Business Week Online

   ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY By John A. Williams August 4, 1999
   Fore! Lowering The Handicaps for Golfers With Disabilities
   Even blindness can no longer keep enthusiasts away from the links
   Sports pages worldwide had a field day recently when blind golfer
   Worth Dalton made what looked like a hole-in-one. Actually, it was his
   third shot on the hole. But the feat, caught on videotape, also
   grabbed the world's attention. It seemed extraordinary that a blind
   man could sink a golf shot from so far away. Yet, Dalton's feat is not
   so extraordinary when you realize that Pat Brown -- perhaps the most
   best-known blind golfer in the U.S. -- has averaged one hole-in-one a
   year for more than 20 years. Otto Heuber, another blind golfer, has
   also scored a hole in one. Many of the very best blind and visually
   impaired golfers regularly shoot in the low eighties for 18 holes.

   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 UBGA 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 cadie. 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 areospace-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 Atee, 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 Atee has the ability to apply and
   lock the brakes at any speed. Marriott, American Golf Corp., and Walt
   Disney World use the Atee 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 golers 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 [log in to unmask] 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 [log in to unmask]

   (John Williams' column appears weekly, only on BW Online. For more
   information on assistive technology, please write to him at
   [log in to unmask])

   EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


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