The Paragolfer, a revolutionary mobility vehicle, allows disabled players to play golf by elevating them from their wheelchair to a standing position. Two Paragolfers owned by Paragolf Scotland and Mearns Castle Golf Academy provide this opportunity, enabling players like Ryan MacDonald and Peter Moore to play golf again after losing mobility. The Social Care Ideas Factory hopes to raise awareness of Paragolfers and encourage more clubs to acquire them so disabled players can enjoy golf.

1. GADGET GETS DISABLED PLAYERS ON COURSEpara-golf
BACK IN THE
GAME Peter
and Ryan with
Charlie and
Emma WIlson
from golf
academy
MORE AT DailyRecord.CO.UKPage 16 Daily RecordMonday,April11,2016
ryan
clubs, I just felt
devastated because I
missed it.”
For years, he had
played golf with his dad
and brother and he
sorely missed joining
them on a course.
Ryan added: “A whole chapter of my
life had disappeared.”
The Paragolfer means he can again
get back on the course with his family.
He added: “I’ve been out with my
brother and dad and son.
“I also took part in a fundraiser with
some golfing buddies in a team. I was
almost crying the whole way round as
it was the first time we’d played a
round together in so long. I thought it
was never going to happen again.
“It’s had a massive effect. It’s been
life-changing for me being able to play
golf again.”
I’ll never forget the minute
it stood me up to take a shot
BEING able to play golf again has
transformed Ryan MacDonald’s life.
He had to give up the sport when his
mobility deteriorated, leaving him
using a wheelchair.
But the Paragolfer changed all that.
Ryan said: “Finding it was out of this
world. I’ll never forget the minute it
stood me up and I was ready to take a
shot and my dad was standing next to
me. I would have given 10 years of my
life for that minute.”
Ryan was 19 when he
became ill and lost the
use of his legs after
being bitten by a tick.
He was coaching
football and tennis in
the States when his
central nervous system
became affected.
Within six months,
Ryan had managed to
fight back to fitness and
he even returned to
coaching in America
and playing sport.
But his body never completely
recovered and his health deteriorated
again, leaving him back in a wheelchair
nine years ago.
Father of three Ryan, 35, who works
in housing and lives in Crookston,
Glasgow, took up wheelchair sports
including basketball and tennis after
his mobility deteriorated.
He persevered with his beloved
golf and tried to play using crutches.
But he fell over often and had to
give up.
Ryan said: “Whenever I saw a
manicured piece of grass or a set of
BITE Ryan MacDonald
A chapter of
my life had
disappeared.
It’s been
life-changing
to play golf
again
THE boxing gloves
worn by Sir Henry
Cooper when he floored
Muhammad Ali are
expected to sell for
£50,000 at auction.
The British boxing
legend sent Ali
crashing to the canvas
with a left hook in 1963.
Ali was saved by the
bell at the end of the
round and recovered to
defeat Cooper.
The gloves go under
the hammer at Graham
Budd auctioneers in
London on April 25.
£50khitfor
Cooper’sAli
KOgloves
BIG WINJoshua celebrates
Boxing champ home
todochoresformum
flat he still shares with his
social worker mum Yeta
Odusanya, Joshua will be
expected to pull his weight.
He said: “With my mum,
I don’t celebrate too much
because I want her to still
see me as her son. I’ll have
to do my chores. I’ll still do
that–buyingthemilk,eggs,
anything like that.”
JOSHUA v FURY –
PAGES 4243
NEW world heavyweight
champion Anthony Joshua
will be doing chores for
his mum rather than
polishing his belt when he
gets back home today.
Londoner Joshua, 26,
demolished American
Charles Martin inside two
rounds to take the IBF
crown at the O2 Arena on
Saturday.
Despite being on top of
the world, when he gets
back to the former council
BENROSSINGTON
reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk
GADGET GETS DISABLED PLAYERS ON COURSE
TEE FOR
TWO Ryan
and Peter in
Paragolfers.
Pic: Alasdair
MacLeod
GolfERS who were forced to
give up the sport because of
disability are now able to
play again thanks to a
revolutionary machine.
Players are elevated from a
sitting to a standing position with
the Paragolf mobility vehicle.
At the moment, there are only
two of the machines available to
the public in Scotland.
But on Thursday the charity
Social Care Ideas Factory will
launch a campaign to raise
awareness of the machines and
encourage more clubs to get
involved.
Anthony Netto, the man
behind the Paragolfer and
founder of the Stand Up and
Play Foundation in America, will
attend the launch at
Mearns Castle Golf Academy,
near Glasgow.
Paragolf Scotland, in
partnership with the golf
academy, own Scotland’s only
two publicly accessible
Paragolfers. The £20,000 aids are
Opento
everyone
MariaCroce
Page 17Daily RecordMonday,April11,2016 MORE AT DailyRecord.CO.UK
peter
two took up golf about a
year-and-a-half ago.
CCTV operator Peter,
54, from Newton Mearns,
near Glasgow, said there
was a silver lining to his
accident.
He added: “I was going
to work on a pedal bike
which I’d bought on the
Monday so I could cut out
the bus fares to save for a
holiday abroad.
“On the Friday, I was
passing the bus I would
have caught to work and
my trousers caught in the
chain of the bike.
“The bike came up on
one wheel, I turned round
and the bus hit me.
“But I met my wife
Audrey through the
accident. She was visiting
her dad in the Southern
General Hospital in
Glasgow. He was in the
same ward I was in.
“And I’ve played for
Scotland at wheelchair
basketball.
“I wouldn’t change my
life now.”
home of golf and we didn’t even
have that facility.”
The charity helped fund the
first machine. They got behind a
drive for the second and
now hope to encourage the
development of golf for
wheelchair-bound players.
It is hoped other clubs will be
inspired to offer the machines
and as more people get involved,
Scotland can create its first Para-
golf team.
●FOR more information, visit
socialcareideasfactory.com
about introducing sport back
into people’s lives where they had
some kind of injury or condition
that meant they were now
disabled.”
Charlie was contacted by a
couple of disabled golfers from
America who were coming to
Scotland and wanted to know
where they could use a
Paragolfer.
She said: “We did some
research and discovered there
weren’t any publicly available.
“Scotland is meant to be the
free to use on the driving range or
the nine-hole golf course.
Russell Gray, operations
manager at the golf academy,
said: “The Paragolfer is like a
ride-on buggy that players they
can drive towards their ball. The
Paragolfer then lifts them into an
upright position and allows them
to swing and hit the ball as any of
us would. It’s phenomenal.”
Charlie B-Gavigan, founder
and curator of Social Care Ideas
Factory, said: “We had a project a
couple of years back that was
Revolutionary
machine makes
Scotland’s sport
more accessible for
wheelchair-bound
golfers
maria.croce@trinitymirror.com
Meeting wife was
silver lining to crash
PETER Moore became
paralysed from the waist
down when he broke his
back in a cycle accident at
the age of 21.
But he’s never let his
disabilities hold him back
from enjoying playing
sport.
And now he’s delighted
he can play golf alongside
his able-bodied friends,
thanks to the Paragolfer.
He said: “Apart from the
health benefits of sport,
it’s the social side
and the people
you meet.
“I’d encourage
people to do any
kind of sport.”
Peter learned
to swim after his
accident. He also
got involved in
wheelchair
basketball,
playing for
Scotland and
coaching others.
The father of
WEDDING DAY Peter met Audrey in Southern General
ACTION MAN
Peter plays
and coaches
wheelchair
basketball
I wouldn’t
change my
life now. I’d
encourage
people to
do any kind
of sport