Disabled Golfers- An Underserved Group

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Disabled Golfers- An Underserved Group

By Ronnie Miles, Co-Director of Advocacy, NGCOA






Diversity and Inclusion initiatives have become mainstream for the golf industry today. The NGCOA continues with a significant commitment to bringing awareness and education to the golf community. Diversity is any dimension used to differentiate groups and people from one another. In a nutshell, it’s about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin. Inclusion is an organizational effort and practices in which different groups or individuals with diverse backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted, welcomed, and treated equally. These efforts intended outcomes are to create more diversified golf participation to include ownership and leadership roles. 

When we look at the inclusion of this diverse population, most golf course owners and operators are truly sincere when they say, “everyone is welcome to play our course.” For many, they are failing to reach many in the non-white communities. Is this failing to market, or is it failing to have their message resonate in these communities? Having a diverse workforce will lead to a more varied customer base. There is an old marketing message that I learned many years ago that is true today. “If you are going to sell what John Jones buys, you have to see John Jones through John Jones’s eyes.”  

Diversity also applies to those with disabilities. Today more than ever, people with disabilities are finding golf as a recreational experience they thought was not accessible to them. The golf industry has a long way to go to capitalize on this ever-growing market. A study issued by the National Golf Foundation reported that approximately 14 million individuals with a disability are interested in participating in some type of golf activity. While only 600,000 reported themselves a golfer, 6.2 million more reported they used to play but lost interest due to their disability. So how do we get those 600,000 back to your course? How many of the 6.2 million could we capture if we could retrain them to play golf with their disability?

The National Alliance for Accessible Golf (NAAG) has developed educational materials that help both the golf course owner and the disabled golfer meet this common goal. For many, they may never make your first tee, but the enjoyment received using your practice facilities can be just as enjoyable as others who play your course. Many golf course owners and operators have stepped up to host and deliver some creative player development programs targeting those with disabilities. Why aren’t more offering special programming activities? Is it due to not having a capable training specialist? NAAG has developed a tool kit to help you and your staff make your facility more accessible. 

There are specific requirements for golf course accessibility laid out in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was adopted to remove the barriers that have prevented society from benefiting from the participation and contributions of individuals with disabilities. Title III of the ADA requires public accommodations, including golf courses, to provide goods and services to people with disabilities on an equal basis with the rest of the general public. Also, Title II of the ADA requires public entities, such as states and local governments, to make golf courses and other facilities accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

A privately owned golf course, whether for profit or nonprofit, that is open to the public is subject to Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Title III requirements for existing courses are that courses shall make changes to the golf course or a facility when to do so is “readily achievable.”

We have been asked many times about the requirement to permit those with disabilities to access the golf course when the conditions warrant a “cart path only” policy. According to ADA Guidance, the operator has the right to run his or her operation and make a fair and reasonable profit. Management determines to restrict cars to paths or allow no cars if weather or agronomic conditions dictate.

NGCOA encourages golf course owners and operators to embrace this underserved community of golfers. They need us, and we need them!









Ronnie Miles is NGCOA's Co-Director of Advocacy. For any questions, concerns or matters that deserve legal attention at your course, he can be reached at rmiles@ngcoa.org.

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