2001 Conference Proceedings
Go to previous article
Go to next article
Return to 2001 Table of Contents
Handicap: Zero - Golfing without Hands
Randy Marsden
Madentec Limited
www.madentec.com
On August 18, 2000, history was made. Sixteen golfers, all
with quadriplegia, golfed alongside able-bodied golfers at
Pelican Hill Golf Course for the first time. The event, titled
Real Abilities Charity Golf Tournament, was the first of its
kind. The golfers with disabilities participated on the same
teams as the able-bodied golfers. These golfers drove from hole
to hole on the real course in their powered wheelchair, following
the shots they made on a computer mounted in front of them. The
only real difference? The wheelchair players won't have to get
out of their seats to make their next shot.
With 2.5 million people in the United Stated alone living with a
severe physical disability, this tournament proved that there are
still some sports that provide an equal playing field for both
the disabled and able-bodied.
Using the latest assistive computer technology from Madentec and
Microsoft's Links LS 2000 golf software, the Pelican Hill golf
course was recreated on the computer down to the last detail.
People with disabilities golfed virtually, using the computer
software and assistive technology.
The Participants
The 16 AT golfers had the equivalent of C4-C5 quadriplegia. They
came from every walk of life; high school student, teachers,
doctors, lawyers and CEOs. In addition to the AT golfers,
able-bodied golfers, amputee golfers from Fore All, and
representatives from Microsoft and Teddy's Star also
participated. In total, over 150 people enjoyed the excitement of
the day.
Able-Net TV webcast the entire event and ABC, NBC and CBS aired
segments of the vent in over 60 cities nationwide.
In addition to AT golfers participating directly on the Pelican
Hill course, other AT golfers held virtual golf tournaments at
the golf course. Here, both disabled and able-bodied golfers
competed on a truly equal playing field; using the Links LS
software and Tracker 2000.
Making it as Realistic as Possible
In order to give the AT golfers all the experience of golfing
Pelican Hill, a portable computer running Microsoft's Links LS
software was mounted to each wheelchair. The Links software is
amazingly accurate. Factors such as wind, fog, hills, sand traps,
trees, bushes and how you swing the club make it a very realistic
experience. As one user states "you can mess up just as easily as
in real golf without the added cost of losing balls".
The Equipment
To access the Links LS software, each AT golfer used Tracker
2000, a device that tracks head movement and converts it into
cursor control in the same manner as a mouse. Each golfer wore a
small reflective dot on their head or glasses and moved their
head to move the cursor. They performed the mouse "click" using
either the WISP, a wireless interface used in conjunction with
Tracker 2000, or a large ability switch.
A Toshiba laptop was placed in a back-pack on the back of the
wheelchair, and was attached to a special outdoor LCD display
that was mounted in front of the user using an adapted Manfrotto
mounting arm. A specially designed power adapter was used to
provide power for all the electronics from the powered
wheelchair's batteries. Finally, "Misty Mates" and large dark
umbrellas were used to help keep the user cool in the hot
California sun. To approximate value of all the equipment used
totaled $7,500 (not including the wheelchair).
Results
Overall, all who participated deemed the event a wonderful
success. The wheelchair golfers were among the best of all the
golfers on the day, and took home many of the awards included
longest drive, longest putt, and closest to the pin.
However, the event was not without it's problems, most of them
technical. Wheelchair batteries running low was the biggest. In
spite of the fact that a powered wheelchair was taken around the
course beforehand to verify it would have sufficient capacity for
the task, many wheelchairs still had problems. Upon reflection,
we realized that we had failed to account for the fact that in a
shotgun type tournament, the wheelchair not only had to make it
around the course once, but also had to be able to drive out to
(and back from) the beginning hole (which was not hole number 1
for most participants). For some, this was equivalent to driving
around the course two complete times. Able-bodied members of the
teams that temporarily lost their AT golfer due to technical
difficulties complained loudly that they were losing their best
golfer.
Fortunately, standby batteries were charged and ready at the
clubhouse and were dispatched quickly by radio via a service golf
cart. In the end, everyone made it back to the clubhouse safe and
sound, tired, but happy. Next time, we will devise a system to
transport the wheelchair golfers to their starting hole in vans
to avoid similar problems.
Where do we go now?
Requests to do similar events have been requested from
organizations in Florida, Hawaii, Canada, and even China. There
is no other event that we know of that demonstrates better the
equalization power of assistive technology. We will most
certainly be sponsoring another event.
Feedback
Of all the people involved in this tournament it was the AT
golfers who provided the most encouragement and positive attitude
to keep the day rolling. They were able to adjust to the problems
encountered and still keep the experience positive. Here are just
a sample of what our AT golfers had to say:
"This was one of the best days of my life. I used to say since
my accident there were two days that changed my life - now I have
to say there are three". Jennifer Sheehy "I never dared to dream
I'd be golfing again. Sometimes reality is bigger than your
dreams ". Bill Miller
Conclusion
This was a wonderful demonstration, in real life, of what
assistive technology can do. Recreation is important in and of
itself, and golf is a great game for allowing people with
different abilities to compete on an equal footing: people with
disabilities can now be included in that group. It was a
real-life demonstration of how assistive technology can truly
level the playing field for people with disabilities.
Go to previous article
Go to next article
Return to 2001 Table of Contents
Return to Table of
Proceedings
Reprinted with author(s) permission. Author(s) retain copyright.