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Sunday, July 06, 2003

By John Vivirito Jr.

Libby Powers rolled her eyes as her tee shot rolled to a stop on the fairway.

"I was hoping for a better shot," she said later.

But Powers, a 15-year-old from Sewickley, then grinned ear to ear, and 100 people watching grinned with her. Distance was not the point for the first official tee shot at the No Handicap Golf Club.

"This was one of my first shots at real golf, so it was great," said Powers, a soon-to-be Quaker Valley High School freshman who has spina bifida. She helped open the No Handicap course June 28.

This is no ordinary golf course.

It has only three holes, all of them par-3. So an ordinary golfer might cover the entire course in nine strokes.

But the course is for extraordinary golfers.

The No Handicap is completely adaptive and handicapped accessible, designed for would-be golfers like Powers. And it's at The Woodlands, a haven for children and adults with disabilities and chronic illnesses nestled among the trees on 32 acres along Shenot Road in Bradford Woods and Marshall.

It's a place Powers knows well. "I've been coming to The Woodlands for almost 10 years now. I love this place," she said.

Two other club members followed Powers to the tee: Patrick Morrison, 10, of Hampton, and Jake Lucovich, 12, of Moon.

Patrick, who "lives for sports," according to his mother, Karen, was assisted to the tee by his father, Drew. Morrison lifted his son, who has cerebral palsy, from his wheelchair into a walker that helps him stand.

Patrick positioned his club, then hit the ball solidly onto the fairway. His grandparents, Bruce and Connie Powers of Fox Chapel and Ernie and Jessie Rubbo of Ross, beamed proudly.

"Patrick will have plenty of time to play this course -- we'll be back," Karen Morrison said. "He is a special kid who never gives [up]. He's blind in his left eye. He can walk in a walker. And he loves to play sports, especially golf."

Jake's tee shot was a thing of beauty, landing firmly on the green, though it didn't stay there.

Jake is a survivor of Burkitt's lymphoma, a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma form of cancer.

"I thought I hit a good one, but it rolled off the green," said Jake, who attended the event with his parents, Dennis and Becky, and his 9-year-old brother, Luke. "I usually golf with my dad and my brother at Scally's [in Moon]. I've been golfing for a while now."

It's difficult for people with disabilities to golf at Scally's, though -- or at most golf courses.

"As far as we know, this is the only course of its kind ... in the country," Woodlands Executive Director Peter Clakeley said.

The course, which cost more than $250,000 to build, has three wheelchair-accessible tee boxes and three separate pins and cups on each hole, distinguished by red, white and blue tee markers and flags. By playing different colors in different combinations, it can be played as a nine-hole or 18-hole course.

Course architect Dominic Palombo of Dominic Palombo Associates LLC said he was pleased with the design, which he did for free.

"When I first visited The Woodlands, Peter Clakeley said, 'We'd like you to do it for free.' I was a bit surprised.

"But, after Peter took me around the facility and I saw all these kids laughing and smiling and having fun, I thought, 'Man, I'm pretty lucky,' and I said, 'Sure, I'll do it.' "

Palombo has been designing courses for 27 years, and his portfolio includes Treasure Island Golf Club in Dubois and The Links at Spring Church in Apollo.

The 3-acre parcel at The Woodlands had to be leveled so Palombo's layout would adhere to Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, with no more than a 6 percent grade.

The Woodlands course includes a long hole of 67 yards and a short drive of 31 yards. The fairways are lined with young evergreens and there are no sand traps -- they're tough for wheelchairs.

The fairway turf was rolled out just a few days prior to the club's opening. The greens are composed of artificial grass on a rubber mat and a sand and gravel base. The tee boxes have artificial turf on level cement bases for wheelchair use.

"The cart paths have special wood chips made for playgrounds that kids can fall on and wheelchairs can ride on," Palombo said. "The chips are cut on angle for safety by a company in Harrisburg. This is a terrific course for little kids and their parents to play for fun."

"Dom Palombo could not have designed a better course," Dr. Donald Reigel, Woodlands board chairman, said during the club's opening ceremonies.

Palombo was only one of many to contribute.

"We cannot thank those who donated their time and money enough," Reigel said.

During the ceremonies, Dr. William Cheek presented a check for $50,000 from the United States Golf Association Foundation.

Other contributors include Abe and Gloria Glasser of Greensburg and their family, $50,000; Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, $50,000; proceeds from The Woodlands' August 2002 golf event at Westmoreland Country Club, $35,000; and the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation, $15,000.

An additional $15,000 to $25,000 is needed to refurbish one of The Woodlands' buildings to be used as a pro shop.

The Woodlands Foundation, which was formed in 1998 through an anonymous donor's $1 million endowment, also is seeking tee box sponsorships of $5,000 each to support course operation and development of a golfing program. UPS Foundation and Mitsubishi Electronic Power Products Inc. are the first two tee box sponsors.

The inaugural club get-together also featured a pair of golf celebrities: LPGA Tour veteran Carol Semple Thompson and trick shot artist Dennis Walters.

Semple Thompson was presented with the club's first Spirit of Golf Award.

"It's an honor just to be here," the Sewickley resident said. "This is a very impressive facility. This golf course is wonderful. ... Just a wonderful idea for these kids."

Semple Thompson took a tee shot at No. 1 hole after the three children, placing her drive firmly on the green.

Walters, paralyzed from the waist down in an accident 29 years ago, showed off his trick-shot skills after the opening tee shots.

"It's great to be a part of this dream," said Walters, who does about 100 performances a year from his Florida base.

"My big dream was always to play on the PGA Tour, but my accident has kept me from that," Walters said. "I can't move or feel my legs; I also found a lot of other things I couldn't do. But there was no way I was going to give up playing golf."

A friend helped put a swivel seat on Walters' wheelchair so he could swing his clubs, and he's made a career out of trick shots ever since.

Like Palombo, Walters took no money from The Woodlands.

"How could I expect to be paid for this? This was an honor," Walters said. "I just hope others will see me and get out there on the course."

The Woodlands was first used as a summer camp for orphans and impoverished children in 1937 and has served those with disabilities and chronic illnesses for more than 20 years.

Facilities include an aquatics center, nature trails, a creative arts center and a sports court. Camps and weekend retreats are offered.

Public hours and fees have not yet been set for the course. For information on the course, call 724-935-6533.

John Vivirito Jr. is a freelance writer.