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Local Government Information
New
ADA rules make few demands
Of particular note is no mention of requiring
golf course operators to provide for rent single-rider golf cars specially
designed for disabled golfers. Concerns by the department’s Architectural
and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) were focused
entirely on design and architecture. Operational rules, such as mandated
provision of golf cars equipped to assist special physical needs, have
been left to the Department of Justice for possible future action.
Among the major determinations of the modified
rules:
“The revised standards for golf courses are
not at all onerous for golf course operators,” said Gary Robb, a member of
the Access Board and executive director of the National Center on
Accessibility, a public service training and research institute based at
Indiana University. “The standards assume that people with mobility
impairments are going to be using an assistive device, perhaps a
single-rider vehicle. The golf course rules are probably the least
imposing of all guidelines for all recreational facilities.”
The Access Board also relaxed a number of
design criteria with respect to the slope of approach to teeing grounds.
It also provided more precise criteria for access to shelters and paved
cart paths. Along the way, it affirmed its intent to make the game more
available to the estimated 52.5 million disabled Americans without
substantially changing the challenge and character of golf course design.
Much of the rule-making is based upon the
already widespread use of golf cars. As a summary statement of the
guidelines makes clear, “golf car passages are permitted in lieu of
accessible routes throughout the golf courses. To comply, courses must be
designed so golf cars can access teeing grounds and putting greens.”
Rather than insist on access to all features via wheelchair, the Access
Board took a more relaxed approach and stated disabled golfers should be
able to go anywhere golf cars are able to go.
The final accessibility guidelines for
recreation facilities apply to golf courses, driving ranges, practice
putting greens, and practice teeing grounds “that are newly designed . . .
and to existing facilities when they are altered.” In the case of any
renovations to established courses, the guidelines apply only to the
renovated components and not to the entire facility. If a 50-year-old golf
course rebuilds two greens and two sets of tees, those features alone must
be in compliance. All public access facilities, including resorts and
daily-fee courses, must comply. The guidelines also pertain to privately
operated, member-only facilities that host outside functions.
Denver-based course designer Richard Phelps
chaired the American Society of Golf Course Architects committee on the
ADA and was among the industry representatives who participated in the
Access Board’s deliberations since 1993. He lauds the way the federal
government worked closely with experts, the public and the private sectors
in refining the regulations.
“We wanted to stay involved to make sure the
results were doable without ruining the game,” Phelps said.
The guidelines acknowledge the
“unpredictability of where the ball lands” and that mandating
accessibility of every feature “would require altering slopes and
eliminate some of the challenge” inherent in golf. While requiring that
accessible elements of the facility include golf car rental area, bag
drop, practice green, practice range, and on course toilets and shelters,
it shied away from mandating handrails on paths, since this would create a
secondary danger of ricocheting golf balls on in-play areas.
Among the technical requirements were that 5
percent of all teeing stages on a practice range be accessible to disabled
players. Curbed cart paths must offer exit/access points of at last 60
inches wide at intervals of at least every 75 yards. Previously announced
technical specifications with respect to the area of the teeing ground and
the need to establish a 1:48 (just over 2 percent) slope leading to and
from the tee were abandoned.
One area of concern to the golf industry
reserved for possible future review by the Access Board involves the use
of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers on golf courses. Because people
suffering multiple chemical sensitivities might qualify under the ADA for
protection, the Access Board “plans to closely examine the needs of this
population, and undertake activities that address accessibility.”
Bradley S. Klein is editor of Golfweek’s
Superintendent News.
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