Archive for the ‘Disabled’ Category

Do prosthetics give a disabled golfer an unfair advantage?

Posted on March 1, 2012 by in Disabled 0
Do prosthetics give a disabled golfer an unfair advantage?

There is little doubt that golf is arguably the greatest test of self-control that an individual sportsman can face. During competition, golfers can feel their palms get sweaty, their knees wobble and their grip tighten on the club as they  play themselves into contention. These natural physical reactions to the stress of competition and the desire to win are part and parcel of the golfer and how effectively they can deal with these issues, will go a long way towards deciding whether it is them holding the monthly medal trophy aloft at the end of the day, or reminiscing in the club house about how it could have been.

So, in devil’s advocate mode, is it reasonable to think that a disabled golfer, who maybe uses a modified golf cart, or has prosthetic arms or legs, is actually at an advantage over an able-bodied golfer in this situation?

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How Many Disabled Golfers are out There and Where do They Play?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by in Disabled 4
How Many Disabled Golfers are out There and Where do They Play?

In recent times we have run several articles about disabled golf, but to put those articles into context, what kind of numbers are we talking about when it comes to disabled golfers? Where do they play and who does the typical disabled golfer play with?

To answer the question of how many disabled people play golf isn’t a particularly easy task and this is because of the number of different sources each reporting a different figure and this is because the term “disability” means something different all over the world and finding a universal definition of what constitutes a disability isn’t easy.

 

Pierre-Massard-disabled golfer Switzerland

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Giroud Vins

How do Blind People Play Golf on a Golf Course?

Posted on February 13, 2012 by in Disabled 0
How do Blind People Play Golf on a Golf Course?

Blind golf is a very popular sport, yet at first it seems almost impossible for a blind person to play the game. Yet despite their obvious disability, there are many outstanding blind golfers playing the game across the globe, the question is, how are they able to play golf, if they can’t see the ball they are hitting, or where they are hitting it to?
 

Categories

Of course, the first issue to note here is that there are different levels of blindness. Competitions are organised into three categories that are ranked from the most to least severe:

  • B1 – No light perception in either eye, or slight light perception but unable to recognise the shape of a hand at any distance, or in any direction.
  • B2 – Can recognise the shape of a hand but has visual acuity of 2/60 and a visual field of less than 5 degrees.
  • B3 – Visual acuity between 2/60 and 6/60 and/or visual field of between 5 degrees and 20 degrees

While blind golfers of all categories can play with each other, blind golf tournaments often have ‘category winners’ as well as, or in place of, an overall winner.

Now that we understand how tournaments are organised, let’s discover how blind people actually play the game on a typical round of golf.
 

golf swing in Lavaux golf club

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Rehabilitation Through Golf – How Wounded Soldiers Rebuild Their Lives

Posted on January 9, 2012 by in Disabled 0
Rehabilitation Through Golf – How Wounded Soldiers Rebuild Their Lives

There are many reasons we choose to play golf. For some of us, it is just the chance to socialise with friends for a few hours, others have a deep and abiding love of the game, for many, the game is akin to an addiction that needs to be sated. A few of us, however,  play the game in the belief that it may somehow rehabilitate us, and for one group of people in particular this is most certainly the case.

 

Wounded soldiers, who have been injured while in action across the globe, are now benefitting from the rehabilitative effects of golf. In the Washington State, near Seattle, the organizers of the Wounded Veterans Golf Clinic, have quickly realised that golf can play a key role in helping soldiers learn to cope with their injuries.

wounded-soldiers-playing-golf

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Disabled Golfers: The Paradox of the ‘Handicap’

Posted on December 30, 2011 by in Disabled 2
Disabled Golfers: The Paradox of the ‘Handicap’

Ask any golfer what their handicap is and you’ll likely get told a fairly simple answer. Some may be low handicappers only being awarded a few shots each round, other golfers may be high handicappers, receiving at least a shot on each hole, two on some. Others will be somewhere in between the two, receiving shots on the tougher holes but perhaps expected to get par on some of the easier on each round.

Few golfers will say having no arms.

Just-for-Smiles-golf-disabled golfers

 
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Inspirational Stories of Disabled Golfers: Pierre Massard

Posted on December 8, 2011 by in Disabled 1
Inspirational Stories of Disabled Golfers: Pierre Massard

Like many ambitious sportsmen, Pierre Massard has a dream that one day he will compete in the Olympic games. While talent and good fortune may be the barrier for most golfers to achieve this goal, Pierre is slightly different. He is 62-years-old and has been paraplegic since he fell down a mountain 7 years ago.

 

Pierre-Massard-disabled-golf

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Disabled Golf: The Ryder Cup Event that, You’ve Never Heard of…

Posted on November 23, 2011 by in Disabled 6
Disabled Golf: The Ryder Cup Event that, You’ve Never Heard of…

No, we’re not talking about the President’s Cup competition that team America have just won once again, nor are we talking about the brainchild of Samuel Ryder. Instead, we are talking about an event that deserves equal attention and acclaim within the press as these two illustrious events.

From 7th to the 9th October 2011, at the Slaley Hall resort in Hexham near Northumberland, two great golfing organisations got together for the first event of its kind. A team of English golfers from the Disabled Golf Society took on a team of Scottish golfers, organised by the Scottish Disabled Golf Partnership, in a 3-day “Ryder Cup style” event.


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Just for Smiles Foundation