{"id":39568,"date":"2022-07-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/paragolfer-gives-those-with-impaired-mobility-a-chance-to-play-the-greens\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:50:36","slug":"paragolfer-gives-those-with-impaired-mobility-a-chance-to-play-the-greens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/paragolfer-gives-those-with-impaired-mobility-a-chance-to-play-the-greens\/","title":{"rendered":"ParaGolfer gives those with impaired mobility a chance to play the greens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Netto, designer of the ParaGolfer and founder of the Stand Up and Play Foundation, demonstrates the ParaGolfer on June 25 at Hillcrest Golf Club. The Adaptive Golf Association in Durango raised $34,000 to allow people with impaired mobility to stand up and play golf. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durango resident Bruce Stolts was born with spina bifida, a spinal defect that causes paralysis from the waist down. As a result, he has spent much of his life on the sidelines while his dad, brother and friends played golf or other sports.<\/p>\n

The ParaGolfer is helping change that. The $34,000 vehicle allows people with paralysis, amputations and other impairments to stand upright to swing a club.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to golf, especially in the last few years, and with this ParaGolfer, has expanded those opportunities to where we can build memories as a family,\u201d Stolts said.<\/p>\n

The ParaGolfer was purchased in December 2021 by the Adaptive Golf Program, a program designed to bring the game of golf to Durango-area residents who are disabled. It is being kept at Hillcrest Golf Club and is the only vehicle of its caliber in the Four Corners.<\/p>\n

Durango-area resident Andrew Asmuth, founder and director of Adaptive Golf Program, said he began looking to purchase a ParaGolfer about a year ago. After extensive fundraising and a bit of a wait for a machine to become available, he finally received one in December.<\/p>\n

Asmuth said it is essential to provide Adaptive Golf Program participants with as much freedom on the course as possible. The ParaGolfer is similar to its counterpart, called the SoloRider, but it is more nimble and provides greater accuracy and independence in the game of golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing through what I\u2019ve been through and knowing a lot of disabled people in the community \u2013 that\u2019s their goal, they want as much independence as possible,\u201d Asmuth said.<\/p>\n

Asmuth suffered a traumatic brain injury in a major car crash at age 5. Doctors said he would never walk or talk again. But after 20 years of physical therapy, Asmuth has regained his mobility.<\/p>\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Netto, inventor of the ParaGolfer, helps Brendan Pederson with his grip as he uses the ParaGolfer. Pederson, a Durango resident, was medically retired from the Navy in 2018 after a progressive neurological disorder began to limit his ability to walk and talk. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI figured I could help people recover, too, that are told they can\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Asmuth worked with the Adaptive Sports Association Ski Program in Durango for 13 years, but also played golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cGolf for me, especially with this group, has a real cognitive aspect that other sports and other things may not, and it really helps break through some of those barriers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Asmuth started the Adaptive Golf Program with four participants in 2013 and officially got it certified as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2017. Since then, the program has continued to grow, with 60 participants and 465 lessons in 2019. The program was shutdown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since returned.<\/p>\n

Asmuth hopes the ParaGolfer can draw people with greater limitations to come out and give it a try.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make golf inclusive,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen that throughout the years \u2013 that is a serious problem, they don\u2019t make it accessible. We\u2019re doing our best to help make it accessible to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Netto demonstrates the stability of the three-wheeled ParaGolfer. The vehicle can provide full weight bearing support for amputees, paraplegics and others with no function in their legs. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Molly Mabie, a board member with Adaptive Golf Program, says the ParaGolfer\u2019s standing feature is her favorite aspect of the vehicle. Unlike the Solorider, the ParaGolfer can provide full weight-bearing support for amputees, paraplegics and others with no function in their legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a girl and she hadn\u2019t stood in forever, and the teachers went bonkers when she got to stand for the first time,\u201d Asmuth said. \u201cShe can\u2019t communicate, but they know how she communicates and they were like, \u2018This is the happiest she\u2019s been, ever!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Another regular user, Brendan Pederson, was medically retired from his job as a Navy pilot in 2018 when a progressive neurological condition began to limit his ability to speak and walk.<\/p>\n

Pederson was a golfer in high school and college. His parents say the ParaGolfer has been a tremendous help in allowing him to return to the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has provided Brendan another sport to participate in, which has of course helped him out. But it has also helped us out because we like to golf, as well,\u201d said Pederson\u2019s father, Larry Pederson. \u201cIt just added a whole new dimension to our ability to get outside and play sports together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"About
About 30 people watched Anthony Netto demonstrate the ParaGolfer on June 25 at Hillcrest Golf Club. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The ParaGolfer is free to use for golfers and non-golfers who just want to stand up. Adaptive Golf Program raised money for the vehicle through golf tournaments and sponsors, including PGA Colorado, Ballantine Family Fund, Summit Church and others.<\/p>\n

Mabie donated her mother\u2019s memorial fund to the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom was so proud of the little program, and it\u2019s grown,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, I thought, \u2018Well, that\u2019s where we should put the money.\u2019 That\u2019s what my dad and I decided.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ParaGolfer at Hillcrest Golf Club is the only one of its kind in the Four Corners. But inventor Anthony Netto wants to change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future is going to be that every golf course that is accessible will have one of these units,\u201d he said in an interview with The Durango Herald<\/em>. \u201cWe are actually going to start making them locally in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netto, a former member of the South African Special Forces who now lives in Las Vegas, was injured in the Gulf War and hit by a car a few years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a big recovery time and I needed to get my mind set, and golf was the perfect solution,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were a lot of friends who needed help, that were worse off than me. So we needed the right type of equipment and there was nothing out there. The seating golf carts \u2013 they caused more issues than they helped. So I worked with a bunch of friends and engineers and came up with the ParaGolfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Anthony
Anthony Netto shares a laugh with Michael McCloskey, a pro golfer and director of golf at Hillcrest Golf Club, during a demonstration and long-drive contest June 25. Netto, using the ParaGolfer, beat McCloskey, hitting the ball 250 to 260 yards. But McCloskey put up a valiant effort with his non-dominant hand, hitting the ball about 200 yards. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At a demonstration last month, Netto battled Hillcrest Golf Club\u2019s best golfers in a long-drive contest. Michael McCloskey, a pro golfer and director of golf at Hillcrest, was challenged by Netto, but with a catch: Right-handed McCloskey had to shoot left-handed.<\/p>\n

Netto, using the ParaGolfer, beat McCloskey, hitting the ball 250 to 260 yards. But McCloskey put up a valiant effort with his non-dominant hand, hitting the ball about 200 yards, said Bob Pensec, event organizer and Adaptive Golf Program board vice president.<\/p>\n

Once Netto starts lowering the ParaGolfer\u2019s cost by manufacturing them in the U.S., the Adaptive Golf Program may look into adding another vehicle to its fleet, Pensec said.<\/p>\n

kpercival@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vehicle at Hillcrest Golf Club is only one of its caliber in Four Corners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2045,950,2261,28,346],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-39568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-disabled","tag-durango","tag-golf","tag-headlines","tag-sports"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39568"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84369,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39568\/revisions\/84369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39568"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=39568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}