I just got back from watching one of the most amazing (especially if you’re a golfer) performances of my life and brought back an inspirational message to boot. Joey ‘O’ is OH so good. Trust me. I’m a former veteran sportswriter and I’m skeptical. About everything! This guy is good!

If you have kids or grandkids or just even like golf and get this post, please make time Wednesday for a free show at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion. Joey ‘O’, a Cedar Rapids native, will entertain you for about 45 minutes with his athletic ability, his striking of a golf ball and he will offer all of you (us) a thought or two we can live by. I know, you’re kind of wondering, but is this guy is the real deal? And I’m so humble I got to experience it Tuesday after the Greater Cedar Rapids Open pro-sponsor dinner.

Performing free courtesy of the GCRO, the world-renown golf entertainer and award-winning author will dazzle you, awe you, amaze you and he will make you laugh – hard – and smile. His show Wednesday, dubbed “Kids Day” by the GCRO, will take place at 3 p.m. at Hunters Ridge Golf Course. Everyone will get a free copy of his book, ‘The Dream Seed,’ and after watching him and listening to him, this man has lived his story.

The truly impressive acrobatic golf feats of Joey ‘O’ will be one of the highlights of this year’s 54-hole tournament, which begins in earnest Thursday. There will be a cut after the first two rounds and the final round will be held Saturday with a $20,000 winner’s check waiting in the balance. And balance is something Joey ‘O’ is good at. You have to see it to believe it.

Usually performing in front of corporate or club audiences, where the public is not invited, Joey ‘O’ was in top form doing his show in front of his hometown friends Tuesday evening.

“I love performing in town,” Joey ‘O’ said earlier. “I always welcome the chance whenever I get to perform (in the Cedar Rapids area). It will be good to see all my friends from Iowa. It’s an opportunity to give happiness, make people smile and laugh and entertain them.” That he did. In multiples.

He’s been doing that around the U.S and the world for 35 years now. He’s 56 and in better shape than most of us. And he will certainly show you that in his performance. If you can’t see it Wednesday, see him whenever you can. It will be worth the price of admission. But it’s free Wednesday, courtesy the GCRO and Dr. Jeffery Wilharm, who is graciously sponsoring Joey ‘O”s book distribution.

The 1980 University of Iowa grad has performed for presidents, on the Tonight Show, for PGA golf professionals and the like. They’ve raved about him. So has the late Bob Hope. So am I. See the guy. He’s great. PERIOD.

For more information about the GCRO, visit www.gcropen.com. For more information about Joey “O”, visit www.joeyogolf.com.

Don Wojciechowski resides in the Hunters Ridge Golf Course community and plays the course on a regular basis. He’s a former sports editor for a suburban Chicago daily newspaper and an avid golf fan.