A Miss for Muni Golf

Community Golf Fan,

We here at Staples Golf focus a lot on how to diversify user groups, particularly kids, women, and beginners. One demographic which happens to be a reoccurring missed opportunity for the golf industry at-large however, is the disabled or adaptive golfer. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is something we think about in all our projects, and we think you should too.

When we renovated what is now Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, NM, we tried hard to eliminate specific areas on the course that might be overly inaccessible. Our approach was pretty simple: remove barriers to greens, tees, and cart paths, provide a map for ease of access across the course, and then communicate these efforts through marketing initiatives, including posting the information on the website.

We’ve been supported by guys like Jim Ferrin and Sam Samuelson when needed (bothGCSAA members), whose philosophies inspired the ADA planning at Rockwind. They wrote an exceptional piece for Golf Course Management magazine with an action plan which can be found here (page 71). Developing programs aimed specifically at adaptive golfers, and having specialty equipment/ specialized golf aids on hand, are not only good steps to take, they’re great examples for which other local courses and organizations will also consider implementing.

Your course should consider offering at least one specialized mobility vehicle, as well as hosting an annual event that goes above and beyond in welcoming the adaptive golfers in your community. There is even a grant available provided by the USGA and the National Alliance for Accessible Golf, which is an amazing opportunity for non-profit courses to improve accessibility, as well secure one of those specialty vehicles so helpful to many of these golfers, although special requirements apply. Here are the general application guidelines worth checking out.

We find it interesting how little marketing has been directed towards the adaptive golfer, because the opportunity to distinguish a course from it’s competition is certainly there. The Legends at Parris Island, SC, does an amazing job through their Adaptive Golf Experienceprogram deserving of imitation. Your course may comply beyond the minimum requirements, but if no one is aware of that, you’re missing out on revenue, as well as an opportunity to showcase diversity.

Sadly, prioritizing facility improvements and equipment offerings for adaptive golfers isn’t as matter of fact as it should be, but the spotlight seems to be slightly shifting, as highlighted by the increased presence of the USAGA at the most recent PGA Merchandise Show. It’s important to better integrate this group of inspiring golfers into facility planning and programming, and while there may be a couple more hurdles to playing golf disabled, most of them would shrug that off, of which this video by the European Disabled Golf Associationis testament.

Here's What You Need To Know:
- Making your course ADA compliant is important
- There are grants available to further increase accessibility
- Having adaptive golf equipment on hand is a very worthy aim
- Creating adaptive golf programs is important to community inclusion
- Marketing your ADA friendly course will bring more players to the game of golf

Other Great Resources:
The US Adaptive Golf Alliance
The US Disabled Golf Association
National Alliance for Accessible Golf Fast Facts
Disabled Sports USA’s Adaptive Golf Equipment List
Here’s a good overview from the National Alliance for Accessible Golf of what’s necessary if you’re still not sure about your course.

Timing is Everything

We realize more often than not, everything comes down to timing, so when you're ready for us, we'll be ready for you and your golf course!

Please remember, we present webinars at no charge to stakeholders who oversee facilities looking to improve. If that's of interest to you, please tell us about your golf course byclicking here.

Sincerely,

Andy Staples, ASGCA