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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