Golf For the Disabled Gets a Shot in the Arm

Okay, you switch the wide-screen to Law & Order only to discover your favorite detectives are stumped, their victim shot dead by a golf ball. Befitting of Perry Mason where everybody connected with the deceased despised him so dearly, it’s hard to tell who stiffed the stiff. They all had reason, most had opportunity and somebody made good on it. No finger prints on the weapon.

Weapon?

Murder was accomplished with a golf ball Launcher. What decent Tiger Woods fan would kill an enemy with the brand new invention, a silent, non-recoil golf ball Launcher? A totally twisted golfer, of course. But a disabled golfer? Maybe. Probably not.

Imagine a 12-volt mini air compressor Golf Launcher; operating off a standard golf cart battery or you can fill it manually using a two-stage hand pump (Black Burn Tower 5). Air Force Golf Ball Launcher is a win-win for the handicapped. This device gives those unable to swing a 9 iron, every chance to enjoy a day on the greens with the rest of us.

The creative inventor of the device got the idea in the fall of 2004 when his dad was felled with a stroke, leaving the victim without the use of most of the right side of his body.

Many people among an aging population who once considered golf the greatest game ever played may return to it now. It provides a perfect opportunity to be out with friends, to share a few rounds without slowing down the pace of the game. And what better place to be?

When, as a kid, I was taught to help out as my own dad built Paradise Knolls in San Bernardino County, the first thing he made clear was, “A golf course should be such a nice environment that people would go there if for no other reason than to walk through it.” Not all the Golf Force gun folk may walk but they can play, in a lovely setting.

Yes, it is the founding of a brand new sport, and why not. Sports are fun, healthful, and good for us. Now the Air Force Golf Ball Launcher, we might need to think on that a bit. Golf Launcher in this case is an air pressured device that allows people to eject a golf ball anywhere from only a few feet in distance, up to 300 yards away. Big advantage? No clubs required except perhaps a putter. Two decisions a user makes are “How much air pressure to use for the shot, and what angle will achieve maximum distance using the launcher.

Will all courses allow the Launcher? No one knows yet, this is all new territory. The Launcher is designed for safety with two separate features built in, plus an extra air pressure relief valve. It will be for sale to the pubic when the most recent round of lab tests are complete.

While Air Force Golf is pretty certain their new sport will not be immediately welcomed by all 16,000 golf courses in the United States, they are convinced they will be admitted to quite a few.

The company obviously has missed the fact the U.S. is Golf Course over-built. One out of five has fallen prey to housing developers in the past few years. The Golf Course biz isn’t as good as was hoped a few years back, with too many courses and too few out there willing to pay to try out a new set of Sticks.

To give this new Sport a boost, Air Force Golf started the “Air Golf Association” similar to the PGA, the difference being Air Golf Launcher play donates foundation proceeds to the Disabled Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Drawbacks can be handling the quiet, lightweight Golf Launcher; can it jam with an average 1.68″ ball some soggy morning after a long night of rain? Not for long, either fill the barrel with air pressure and launch again or unscrew the barrel and slide your putter through the tube.

And reverting back to the start of this article, on a murderous lighter note, who cannot delight in the charm of the unflappable and handsome Randall Taylor, scratch golfer extraordinary. Ran, who travels among the greats, never greats, ingrates, loves to share a favorite story of some neighbors in the old place he once lived. According to him, the husband across the street was shot by a golf gun, died of a hole in one!

Getting more serious, Randy, whose own dad is getting up in years now, thinks whatever helps people stay active and happy is best for all. He says, “This Golf Launcher must be a good thing. If you can’t play golf but enjoy the golf experience on a beautiful golf course, if it extends your golfing experience for a few years…”

For me, I see the upside as being less wood on the greens, no more divots on the fairways, best of all, from a female perspective, never again wearing those unattractive shoes.

Visit the website www.airforcegolf.com for more information and support a great cause – disabled and veterans.

Claudia Strasbaugh was a freelance writer who founded Scripps Ranch/Mira Mesa Writer’s Guild, was head writer for the weekly TV show “Kill ‘EM With Comedy,” plus California Bureau Chief for National Lotto World Magazine. Claudia also ran a nonprofit called Dinner On A Dollar. Sadly, Claudia passed away in 2015, but we are pleased to display her writing works.