Anyone who plays golf knows the sport can be a challenge. Even the pros are constantly honing their skills. But imagine golfing without the use of your legs.
"Being a paraplegic you need to use muscles in golf that you don't have anymore, so you have to figure some things out," said Retired U.S. Navy Lt. Arron Frankum.
Lt. Frankum lost the use of both his legs after a devastating car accident in Newport, Rhode Island. Golfing had been a passion of his before the crash, so Lt. Frankum's wife, who works at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, enlisted the help of the Mount Sinai Rehab Center and Golfers in Motion to help get him back on the course. The solution they came up with is a special solo-rider golf cart.
"I think they like the amount flexibility and independence the cart provides," said Paige Mccullough-Casciano, a Certified Therapeutic Rec Specialist at the Mount Sinai Rehab Center.
In the cart, Lt. Frankum can adjust the seat so his body is standing upright, which allows him to take a swing and hit the ball as any other golfer would.
"The goal is for him to enjoy it and hit enough good shots so that his love for the game is totally rekindled and carried forward in a whole new kind of passion," said Gary Reynolds, a PGA Pro who is part of Golfers in Motion.
"With practice everything comes a little bit easier, so this cart is a great enabler. Lets me get out and do the things I used to do before I got injured," said Lt. Frankum.
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Monday was only the third time Lt. Frankum has used the special golf cart, and he's already set to take it past the driving range and onto the course.
"I wouldn't say I'm ready for the tour or anything, but I'm able to get the ball down the course at a relative rate, so it's good, it's definitely good to get out on the links in this nice weather, take advantage of it," said Lt. Frankum.
The next step for Golfers in Motion is making Lt. Frankum a special set of golf clubs to help straighten out his shot.
