| Thanks to an ever-increasing availability of | | | | products that assist with ball positioning and tee |
| assistive playing aids, the number of people with | | | | retrieval without bending are a great idea for golf |
| disabilities who play golf these days is higher than | | | | gifts for instructors, as they deal with this |
| ever before. Although figures vary from study to | | | | repetitive motion more than anyone! |
| study, current research points to 6.8 million | | | | Assistive golf aids are especially helpful in putting |
| disabled American players currently using assistive | | | | the fun and comfort back into the game for |
| devices in their golf game. | | | | people who have mobility challenges. One of the |
| Ranging from remote control golf carts to | | | | first challenges facing disabled golfers is getting |
| magnetic ball markers - and countless products in | | | | around the course. While riding in a cart, or walking |
| between - golf aids for the handicapped are | | | | the course while carrying clubs or using a push- or |
| designed to provide a wide array of empowering | | | | pull-cart may be options for many who are not |
| benefits. Whether decreasing or eliminating the | | | | limited to a wheelchair, these alternative options |
| need for bending and stooping, improving mobility, | | | | present their own set of concerns. Riding in a cart |
| or enabling an individual in a wheelchair to play | | | | eliminates many of the cardiovascular benefits of |
| from a seated position, assistive technology has | | | | walking the course, often limits the player to cart |
| one primary goal: to ensure that anyone who | | | | paths or at the very least restricts his access to |
| wants to golf can continue playing with comfort | | | | where the ride-on cart can travel, and presents a |
| and convenience, regardless of disability. | | | | certain amount of damage to the grounds. |
| One of the most uncomfortable aspects of golf is | | | | Walking the course with a push- or pull-cart, or |
| the need for constant bending and stooping. | | | | while carrying a 30- or 40-pound bag of clubs, |
| Teeing up the ball, picking up the tee, retrieving | | | | preserves the cardiovascular benefits of the |
| the ball from a hazard or from the cup, even | | | | game, but both options are especially hard for |
| replacing the flag - all of these activities can be | | | | one with knee, hip, or back disabilities. One |
| especially hard on someone who has chronic pain | | | | category of playing aids designed to address this |
| or physical challenges. A number of golf aids for | | | | mobility issue is the electric golf caddy. Not only |
| the disabled have been developed to eliminate the | | | | do they help with mobility issues, they also allow |
| need for this repetitive motion. They come in | | | | the golfer (disabled or not) focus on his game. |
| many forms, such as add-ons (that can be clipped | | | | For the golfer who is not able to walk the course, |
| or screwed to your golf club), adapted products | | | | there are adaptive playing aids designed to assist |
| (such as golf clubs that have been altered to | | | | one who is playing or practicing from a wheelchair. |
| accommodate the needs of people who have a | | | | This is normally achieved by adapting golf |
| hard time bending), and specially designed | | | | equipment in a manner that makes it usable by |
| apparatus (such as automatic teeing devices). | | | | someone who needs to play from a seated |
| While the potentially harmful physical effects of | | | | position. |
| bending and stooping are bad enough on the golf | | | | Whether originating from traumatic injury, a health |
| course, they can increase exponentially on the | | | | condition, or degenerative disease, physical |
| driving range or practice green. This makes these | | | | disability does not need to stop a golfer from |
| assistive devices attractive to able-bodied players | | | | playing his game. Thanks to golf playing aids, most |
| as well as those who suffer from problems with | | | | golfers can continue playing regardless of the |
| their back, hips, or knees. In fact, some of the | | | | challenges posed by disability. |