasional golfer since his early teens before becoming obsessed the last few years. The young boy beside him recently turned 9 years old and sports a New York Yankees ball cap, just like Dakota. He runs merrily to his ball between swings, the excitement of solid contact enough to draw a smile and a look back to Dakota for reassurance.

What you can’t see or hear is why they arrived at this cathartic sanctuary.

Dakota, the boy’s uncle, has lived a good portion ...