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Golf Gadgets That Can Help Older Golfers
By Jim Miller
There
are a number of golfing gadgets and accessories on the market today
that can help older golfers who struggle with arthritis, injuries
or loss of mobility. Here are some possible solutions that can help
keep your dad on the golf course.
Gripping Helpers
Gripping a golf club is a very common problem for seniors with arthritis or those
who have hand or elbow injuries, or any condition that affects their hand strength.
To help alleviate this problem there are specially designed golf gloves and grips
that can make a big difference.
Depending on the severity of your dad’s problem, an inexpensive option
to check out is the Bionic Golf Gloves (bionicgloves.com, 877-524-6642) which
are ergonomically designed to improve grip with less effort. Or the Power Glove
(powerglove.com, 800-836-3760) that uses a Velcro strap to secure the club to
your hand. These gloves run between $20 and $30.
Another option to consider is to get oversized grips installed on your dad’s
clubs. These can make gripping the club easier and more comfortable, and are
also very good at absorbing shock. Oversized grips are usually either one-sixteenth-inch
or one-eighth-inch larger in diameter than a standard grip, and cost around $5
to $10 per grip. Your local golf pro can help with this.
Or, for a grip-and-glove combination fix, check out the new Quantum Grip (quantumgrip.com,
855-692-3784) that incorporates hook Velcro golf grips and companion golf gloves
that have mating loop Velcro material in the palm. This ensures gripping
power and prevents the club from slipping in your hand. The price: $30 per grip
or $189 for a set of seven, plus $40 per glove.
Bending Solutions
If back, hip or knee problems or lack of flexibility is also hampering your dad
on the golf course, there are a number of innovative gadgets that can eliminate
the bending and stooping that comes with teeing up the ball, repairing divots,
marking the ball on the green, retrieving a ball or tee on the ground, and picking
a club, sand rake or flag stick up off the ground.
These stoop-proof devices run anywhere from a few dollars up to $70 and can be
found at sites like Kool Tee (kool-tee.com, 800-324-6205), Tee Pal (teepalpro.com),
and the Upright Golf company (uprightgolf.com, 319-268-0939).
Ergonomic Golf Carts
There are also a number of great ergonomic golf carts that can help older golfers
who still like to walk the course. These are three or four-wheeled, light-weight
push carts that provide great stability, can be adjusted to fit your body size,
and fold into a compact size in a matter of seconds for easy transport. Sun Mountain
Sports (sunmountain.com), Bag Boy (bagboycompany.com) and Caddytek (caddytek.com)
are three companies that make these type of carts at prices ranging anywhere
from $130 to around $200.
Or, for seniors with severe mobility loss or who are disabled, there’s
the SoloRider golf cart (solorider.com, 800-898-3353) that provides the ability
to play from a seated position. Retailing for $9,450, this cart is lightweight
and precisely balanced so it can be driven on tee boxes and greens without causing
any damage. And federal ADA laws require that all publicly-owned golf courses
allow them.
This page and its contents ©2012
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
