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...people with disabilities, because golf is the ultimate rehabilitation tool. If we
can get people with disabilities to try the game, and convince them that they can do something
that they think they couldn't do before, that establishes the mindset that, "If I can do
this, what else can I do that I couldn't do before?" That's the first step to getting
them back into the mainstream of society and off of public assistance. I think that this
whole initiative benefits the game of golf because we want the sport to look like a snapshot
of America, and you can't have a snapshot of America without the disabled population
being involved.
Our underlying tenet has always been to work with all people, and bring them into the game
of golf and more importantly, keep them into the game of golf. This is one population - people
with disabilities - that has not been tapped in the industry, and with our over-reaching
goal in the industry, Golf 2020, to reach and to grow the game of golf. This is a group
of 54, approximately 54 million people that we, as a group, are focusing on. This is a
tremendous initiative for growing the game of golf and in growing the game of golf with
inclusion for all.
...because we, as a golf industry, just like any other recreation industry struggle with
keeping our industry vital, and increasing the numbers of people who participate in our
sport, and really, there are a lot of golfers in America who are considered to be disabled
who want to play the game of golf. We know that there are many who are already playing
the game, but there are many who, for different reasons, have not taken up the game. Either
it's because they are not aware that there are special assistive devices that help them
play the game, or they're intimidated much like a beginning golfer might be of going
to the golf course. If you've never played a round of golf before, the golf course can
be a very intimidating environment until you really figure out how things work.
What we find right now, industry is required to make all of our workplaces accessible,
and we go through great lengths and great expense to make these workplaces all accessible.
When you look through the workplace, you see very very few disabled people at work. In
talking to people like Tom Houston and other people here at the association, we find out
that one of the major reasons behind that is the fact that they just do not feel comfortable.
They do not have the social skills, they're not prepared. Through Project GAIN, one of
the things that we're finding out is these people do get those skills, they are around
other people , not just disabled people, but their mentors and the golf pros, and people
at the different clubs where they're learning their skills. This, in our belief, will enable
these people to feel confident that they can come back and get back into the workplace.