August 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 56

This programming, in turn, is made accessible
through many courses' connections to existing parks
and recreation efforts. If golf is to change its image,
it is likely that this transformation will center on municipal courses. According to Singer, " the [municipal
courses] that do it well spread through the community, and have staff on property to handle junior camps,
clinics, and social events for beginners and specific
segments of the golf-playing population. "
Municipal courses also stand to benefit from the
changing face of golf. By making golf attractive to
families and young people as a low-cost, engaging
activity, municipal courses can reduce dependence

on taxpayers while simultaneously growing the
game. Richard Singer concludes that the relationship between municipal golf and the golf industry
as a whole is mutually beneficial: " Municipal golf
strengthens the community and the industry. Many
lifelong golfers get their start at municipal courses. "
Los Angeles municipal courses are a prime example of this symbiotic potential between public golf
courses and the democratic aims of the PGA's Golf
2.0 initiative. According to Jim Ward, the city's director of golf operations, the cost of playing is designed
to be affordable for the whole community. The reservation system, he says, is designed " to promote

PROBLEMS or OPPORTUNITY?

Miniature golf readies for changes in accessibility regulations

IkE A TINY sPINNING
windmill, the clock is
winding down toward
the March 15, 2012,
deadline for newly constructed miniature golf
courses to comply with
the 2010 standards for
Accessible Design published by the U.s.
Department of Justice. The original ADA
became effective in 1992, but rules for
recreational facilities were not developed
until 2000 (playgrounds) and 2002 (golf,
miniature golf, amusement rides, aquatics facilities, sports fields and courts, fitness facilities, and more), and did not
become a final regulation until 2010. New
rules will also apply to aquatics facilities
and amusement rides on that date.
Arne Lundemark, founder and president of Adventure Golf services, says
that although most courses built in recent years are compliant, many older
miniature golf facilities share similar
challenges in removing barriers. " There
are issues common to all courses....mostly paths that are too narrow, " Lundemark
says, and notes that another frequent
trouble spot is the tee area, which must
be at least 4 by 5 feet.
John McGovern, president of Recreation Accessibility Consultants, LLC, in
Illinois, says he is excited by the progress being made by local parks and recreation agencies. " Every agency I talk
54 Parks & Recreation

AUGUST 2011

with knows these guidelines have been
in the pipeline for two decades, " McGovern says.
Bringing a course into compliance
does not necessarily have to be an expensive project. " If you had a little Eiffel Tower that was anchored with a bolt and was
right in the middle so you couldn't walk
around it, that might be readily achievable barrier to remove....or you can cut
down a few bricks from the exit of a hole
to make it less than 1-inch high or at least
32-inches wide, " Lundemark says.
Because only 50 percent of the holes
on a course need to be in compliance,
Lundemark recommends an audit with
an ADA consultant to plan out which
holes can be made compliant the most
easily. The accessible holes do not all
need to be contiguous-one break is allowed, as long players have a workable
" step aside " to get to the next compliant
hole. McGovern agrees and notes that
golf access is a frequent subject at state,
regional, and national conferences.
" There is no shortage of people who
know how to make miniature golf courses accessible, " McGovern says.
McGovern notes that public parks
and recreation agencies must meet the
Department of Justice program access
test, which means that the opportunity
for miniature golf, if provided, must be
accessible. Public agencies have until
March 15, 2015, to make the changes

www.NRPA .ORG

necessary at a unique site, such as a
miniature golf course, for accessibility.
That is very different than the " readily achievable " test for private businesses. Lundemark notes that most
private miniature golf facilities can prioritize barrier removal, with physical
access to the facility from the sidewalk
or parking lot, or " getting through the
door, " being the first priority. Then
comes access to the course itself, accessibility for any public restrooms on
site, and finally removal of any remaining barriers such as by lowering counters. Lundemark says that his company
started building ADA compliant courses
15 years ago, and most new miniature
golf courses built in the past 10 years
should be compliant.
McGovern adds: Do you want new
customers? Many disability experts note
that the demographic group of people
with disabilities is a potential new customer pool. If they cannot park in an accessible stall, pay the cashier, buy a
lemonade at the concession stand, use
the accessible restroom, and play the
course, that's a round of miniature golf
you just lost.
For more information, see http://
www.ada.gov/2010ADAstandards_index.htm and www.access-board.gov.
-Elizabeth Beard,
Managing Editor, Parks & Recreation

August 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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