Status of Rulemaking

The U.S. Access Board issued final accessibility guidelines for access to golf facilities including tee boxes, fairways, greens, hazards, and practice areas on September 3, 2002. The next step in the rulemaking process is for the U.S. Department of Justice to adopt the Final Rule as enforcable standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• Accessibility Guidelines for Recreation Facilities - Issued by the U.S. Access Board - September 3, 2002
  
  
• Summary of Accessibility Guidelines: Golf Courses- Issued by the U.S. Access Board



• Summary of Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Recreation Facilities

Publications

• Golf: You can play too!



• Golfers With Disabilities: An opportunity to Expand Customer Service and Increase Revenues - by Gary Robb. Reprinted with permission from the October/November 2003 issue of the Bottomline, the trade journal of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals.



• Golf: An Update on the Movement Toward Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities - NCA Monograph (Fall 2003)



• Golf reports available through NCA



• Instructional Tips for Golfers with Disabilities - by Judy Alvarez, PGA/LPGA Golf Professional



• From the Bag Drop to the 19th Hole: Tips for Making Individuals with Disabilities Feel Welcome at Your Golf Course or Golf Facility - from the USGA Resource Center for Individuals with Disabilities

Golf Organizations, Instruction and Resources

• National Alliance for Accessible Golf



• Project GAIN



• USGA Foundation Resource Center for Individuals with Disabilities



• Golf Industry and Disability Groups Meet to form National Alliance for Accessible Golf



• Join Listserv for the National Alliance for Accessible Golf



• Educational Strategies for Accessible Golf to Evolve from Forum



• Golf: A Game For All
  (Golf Organizations, Instruction and Resources)



• Golf Courses and Architects



• Resource organizations, agencies and individuals on golf and persons with disabilities



• Internet Sites for Resources on Golfers with Disabilities

Golf Products

• Golf Assistive Technology and Equipment



• Single Rider Golf Cars

Litigation

What has been a win-win for golfer Casey Martin in his quest to use a cart while participating in the PGA Tour now has Martin and disability advocates holding their breath as the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to the PGA Tour's request to hear the case January 17, 2001. Both the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made decision in favor of Martin who requested the use of a golf cart as an ADA modification in PGA tournament play. The PGA Tour argued that first it was not covered under Title III (Public Accommodations) of the Americans with Disabilities Act and second, that walking was an integral part of golf tournament play where the use of the golf cart would fundamentally alter the nature of the event. The case is the first recreation-related case under the Americans with Disabilities Act to be heard by the high court.

In December, the National Center on Accessibility signed on to the brief amici curiae (friend of the court brief) submitted by the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems. Additional briefs submitted to the court represent the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, the K-T Support Group, U.S. Solicitor General and former Senator Dole. The questions before the Supreme Court include whether Title III of the ADA regulates standards established for competitors in athletic competitions held a places of public accommodations; and, if so, whether Title III requires professional sports organizations to grant selective waivers of their substantive rules of athletic competition in order to accommodate disabled competitors. A far reaching decision by the Supreme Court could further define key principles of the ADA including "public accommodation," "reasonable modification," and "fundamental alteration."

Online resources to follow the case:

• About Casey Martin in "Faces of the ADA" by the U.S. Department of Justice in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act



• PGA Tour's position on the use of carts in tournament play as posted on CBS Sportsline's Golf Web

 

 

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