Where to find adaptive golf courses in New Jersey that are accessible to all

In early June, as golfers were getting ready for the U.S. Open, Bill Botten and Juliet Shoultz of the United States Access Board were reminding people that even golf — with its rolling greens and water hazards — should be accessible to all.

The Access Board, which is responsible for writingthe guidelines required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, hosted a June 2 webinar and blasted out emails to remind golf course owners, recreational professionals and the public of their “obligations for barrier removal.”

But from Sky View Golf Club in Sparta Township to Cape May's National Golf Club, athletes with disabilities aren't the only ones in New Jersey who can benefit from accommodations.

As the myriad of retirement communities built around golf courses illustrates, “people want to play golf to a very late age,” and the standards will “extend the game for a lot of people,” said Botten, a senior accessibility specialist.

As summer settles in and more golfers hit the links, the board hopes a renewed emphasis on ADA requirements will help make the sport fair and fun for all.

"It’s taken decades for the golf industry to realize that golfers come in all shapes and sizes," said Gianna Rojas, 60, an Oak Ridge woman who founded the nonprofit group Adaptive Golfers to make the sport more accessible.

Here's a look at what the Access Board says every player should expect from their course — and a few Garden State courses known for their accommodations:

Accessibility at the entrance

It starts with arrival, said Shoultz, an engineer with the federal board.

Accessible parking, ramps, sidewalks and curb cuts in the parking lot are a good start, and their absences could be harbingers of hard times ahead.

“There should be an accessible route through an accessible entrance, and the entrance shouldn’t be a ramp back in an alley somewhere,” Shoultz said. “It should be the same entrance that everyone else gets to use, and you should be able to get all the way to the sales counter.”

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“Anything that is available to someone without a disability, from parking to customer service and amenities they provide, all of that has to be accessible, and that’s before we even get onto the course,” she said.

That includes the golf cart rental area, bag drop area, practice putting greens, teeing grounds and weather shelters.

Drinking fountains, bathrooms, service counters and the clubhouse should all be equally available regardless of the venue, according to ADA guidelines.

Adaptive equipment

Equipment should also be accessible. There are putters that can be angled down so they are parallel to the ground when used from a seated position. Courses can also provide specially designed adaptive golf carts — a solution to what Botten said has been the toughest challenge for the Access Board.

“How do you provide an accessible route to everywhere a ball can land?” Botten said during the webinar, which was attended by course designers, disability advocates and state and local government officials from around the U.S.

The answer was a vehicle with balloon wheels that are a little larger than on standard golf carts so they won’t damage the course, because, as Botten put it, “that putting green is some of the holiest ground on earth.”

The cart’s chair can swivel to either side, allowing its driver to swing a club without leaving their seat.

Kevin Hughes, 37, was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. He was 26 when he first visited a driving range with his dad. The results were less than stellar.

“I didn’t have an adaptive device, just regular clubs, and as athletic and strong as I think I am, the ball went 30 feet, if that. It was quite a struggle,” Hughes said.

Carts and clubs

He didn’t give golf another thought until years later while working at an adaptive sports organization called Turnstone in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he’s now a manager.

That’s where he got his hands on a set of clubs with movable joints that can be placed at a better angle for a player in a seated position. The right equipment made a big difference.

Hughes can hit a ball 150 yards using those clubs.Turnstone also introduced him to adaptive carts. The ADA requires government-owned courses to be modified and have adapted equipment, but such vehicles are uncommon where he lives.

The carts, made by companies including SoloRider and Golf Xpress, cost between $7,000 and $10,000. Turnstone went in 50/50 with the Fort Wayne Parks Department to buy one.

Playing sports has allowed Hughes to meet "more people like me," he said. “My wheelchair basketball coach uses a wheelchair and has a family and a full-time job. That pushed me and showed me what normal is. That could be me. It really opened up my eyes.”    

Publicly owned courses are required to make accommodations under Title II of the ADA. Anyone who believes a course is discriminating can seek help from the federal Justice Department, Botten said.

“You can file a civil rights violation with the Department of Justice. You can go after local building code officials and you can go after the owner,” he said.

Accessible courses in New Jersey

Rojas, who was born without fingers on her left hand, was surprised to see how many courses weren't accessible when she started golfing 10 years ago to spend time with her husband.

She started Adaptive Golfers in 2017 with the goal of "empowering" people with disabilities by spreading the word that courses should be open to all.

A lot of people are being left out of the sport, she said. But some courses in New Jersey do offer accommodations:

• Rojas recommended Rossmoor Golf Course in Monroe Township and Galloping Hill Park and Golf Course in Kenilworth.

• Coakley-Russo Memorial Golf Course in Lyons and the Picatinny Golf Club in Dover have SoloRider adaptive golf carts, according to Texas-based SoloRider.

• The Rutgers University Golf Course in Piscataway offers an adaptive cart.

• Five public courses in Somerset County also use SoloRider carts: Neshanic Valley in Branchburg, Green Knoll in Bridgewater, Quail Brook and Spookly Brook in Franklin and Warrenbrook in  Warren.

Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA Today Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: myers@northjersey.com 

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Adaptive NJ golf courses: US pushes accessibility standards