The first time Bill Dube played in a National Amputee Golf Association tournament, he was nervous and didn’t score well.

But for Dube, who was unhappy about losing part of his left arm two years earlier, the competition also had a positive effect – it lifted his spirits.

“The first (tournament) I played in really perked me up. It was shortly after I lost my arm and I had become depressed,” said Dube, a below- the-elbow amputee who lives in Bedford with his wife, Terry. “Let me tell you, we had a great time. We got to meet a lot of wonderful people with similar circumstances.”

This week, Dube, 67, is playing in his third NAGA tournament. He is participating in the association’s 61st annual national championship, which drew 73 players from the United States and seven foreign countries.

The tournament began Tuesday, Aug. 11, and concludes Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford. NAGA’s 11th annual College Park Cup International Matches will be played there on Friday, Aug. 14.

Golf has always been a big part of Dube’s life. He started playing around the age of 12, served as a caddy, and joined Nashua Country Club in 1975.

He plays in Nashua several times a week, and he and Terry spend their winters at the BallenIsles Country Club, which has three championship courses, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

“It’s a game that requires a lot of practice and a lot of concentration and you really need a lot of ability to do it,” said Dube.

Four years ago, Dube’s golf game – and his everyday life – was dealt a major blow when part of his left arm had to be amputated.

He had been hospitalized for an abscessed colon. But Heparin, an anti-coagulant, caused a blood clot in his neck that stopped the flow of blood out of his left arm. The arm swelled significantly and turned black.

“It was a very tough thing to go through,” said Dube. “It changes your whole life. You reprioritize everything you do.”

To help him adjust, one of his sons gave him a copy of the book, “One-Handed in a Two- Handed World,” written by Tommye-K. Mayer.

“That book helped me out a lot but you have to learn everything all over again,” said Dube. “You can’t tie your shoes. You have to learn how to bathe yourself, put your clothes on, dress.”

And Dube – who used to be able to type 100 words a minute – had to tackle his keyboard with just one finger.

Since the fall of 2005, Dube has used a prosthetic arm made specifically for golf – its adapter can hold a golf club.

The arm was made at Next Step Orthotics and Prosthetics, Inc., a Manchester company that Bedford resident Matthew Albuquerque started with coowner Peter Couture 13 years ago. The company will also be manufacturing a prosthetic arm for Dube’s everyday use.

“Getting amputees back into the athletic world is part of our mission,” said Albuquerque. It was Albuquerque, in fact, and Bob Wilson, an Amherst resident and NAGA’s executive director, who encouraged Dube to join the association. Wilson, who lost both of his legs in an accident while serving aboard an aircraft carrier in 1974, has played with Dube and become a friend to him.

For this year’s national championship, the tournament’s program book cover was laminated on Dube’s prosthetic arm. The new feature gives him a memento of the event, and ties in with Dube’s desire to get back into the game after losing his arm.

“We wanted to do something special for him for the tournament,” said Albuquerque. “Plus, it looks cool.”

NAGA was incorporated in 1954. According to the association, Dale Bourisseau, a World War II veteran and a below- the-knee amputee, had encouraged comrades with similar injuries to play the game for recreation and to reinforce their pride.

Today, the organization has more than 2,500 members worldwide. Tournaments draw players who have had above elbow, below elbow, above knee, below knee and multiple amputations. Limbs have been lost due to combat, injuries and health problems.

“It gives you an opportunity to be amongst people who’ve had similar tragedies happen to them,” said Dube who is semi-retired from the commercial real estate business and has two grandchildren. “We’ve met some unbelievable (players).”

Prior to losing his arm, Dube’s golf handicap was 8. After resuming the game, he’s been able to lower his handicap from 36 to 19.

“And I had to work to get to be a 19 because I don’t have the (hitting) distance anymore,” said Dube. “I’m starting to gain the accuracy playing again. It took me three years to do that. … I don’t hit the ball as far as I used to and as accurately as I used to. But this year, in particular, I’ve improved dramatically in the past three or four months.”

Dube played in two NAGA tournaments in 2007. Although he was nervous at the first one, he did pretty well at the second event. The camaraderie among the players is a big part of the association’s appeal. “I just go for the fun and to meet people,” said Dube. “We’ve made some pretty good friends at the last two tournaments I played in. We keep in touch.”

So sick was Dube four years ago that he was administered last rites three times. Terry was at his hospital bedside for 45 days. His sons took time off from work to be with him. Although he eventually recovered and returned home, the loss of his arm left took a toll on him emotionally.

“I felt bad for awhile,” said Dube. “Of course, you feel bad. You get a little bit depressed. You can’t do things that you could always do. But you have to make a choice. You can choose to mope around the house and feel sorry for yourself or you can choose to make the best out of a bad situation. Luckily, I chose the latter and I’ve always maintained a very good attitude about it.”

Terry agrees, and she too finds the golf-playing amputees to be inspiring.

“If you ever want to feel great and not feel sorry for yourself, watch these people play golf,” she said. “They are amazing. Their attitudes are just fantastic. They’re just wonderful. You feel good when you leave there. You don’t think

“Golf Digest Magazine” writer Guy Yocom was scheduled to speak at the tournament’s Thursday, Aug. 13, awards banquet. H.C. “Barney” Barnum, Jr., the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs, spoke at the welcome reception on Sunday, Aug. 9.

While in town, Barnum, a 1962 Saint Anselm College graduate who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam, was interviewed by Bedford Community Television volunteer Mike Robinson who hosts the show, “Warriors Defenders of Freedom.”