Wheelchair users can tee up a game in adaptive golf cart
Kirk Fontaine is in a wheelchair, but, lo and behold, he’s golfing again.
On the tee box with a driver in his hand, Fontaine is all smiles. On this day, as he crushes a one-handed swing up down the middle of the fairway, he looks a little like Tiger Woods after his comeback Masters win.
This is a comeback of a different sort.
Golfing isn’t something Fontaine ever thought he’d be able to do once he lost his ability to walk.
Three years ago a car accident left Fontaine paralyzed and wheelchair-bound.
It’s something so easy to learn how to use. It gets people out. It gets them out of the house.
Today, at age 42, Fontaine is able to golf again thanks to an innovative Solo Rider golf cart. He and others who are confined to a wheelchair were recently able to swing the clubs again with the aid of the Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association and Golf Saskatchewan, who teamed up for an informal clinic in Saskatoon.
Fontaine played a few rounds each year before his accident. The clinic was the second time he was able to try out the Solo Rider.
“When I first tried it … I was a little scared of it,” admitted Fontaine, a bigger guy who was worried about swinging away while being strapped up in a tilted chair.
“It was kind of a challenge to be in there.”
But he soon found himself hitting balls one-handed straight down the middle ... and enjoying every minute of it.
“After my accident, I knew there were activities out there,” said Fontaine, who has since tried a few other sports like skeet shooting and archery.
Chantal Gosselin, who is the bridging-the-gap provincial co-ordinator for the Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association, was on hand for what the group calls a ‘Have-a-Go’ day.
“We open it up to anybody who is fairly new to the game of golf or anybody who’s never tried it before,” Gosselin said. “We provide a safe environment for individuals to sign up and learn some tips from our pros or instructors.
“I really enjoy that we have two adaptive golf carts in the province,” she added.
“Our summers are so short. This just gives people with disabilities one more opportunity to get active in the summer. It’s something so easy to learn how to use. It gets people out. It gets them out of the house.”
The Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association offers programs such as wheelchair tennis, rugby, basketball, para athletics (track and field), adaptive kayaking, adaptive water-skiing and parasailing.
Jared Carter, who has tried sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball, can now add golf to his repertoire
“It’s a pretty neat setup,” said Carter, a 19-year-old native of Martensville, Sask.
Saturday marked the second time he was able to test the cart.
“It’s definitely a better experience this time,” said Carter, who admits he’s a casual golf fan.
“I don’t watch golf on TV — this is just something to do, basically,” said Carter, who counts sledge hockey as his favourite activity.
Steve Ryde, manager of sport development with Golf Saskatchewan, said there are two Solo Rider carts in the province — one in Saskatoon and one in Regina. Golfers in the city can arrange to have the cart transported to different courses.
“They just have to call ahead and get it charged so it’s ready to go,” Ryde said.
The cart can pretty much go anywhere on the course. That includes shallow bunkers and right onto the putting green.
“You can turn fairly quickly and it doesn’t damage any of the grass. It has a very light footprint,” Ryde said. “Depending on the disabilities, we kind of work with each individual and see what we can do. If (torso) rotation is limited, we’ll just swing with the arms and the hands.”
Safety is a big thing.
“It is a little scary because once you get buckled in, it tilts you forward,” Ryde said. “You’ve got to make sure you’re buckled in and it’s safe. They’re a little hesitant with that. But you can shoot left or right-handed. It’s a fascinating thing.”