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In fact, it may come as a surprise to many people that golf is one of the fastest-growing sports for disabled people in the world. There are hundreds of blind golfers, and about 10,000 visually-impaired golfers on U.S. links this summer. > Let me say it upfront: I am the world's worst golfer. But I love basketball and baseball. And the growth in golf is part of a larger trend: athletics for disabled people as a whole is on the rise. There are wheelchair basketball leagues. There is volleyball and basketball for amputees. A blind judo expert is trying out for the U.S. Olympic team. Leading the effort to expand golf for the disabled is the United States Blind Golf Assn., headquartered in Tallahassee (Fla.) Founded in 1953, the USBGA sanctions tournaments for blind golfers, and Florida even hosts a blind golf state championship each year. TITANIUM SHAFTS. According to USBGA President Bob Andrews, there are three divisions -- one for the totally blind, and a second for golfers with the ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to visual acuity of 20/600. A third covers golfers with visual acuity up to 20/200. The USBGA adheres to the USGA Rules of Golf, with a few modifications. A blind or visually disabled golfer is assisted by a coach in addressing the ball and aligning a shot prior to the stroke. A coach has the same status under the rules as a caddie. So a player may ask for and receive advice from his coach. There's also a burgeoning market in products designed to assist blind and visually-impaired golfers. One of the leaders in developing golf clubs for disabled folks is RTS Golf. It has a patented golf club that uses aerospace-grade titanium in golf shafts, designed for a golfers who might swing slower. The club head twists less, so even miss-hits go straighter and longer. Most golf shops now carry golf balls with a signalling device placed inside. When the ball is hit, it emits a beeping noise so the visually-challenged golfer can find it. The golfer then inserts a pin into the ball, and the beeping goes off until the next shot. GETTING A GRIP. It sounds like something any hacker out there might want, while hunting for a ball in the rough or in the woods. The ball retails for about $30. But fact is, many blind people do not use the ball because it travels about 60% of the regular distance a regular golf ball does. Visually-challenged golfers believe the ball detracts from the purity of the game, and they want to be treated the same as able-bodied golfers.What's the first thing the pro checks when you take a golf lesson? Your grip, of course. Without the proper grip, its tough to make solid contact with the ball. Many disabled golfers use a Powerglove, which costs $9.95 for junior sizes and $15.95 for men and women's sizes. The glove has a powerstrap attachment that hooks a club into proper position throughout the swing. The glove is especially helpful to those golfers who have either an arthritic or weak grip. The glove locks the club into the correct position at the bases of the fingers, grips the club firmly throughout the swing, prevents fingers from opening at the base of the backswing, reduces twisting of the clubface at the impact, and helps eliminate tension caused by too tight a grip. For people with visual impairments or back trouble, there is the No-Bend Device. The No-Bend can tee the ball, fix divots and ball marks with forkends, pick up the tee, pick up the ball from the cup and the ground, set and retrieve the ball marker, even be picked up from the ground with a club head. Transportation is a challenge for golfers with disabilities, but there are different types of golf cars designed for their use. One of them, the AteeA, was designed with four wheel suspension and disc brakes, and its weight is evenly distributed over all four golf tires. The cart is equipped with an infinitely adjustable seat that swivels 360 degrees. It's easily accessible from a wheelchair, and features hand-controlled brakes and accelerator and handlebar steering. To ease a person's fear of traveling up and down hills, the AteeA has the ability to apply and lock the brakes at any speed. Marriott, American Golf Corp., and Walt Disney World use the AteeA on their golf courses.
ACCESSIBLE GOLF COURSES.
Disabled sports enthusiasts cite the Americans with Disabilities Act
as instrumental in getting golf courses to become accessible. The
U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior have developed accessibility
guidelines for golf organizations, including the USPGA, to follow.
For the most part, many have adopted the guidelines.
Gary Robb, executive director of the National Center on Accessibility
in Martinsville (Ind.), says that more and more golf courses are
willing to make their links more accessible because they see a growing
market. He sees the day when, thanks to assistive technology and
changing attitudes, disabled and able-bodied golfers will play side-by-side.
Who knows? Some day the possibility may exist for a blind golfer
to win a major PGA tournament. I can see that happening.
For
information on the USBGA, visit USBGA@BlindGolf.Com. The phone number
is 850-893-4511. The organization call tell you about equipment
and other opportunities and products for visually-challenged golfers.
There is also an Association of American Disabled Golfers. For information
on AADG write to GRobb@Indiana.Edu. |
