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 That's usually your choice when you play golf. Sam Geta doesn't have a choice. The T-12 paraplegic needs a special cart, but that hasn't stopped him from hitting the links. I watched Geta play at a charity tournament a few months ago. Using a SoloRider golf cart with a swiveling seat, he hit every fairway and every par-3 green. The benefiting charity that day was Shane's Inspiration, whose mission is to create accessible playgrounds for all children. It was a hassle for Geta to get a SoloRider for his tournament round. The facility didn't have one, but that's par for the course. Only about six single-rider carts are available for use in Southern California. But let's not put the cart before the story about Geta, an Encino resident who took up golf at 32 - when he could still walk. Geta played baseball, football and basketball in his early days. Despite his 5-foot, 6-inch frame, he relished his time on the hardwood. "I was a great passer," he said, "and playing sports was my way of never having to really grow up." Two years after taking up golf, Geta became quite good, and remembers thinking to himself that a run at the Champions Tour could be in order down the road. But on July 26, 1990, two days after that thought, Geta's life changed forever. While riding his motorcycle in the San Fernando Valley, a car turned in front of him, crushing his 12th vertebra and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Seven months after being confined to a wheelchair, golf re-entered his life. "I was in rehab when I met Jack Williams," Geta said. "Jack was the Pied Piper of adaptive golf. He'd take mobility-impaired golfers and put on clinics showing people that the physically challenged can play golf." Williams, who died in 1997, introduced Geta to the single-rider cart with a swiveling seat. The carts also place the clubs on the front of the vehicle, meaning everything needed is within arm's length for golfers who can't use their legs. Even though the Americans with Disabilities Act states "no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability," getting public golf courses and private courses with access to the public to comply with the mandate has been difficult. Maybe it's because these specialized carts cost about $9,000, as opposed to about $6,500 for a regular model. But tax benefits are available, so maybe course operators are afraid of possible damage from the carts being driven on greens. "That's a bad argument," said Roger Pretekin, president of SoloRider, which is based in Denver. "SoloRiders are so perfectly balanced, the pound-per-square inch effect on a green is the same as a 250-pound man." Pretekin sees the problem as being twofold. "The golf courses don't want to spend the money, and the people who need these carts aren't making enough noise or filing lawsuits, because when they do, they win," he said. "The federal government says public courses must be available to all people." Plus, a SoloRider could make extra money for course operators who purchase them. "The Legends on the Niagara Golf Course in Upstate New York got a SoloRider for a disabled golfer who promised to play regularly," Pretekin said. "Now he plays 45 Sundays a year, and each time brings three friends. That translates into 180 rounds a year. And that's not all. Now disabled golfers have regular games on Thursdays and Saturdays, and they always play in a foursome." Do the math. That's more than 500 revenue rounds a year for courses that purchase the specialized carts. Mobility-challenged golfers need to speak up, and public courses need to step up. If they don't, it could cost them more than just the price of a special cart. The Marriott Corporation lost a huge lawsuit in January. A judge ordered the hotel chain to have a single-rider golf cart at all 26 of its courses and has yet to rule on the penalty phase. As for Geta, he only gets to play about once a week, and that's usually at Woodley Lakes Golf Course in Van Nuys. The Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department has three SoloRiders, but they're moved from course to course and must be ordered in advance. Geta would love to get a job in the golf industry, and he'd like to play at more courses to educate people about mobility-challenged golfers. In the meantime, he plays in an able-bodied league to get some competition. Why not invite Geta to your course? I guarantee it will be a positive learning experience. Sam Geta can be reached at SITgolf@aol.com. For more information about SoloRider carts or adaptive golf, visit solorider.com or mobilitygolf.com. Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. He can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
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