Bedminster, N.J., – Led by Rylee Plitz, PGA Head Golf Professional at Eagle Ridge Golf Club (Lakewood) the New Jersey Golf Foundation (NJGF), the charitable arm of the New Jersey PGA Section, hosted the first-ever golf clinic at the RWJBarnabas Health Field of Dreams in Toms River, NJ on Wednesday, May 28th.
The RWJBarnabas Health Field of Dreams is the premier inclusive recreation complex in the USA. Created for the special needs community and located on 3.5 acres in Toms River, the complex offers a full line-up of programs and special events for kids and adults with special health care needs.
Thanks to a partnership with The Arc, Ocean County Chapter – an organization that offers programs and services for people with disabilities to fully participate as active members of the local community – it was all smiles as 12 adults with special needs braved the inclement weather conditions and spent more than an hour learning and playing golf.
Plitz and staff from the NJGF brought inflatables to use as target practice along with a SNAG® Golf (‘Starting New At Golf’) starter kit. SNAG offers adaptive equipment to effectively teach the game of golf to people of all ages and ability levels, while offering the versatility to learn and play in almost any environment you choose. The NJGF donated a SNAG kit to the complex to support future golf programming.
“The RWJBarnabas Health Field of Dreams is truly a special place, and I’m thrilled that we have an opportunity to integrate golf programming into the line-up of activities at the complex,” said Greg Zohovetz, Director of Operations, New Jersey Golf Foundation.
Today, the RWJBarnabas Health Field of Dreams is making a difference in so many lives, with more than 3,100 special needs families from all 21 counties in NJ and beyond (NY, CT, PA, DE, CA, CO, FL, SC, NC, VA) enjoying Free membership. To date, 38 school districts and more than 27 organizations that cater to special needs adults (21+) utilize the complex for programs and special events.
The RWJBarnabas Health Field of Dreams is equipped with a baseball field, basketball court, 9-hole miniature golf course, bocce, shuffleboard, and a spectacular playground area “Gavin’s Galaxy” specially designed to be more accessible for wheelchairs and adaptive equipment. Other features include a walking path with rehabilitative stations, a “quiet corner,” located in a three-sided enclosed pavilion for those with autism, bathrooms with multiple “powered” changing stations, a temperature-controlled pavilion with charging stations for powered wheelchairs, a fully operational community garden, and much more.
For more information on the RWJBarnabas Health Fields of Dreams please visit www.rwjbhfieldofdreams.comand for more information on the New Jersey Golf Foundation please visit www.njgolffoundation.org.
