Follow on Google News News By Tag Industry News News By Place Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | Freedom Golf Association Hosts Annual Golf Outing at Cog Hill June 9Event highlights group's achievements in making golf a reality for people with special needs
By: Freedom Golf Association An estimated 200 people—50 foursomes—are expected to participate in this annual tournament. Able-bodied and special needs golfers, age 10 and above, are encouraged to take part in this tournament, organized as a shotgun, best ball tournament played on Cog Hill's #2 course (Ravines). The registration and warmup period runs from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Announcements are at 7:45 a.m. and the tournament begins at 8 a.m. Afterwards, a cocktail reception, awards ceremony and luncheon begin at approximately 2 p.m. If the weather is inclement and the tournament is cancelled, rain checks for play at Cog Hill will be distributed, or a new date will be announced at the event. Individuals can join a foursome (four able-bodied golfers plus a special needs golfer) for $200; full foursome packages are available for $700. The reception, awards ceremony and luncheon is included in the price. Those who would like to cheer on the golfers from the gallery and attend the reception and lunch can reserve their seat for $50. There will be raffle awards, event awards, plus a live and silent auction. Reservations can be made at https://campscui.active.com/ Volunteers are welcome! To help run the tournament, call FGA at 630-455-6018. Understanding Adaptive Golf Adaptive golf is the term that encompasses a growing number of local, state and national initiatives to make golf available to persons who have physical, intellectual, or sensory challenged individuals. Included among these are "wounded veterans," many of whom suffer from PTSD. To make it possible for people with disabilities to play golf, a variety of adaptive strategies have been adopted. Among them are Single Rider carts for the non-ambulatory, adaptive golf clubs, golf courses that have been made more accessible, changes in rules as written by the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USGA). Golf swings, grips, and prosthetics may be also needed to allow the disabled to play the game. An Opportunity for Sponsorship According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are 57 million disabled persons in the country. 18 million of them want to play golf, according to the PGA Foundation. This makes supporting organizations such as Freedom Golf Association very attractive and rewarding for organizations, as there is a large number of potential golfers among those with special needs. The growth of the adaptive golf movement underscores the need for more funds to support these types of programs. FGA receives support from thousands of donors including FootJoy, Titleist, Bridgestone, Ahead, Under Armour, BMW Championship, Encompass Champions Tour, the Tiger Woods Foundation, Hinsdale Bank & Trust, Molex, Comcast, AlphaGraphics, Rytech, Buddig, RIC, GE Capital and, ATI. Foundations that support FGA include Amvets, the First Non-profit Foundation, the National Alliance for Accessible Golf, Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, Kids Golf Foundation, and The First Tee of Greater Chicago. Golf facilities that partner with FGA include Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Downers Grove Golf Club, Naperbrook Golf Course, Meadowlark Forest Preserve Golf, Rich Harvest Farms, White Pines Golf Dome, MQ's Golf Dome, Buffalo Grove Golf & Sports Center, and River Bend Golf Club. FGA works with corporations and organizations to tailor their support. FGA acknowledges sponsors through website exposure, media, newsletter and more. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sally Ruecking, Director of Development and Personnel, by email or by telephone at 630-455-6018. About Freedom Golf Association Freedom Golf Association (FGA), a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, is the leading adaptive golf organization in Illinois and is a charter member of the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance. FGA was founded in July 2012 by Edmund (E.Q.) Sylvester. E.Q. is a director of the Western Golf Association (WGA), member of the United States Senior Golf Association (USSGA), and a triple amputee. FGA is dedicated to bringing joy and a sense of freedom to the special needs community through their inclusion in the game of golf. FGA works to assist individuals with disabilities in many ways: • Provides professionally run instructional clinics and golf events • Engages children, adults and veterans with special needs in FREE golf instruction with other classmates • Conducts adaptive golf training workshops to increase the number of qualified golf coaches to instruct individuals with special needs • Provides leadership and collaboration with nationally recognized organizations on how to expand/grow adaptive golf programs Based on its growing understanding of the needs of disabled golfers, the FGA has developed a ground-breaking Adaptive Golf Enhancement Program™ that increases the golfing ability of special needs golfers. To assist coaches and special needs golfers in determining what adaptive measures would be most beneficial, FGA recently invested in what they call a "personal swing sensors and computerized program" to 1) measure the disabled golfer's initial swing path and limitations; 79 cents out of every dollar received goes to FGA's special needs golf programs and events. FGA has helped 40 Chicagoland courses become accessible to the disabled community. For more information about the Freedom Golf Association, please visit www.fgagolf.org. Contact FGA by phone at 855-342-4465 or 630-455-6018, or by email at playgolf@fgagolf.org. Donations to Freedom Golf Association can be made at www.fgagolf.org/ Follow FGA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ End
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Account Phone Number