Why do they want to play golf? How many of them are there? How do they play? What’s it going to cost the golf operation for them to play? Will they damage the course? Will they slow down play? What am I required to do? How do I make my golf course and facilities accessible? How can I make this a win-win situation?

These are the questions most often asked by golf operators and owners who have had little or no experience or information regarding people with disabilities and the game of golf. It would take a book to address each of these and other questions adequately, but this article will at least provide some things that golf operators and owners should consider and will provide a list of resources that will be helpful when questions about golfers with disabilities might arise in the future.

Who are they?

The 2000 U.S. Census shows that approximately 54 million Americans have a permanent disability and over 26 million have a severe disability. This is almost 20% of the total U.S. population. Table 1 provides a breakdown of some of the major categories and numbers of people with disabilities.

It should be noted that these figures do not include an estimated 30 million baby boomer's who are reaching the "age of maturity" or the 14 million senior adults who already are experiencing disability due to the infirmities of the aging process, e.g. hip and knee replacements; chronic heart conditions; respiratory difficulties; hearing and sight loss, etc.

It was this growing population of people with disabilities that was the impetus behind the passage of the American's with Disabilities Act of 1990. The "ADA" as it is known, is the first comprehensive civil rights legislation providing protection from discrimination for people with disabilities in not only publicly operated facilities and programs, but privately owned and operated facilities and programs that provides access to the general public. The hospitality industry including resorts, golf courses, hotels, restaurants, spas and others are included. The only exemptions within the ADA are for private clubs and religious entities. The Private Club exemption is very strict and must meet rigid standards of membership and exclusivity. As just one example, the Augusta National Golf Club would generally meet that standard, but NOT during the week of the Masters Golf Tournament, when the grounds are opened to the public.

Accompanying the passage of the ADA, was a specific set of minimum guidelines required of entities to insure that both new and altered facilities provide equal opportunity for people with disabilities to enjoy the same benefits of those facilities and programs as those without disabilities. While there are many nuances associated with the implementation of the law and application of these accompanying standards, in general, privately owned and operated businesses must insure that their programs, facilities and services are accessible to those with disabilities. It is not the intent of this article to define or clarify coverage of the ADA. References are provided at the conclusion of this article that will direct interested readers to specific provisions of the law.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act clearly covers public access golf courses, whether publicly or privately owned, the law did not originally provide specific guidance for golf course owners and operators relative to their responsibilities for making the golf course accessible. Club houses, restaurants, parking lots and other built facilities were clearly identified and minimum standards for their construction and renovation were included in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines. However, requirements for alterations and new construction on the golf course were not included. As a result, the U.S. Access Board, the independent federal agency responsible for setting such standards, set out to establish specific guidance. After almost 10 years under development, the final architectural guidelines for new and altered golf courses were adopted on October 3, 2002.

Provisions for making golf courses accessible

The provisions for making golf courses accessible are summarized in the figures below:

An accessible route or golf car passage is required through out the golf course. That means that an individual requiring the use of a motorized device such as a golf car or adapted single rider golf car, must be able to get from the parking lot to the practice facilities and onto the golf course, with the ability to access all of the holes and on course amenities (e.g. weather shelters, tees, greens, fairways) on the course without facing insurmountable barriers.

The golf car passage must be a minimum of 48 inches wide, but does not have to be a hardened surface and no slope or cross slope provisions apply.

Practice areas and facilities must also be made accessible. These include practice putting greens, hitting stations and bunkers. A minimum of 5%, but not less that one must be configured so that a golf car can enter and exit the station.

People with disabilities are likely to, in possibly greater numbers than those without disabilities, take greater advantage of practice facilities when they are accessible. It is also possible that many may infrequently or never play a full round of golf, but use the practice facilities extensively.

Once on the golf course, accessibility is provided via the golf car passage. The tees, fairways and greens must be designed and built to allow access of a golf car onto the surfaces of each. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the requirements for teeing grounds and fairways.

Access must also be provided up to the greens surface. A golf car must be able to get to the edge of the green. There are no design criteria for the actual greens surface. Since undulating greens are often a key component in golf course design, these guidelines do not change that or any other fundamental characteristic of the game. The issue of whether the golf car is actually allowed on the green is a policy one and not a design issue and therefore is not covered under these guidelines.

Because of their very nature and purpose, bunkers and hazards are not required to be accessible on the golf course. However, where possible, an ingress and egress point for wheeled devices such as mowers and mobility devices would make the game more accessible and enjoyable for all.

