Golf Proves To Be A Favorite At Inaugural Physical Fitness Program For Disabled Youth, Children


May 27, 2004

By David Shefter, USGA

Washington, D.C. – Gregory Carter didn’t want to leave.

With most of his fellow students from Catherine T. Elementary school in Lanham, Md., heading toward the buses, Carter wasn’t quite ready to divorce himself from his golf club.

“That’s how it is when he’s having fun,” said his mother, Marcia Frazier-Foster. “When he goes swimming, I can’t get him out of the water.”

After receiving some quick instruction, Gregory Carter was hitting the foam golf balls with relative ease. (Curren C. Calhoun/USGA)

The 12-year-old Carter, who suffers from cerebral palsy, could not wipe the smile off his face each time his club made contact with the foam golf balls. After one of his shots traveled some 100 feet, he raised his club in the air and exalted.

“It sure does give them great self-esteem,” says Cal Smith, an instructor with Project GAIN (Golf Accessible and Inclusive Networks) from Toledo, Ohio. “It is things like this that pique their interest and give them the opportunity to experience golf and find out if they will like it.”

Carter and roughly 25 of his classmates took part in the inauguration of the National Initiative on Physical Fitness for Children and Youth with Disabilities on May 26 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Participating organizations included the National Alliance for Accessible Golf for which Project GAIN belongs.

The USGA is heavily involved with such programs and has made four grants totaling $328,608 to Project GAIN since September 2001. The current grant extends through 2005. The USGA assisted with the development and operation of the five initial Project GAIN sites – Baltimore, Chicago, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Toledo – in their first two years of operation and assisted with the research to help assess the program’s impact on the participants.

And through the assistance of former USGA president Trey Holland, the USGA has published “A Modification of the Rules of Golf for Golfers with Disabilities.”

Golf was one of seven sports showcased for the children. The USGA’s booth included two synthetic putting greens, a mat for kids to hit foam golf balls and two single-rider golf carts. One of the carts was owned by Potomac, Md., resident Bob Schmonsees, 57, who has been paralyzed from the waist down for the last 20 years from a skiing accident yet still plays four to five times a week.

Program speakers included the Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Cardona, and CNN anchor Judy Woodruff, whose eldest son, Jeff, has been afflicted with spin bifida but continues to stay active through exercise and therapy.

Some six million children in the U.S. are afflicted with a disability.

“Today we recognize both the need for this program and the hard work ahead for all the partners who have agreed to bring mentors and mentees together to provide individualized programs of physical activity for young Americans with disabilities,” said Dr. Margaret Giannini, the director of the Health and Human Service Office on Disability.

Participants in the program were encouraged to earn the awards sponsored by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the “Presidential Active Lifestyle Award” and the “Presidential Champions Award.”

Following the formal program, which had the slogan “I can do it, you can do it!” the children were given the opportunity to sample the various sporting activities.

Joshua Chapman, 9, gravitated to the putting green and was quite excited after sinking a putt. “I did it!” he exclaimed, placing his hands on his head to celebrate the moment. “This is cool.”

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, right, helped kick off a national initiative to promote good health and exercise among the six million disabled children and youth. Receiving special Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards for their participation were (left to right) Andy Houghton of Miami, Fla., Manuela Hoyos of Coral Gables, Fla., and Juliette Rizzo of Rockville, Md. (Curren C. Calhoun/USGA)

Imani Neal, a 10-year-old female who like Carter suffers from cerebral palsy, also learned to putt under the guidance of St. Johns and German. “I made a hole-in-one,” the fifth-grader said.

Eleven-year-old sixth-grader Jarrett Rogers struggled at first to make contact with the foam ball, whiffing a couple of times before Smith stepped in and provided quick instruction. Rogers was sending the ball airborne moments later.

“I like it,” said Rogers, who suffers from an undisclosed mental disability. “I just like sports … I like going on these field trips because we don’t have to do any homework.”

“He’s got a real good swing,” said Smith. “I’m impressed.”

The 57-year-old Smith, a retired Army cryptologist, started with Project GAIN in January after spending five years as a recreational therapist.

“It is more treating the person as a person and learning from them,” said Smith. “In our next class, I’m going to be working with a young man who is autistic and visually impaired, so that should be quite a challenge. The only thing that restricts a person from playing golf is themselves."

His last pupil of the day was Carter, who said he had played some golf at camp last summer. After spending time on the putting green, he moved to the mat where Smith showed him how to properly grip and swing the club, in this case a titanium wood. A few seconds later, Carter was making contact with the ball. With each swing, the ball went farther and farther.

“I’m the second king of golf,” said Carter, who was then asked who the original king was. It wasn’t the name most would expect. “That’s Tiger Woods. He’s the king.”

David Shefter is a staff writer for the USGA. Contact him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.