by Helen Hecker
Many people are not aware that many disabled golfers can play golf in specialized carts or wheelchairs. As word gets out, more and more golf courses are buying the specialized, single rider carts and swivel chair golf carts to make available for golfers with mobility problems who want to play wheelchair golf.
The courses that help disabled golfers by making these wheelchair carts available also use handicap flags so they can take the carts up to the greens and not have to leave the fairway at certain points as would normally be required.
The carts have a swivel chair design and are weight balanced. They can traverse over greens and difficult bunkers. The carts cost about $7500 or so. Many golf courses still don’t have them. Once there is a high demand for the carts the courses might invest in them. There are several hundred courses now that have the carts.
Resort golf courses want to make their courses as accessible as possible for disabled golfers. Other courses will follow suit as the demand rises. Prospective golfers should call their local courses and start requesting these carts. If they get enough inquiries the courses might invest in them. But they’re going to wait for the demand in some cases.
Some courses share the carts with each other. So with advanced arrangements the carts would be moved to the designated course and made available for tee time. Vacationing families love these disabled golf carts. It has changed the way disabled golfers take their golf vacations. Myrtle Beach golf courses and courses in North Carolina have been using them extensively. That makes a Myrtle Beach golf vacation a great destination for a special needs or disabled golfer or anyone who has to use a wheelchair off the course.
Many course owners are reluctant to allow disabled golfers, who have their own carts, to use them on their courses for several reasons including damage to the greens and liability. And the cost of the carts is prohibited to most golfers anyway.
There seems to be no downside to having these swivel chair carts on courses, because they are really made not to damage as well as being handicap accessible. So having these wheelchair golf carts available to disabled golfers is a better option. So for the millions of people in the U.S. and Canada with disabilities it’s a great start.
