Alex Fourie was born in Zvenyhorodka, a small city within the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. He never knew his biological parents, who gave up custody at the hospital immediately after his birth, and he grew up in orphanages for his first seven years. Fourie was born with only his left arm and a cleft lip and palate, which he believes was due to lingering radiation effects from the Chernobyl disaster, which had taken place in the country a handful of years before his birth. At the time of his adoption in 1999, a nearly 7-year-old Fourie weighed only 35 pounds and ate soup for nearly every meal.

Fourie was adopted by his parents, Anton and Elizabeth, two South African missionaries who reside in Birmingham, Alabama. The first week being in the U.S., Anton put a golf club in Fourie’s hand. Fourie would go on to work as a tech at Maximum Physical Therapy, where he ended up being sent by his boss to Atlanta for a seminar to become Level 1 certified for the Titleist Performance Institute. From there, his passion for teaching golf – particularly to those with physical disabilities or limitations – continued to evolve. He decided to go the club pro route, becoming an assistant at Williams Creek Golf Course. He now gives lessons on the side, both in person and online, while his day job is selling roofs for Litespeed Construction. His handicap is down to 0.6, making him one of the best one-armed golfers in the country. He is also a father to a beautiful baby girl, Lila.