Finally, other amenities on the golf course must also be accessible, if they are provided. For example, if a golf course has a weather warning system, provisions must be made for people with low vision or who are blind if the system is a visual one and for people with hearing loss or who are deaf for systems that are auditory in nature. There are various ways to accommodate these golfers, without undue hardship or expense. These might include a paging system, combined audio and visual alarm system, as well as personal contact by way of on course personnel in cases of severe weather. When weather shelters are provided, they must be on the golf car passage or accessible route and be constructed so as to allow a golf car to enter and exit. Minimum requirements are for a clear floor space of 60 inches by 96 inches. When conducting golf tournaments or other events that require the construction or use of temporary facilities such as porta-lets, refreshment stands and/or bleachers, they will need to be accessible to people with disabilities.

Beyond architectural and physical accessibility

While the guidelines outlined above provide guidance for golf course architects and contractors, there remain many unresolved issues that the U.S. Department of Justice will ultimately provide guidance on. These include items such as requirements for purchasing adapted golf cars for players with disabilities; guidance on not allowing golf cars used by players with disabilities onto greens and other areas of the golf course during inclement weather or under other sensitive turf conditions. In the mean time, golf course proprietors should recognize that disallowing individuals with disabilities to play the game fully could create significant legal problems unless a sound justification, based on fact and not on stereotype, can be made. As one example, the Department of Justice recently ruled that the City of Indianapolis owned and operated golf courses are required to purchase single rider (adapted) golf cars for use by golfers with disabilities. This should signal the fact that DOJ considers very carefully, the rights of people with disabilities to play the game of golf.

Possible financial ramifications of the ADA for golf courses

Golfers with disabilities are beginning to play golf. A recent survey by Indiana University's National Center on Accessibility and Clemson University, found that not only are people with disabilities playing golf, but many more have a desire to play.

The implications for golf courses can be many and varied, depending whether they embrace these new golfers; ignore them or worse yet, create barriers to their participation. Golfers, especially those with physical and mobility impairments, will need some accommodations. It may be as simple as allowing them to take golf cars into areas restricted to golfers without disabilities; it could mean removal of stairs or curbs; and it could mean the purchase of single rider or adapted golf cars. There are several manufacturers of such cars and they range in price from $3000 to over $8000 depending upon options and manufacturer. The major golf car manufacturers are now either marketing the sale or lease of these devices or they are manufacturing them. Golf Car companies such as EZ-GO, Yamaha and Club car all have single riders available.

The U.S. Government has estimated that in new construction of built facilities, the estimated additional cost to insure accessibility is from less than 1% to just over 1% of the total construction cost. Altering already constructed facilities is estimated at between 1 and 3 percent of the total renovation cost.

While there are no "ADA Police" so to speak, the law does contain options that people who feel as if they have been discriminated against can exercise. A summary of such relief is found in the table below.

Those are the "downsides" if you will, but the potential benefits of embracing this new potential market far outweigh the negatives. First, there are tax incentives to making accessibility improvements to facilities. These include both a tax credit (Up to 50% of eligible expenses per year- maximum credit $5000) and a tax deduction (maximum of $15,000 per year for barrier removal.) There are specific guidelines and parameters for businesses to qualify for these credits. A Tax Incentive Packet is available from the U.S. Department of Justice.

However, the greatest potential to increase the Bottom Line is through increased play via this new generation of golfers. The following Tables provide a look at the possible impact on revenues, based on studies and reports that have been published:

Based on the studies of the National Center on Accessibility/Clemson University cited earlier and on the 2000 survey conducted by the National Golf Foundation, the potential revenue, based on very conservative figures AND based solely on greens and cart fees, the revenue potential for golf courses through out the country are significant. Additionally, the figures represented do not include the bludgeoning aging population with concomitant disabilities, nor do they reflect other golfers with disabilities (e.g. blind, deaf, mentally impaired) other than those with significant physical disabilities that most likely would require some type of accommodation. Further, the figures do not represent significant income potentials from sales of merchandise, food and beverage service and golf instruction. In addition, people with disabilities, not unlike those without disabilities do not play by themselves and most likely will bring additional players such a family members and friends into the game.

Finally, to dispel the notion that people with disabilities are all poor and without resources, the 2000 Census Bureau data shows that people with disabilities have:

• $214 billion in disposable income
• $1 trillion in aggregate income in the year 2001

Golfers with disabilities do provide an opportunity to expand a golf operation's customer base and with it, increase revenues. Like any other market, however, golfers with disabilities will not simply show up at your course without some marketing, encouragement and enticement. Hopefully this article will pave the way for more consideration in exploring this untapped golfer market.

Footnotes:

All figures in this document are courtesy of the U.S. Access Board publication, Accessible Golf Courses, June, 2003

1. Settlement agreement between the United States of America and the consolidated City of Indianapolis, Department of Parks and Recreation, under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
2. Proceedings of the Fifth National Forum on Accessible Golf, Indiana University-Clemson University, 1996
3. Department of Justice. 1992. "Final Regulatory Impact Analysis of the Department of Justice Regulation Implementing Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990."
4. Tax Incentives Packet on the Americans with Disabilities Act, http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/taxpack.htm