Accessible golf launched in Lower Saxony

The model project "Accessible Golf" was presented by Hardenberg GolfResort, the Stefan Quirmbach Golf School, and Ottobock during a media meeting. With immediate effect, people with restricted mobility can book golf courses at the Hardenberg GolfResort at levels ranging from starting swings to handicap permits. The golf instructor Stefan Quirmbach, who is well-known throughout the country, has developed a special concept for this in his golf school - the necessary sports equipment with the name ParaGolfer is provided by the medtech company Ottobock. Martin Braxenthaler, top paralympic athlete, demonstrated paragolf in action.

The Wheelchair department at Ottobock has been active in the area of mobility and leisure time for several years. During this time, innovative products such as the SuperFour (4-wheel vehicle), the ScoutCrawler (track vehicle for beach and snow) and the ParaGolfer have been developed. Now with the model project "Accessible Golf", Ottobock wants to make golf accessible to people with restricted physical mobility. "Our activities in this area were strongly tailored to customers who previously played golf but who are now restricted due to illness or accident. This innovative project with Stefan Quirmbach and the Hardenberg GolfResort should now expand this target group. For many people who rely on a wheelchair, golf can be a new experience. Unfortunately until now there has been little opportunity to become familiar with paragolf on a professional level", describes Gunter Röper, Managing Director of Ottobock Mobility Solutions, the motivation for the new project.

Following the initial meetings between the entrepreneurs Carl Graf von Hardenberg and Professor Hans Georg Näder, a course programme "Accessible Golf" was devised over the past months under the leadership of Stefan Quirmbach. The provision of individual lessons as well as group courses provides an easy introduction to ParaGolf. At the start of the golf programme, an individual assessment of the level of restriction faced by the potential golfer is carried out by the golf school. After technical instruction on the "ParaGolfer" vehicle, the different golf techniques are then explained. After 12-15 lessons, the handicap permit test is possible. This is a prerequisite for playing golf on a golf course. "I have been involved in the area of golf and individual physical constitution for many years. My intensive interaction with specialist doctors and physiotherapists confirms my long-standing experience as a golf instructor. As the golf ball is in a resting position, the person with reduced mobility can adjust his or her motion sequence to the appropriate situation", explains Stefan Quirmbach on the background of the course concept. Two ParaGolfer vehicles are ready in the golf school and they can be used for lessons or for a round of golf.

The cooperation between the Hardenberg GolfResort and Otto Bock serves as a model for Germany. Only a few golf courses allow accessible golf or offer any kind of complete package. The Hardenberg GolfResort thus wants to make a unique contribution to the topic of inclusion and also attract new target groups in the tourism sector. Nestled in the country estate of the Count of Hardenberg with two hotels and numerous leisure facilities, the resort offers a full vacation and leisure programme for people with a handicap. "Our golf resort and the golf club are very open to this new programme. With our golf courses and first-class hotels, we are one of the top golf destinations in Germany. We now also want to live up to this claim in the area of accessibility. We consider opening up to people with a handicap to be a combination of social responsibility and target-group-focused marketing. The cooperation with Otto Bock provides us with a reliable basis for this", summarizes Carl Graf von Hardenberg, the owner of the Hardenberg GolfResort.

For more information on the "Accessible Golf" course programme, see: www.StefanQuirmbach.de

The Hardenberg GolfResort can be found under www.gchardenberg.de.

Press contacts Golf school:
Stefan Quirmbach Golfschule
Planckstraße 21
D-37073 Göttingen
Phone: +49 (0) 55 17 97 78 91
Fax: +49 (0) 55 17 97 78 93
info@stefanquirmbach.de

Hardenberg GolfResort:
Gräflicher Landsitz Hardenberg
Ina ten Doornkaat
Phone.: +49 (0)5503 802 171
Fax: +49 (0)5503 802 179
E-mail: ina.tendoornkaat@der-hardenberg.com
Web: www.der-hardenberg.com

ParaGolfer/Otto Bock HealthCare:
Lara Albrecht
Corporate Publishing/Corporate Communication
Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Max-Näder-Str. 15, D-37115 Duderstadt
Phone: +49 (0) 5527 848 1771, Fax: +49 (0) 5527 848 3360
E-Mail: larachristina.albrecht@ottobock.de
www.ottobock.de