From the Executive Director: Inclusive Resources and Programs

It’s July and half the year has gone by. Hope everyone is having a great year, especially to those engaged in making sure the game of golf is inclusive of individuals with disabilities. July 26^th is the 26^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Signed into law in 1990 by President George H. Bush, the ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities. As we celebrate the 26^th Anniversary, I would hope that each of us takes a look at our facilities, golf courses, and programs to ensure that we are providing access to the game of golf for everyone, especially individuals with disabilities. To that end, the Alliance has created two toolkits that are designed to help both individuals with disabilities get involved in the game of golf but also a resource for golf course operators, owners, managers, golf professionals, golf course superintendents, etc. On our website, you will find these two toolkits under Resources. On our website under Resources you will find not only the toolkits mentioned above, but also links to other resources that will help make this game inclusive. Check it out!

Ms. Yvette Pegues at City Club of Marietta Golf Course.

Recently, the Alliance was involved with a program in the Atlanta, GA, area that used the Get Golf Ready program to engage individuals with disabilities. Ms. Wheelchair International Yvette Pegues and PGA Professional Tim Wilkes were instrumental in coordinating this program. The results were tremendous and the goal is to expand this nationwide. The Atlanta program was featured on Headline News (HLN) and has receive nationwide coverage. Get Golf Ready has been very successful in growing the game and, by now being inclusive of individuals with disabilities, we have the potential to further expand the reach of golf. For more information about the Get Golf Ready Program, go to www.pga.com/play-golf-america/get-golf-ready.

Finally, we continue to expand our program search engine at www.accessgolf.org. You can find facilities/programs that have adaptive instruction and are accessible. If you have a program or facility offering adaptive instruction and access, please submit your information to add your program.

Thank you all for reading this blog monthly, and for making sure that golf is inclusive for everyone!

Steve Jubb, PGA

Executive Director

National Alliance for Accessible Golf