Olinger Waits To See If He Sits
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
One ruling down, one ruling to go.
The case over whether Warsaw golf professional Ford Olinger can use a golf cart in qualifying for this year's U.S. Open wrapped up in South Bend's U. S. District Court Tuesday.
Now all that's left is for Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. to make his decision, which will be announced sometime by 7 a.m. Monday.
The 32-year-old Olinger suffers from the degenerative hip disability bilateral avascular necrosis.
"My hips are dead," Olinger said. "The femural heads are dead, and there is no bone density. The bones are just crushing."
Walking down the sidewalk, Olinger does not limp as much as he does waddle.
Olinger already has won one ruling. The judge ruled the American with Disabilities Act applies to the U.S. Open.
"That means the United States Golf Association has an obligation to make reasonable modifications for players with handicaps," Douglas Lemon, an Olinger attorney, said.
Now Olinger and Lemon wait on the judge's ruling on the second issue, which is whether Olinger's request to ride a golf court in the U.S. Open is a reasonable accommodation.
"Our position is that it's certainly reasonable," Lemon said. "We don't have to prove it is reasonable. Once we establish the ADA applies, the USGA has a burden to prove his request to ride a golf cart would fundamentally alter the nature of the competition."
Olinger's opponent, the USGA, says yes. The USGA claims golf carts for certain golfers would be unfair to other golfers who must walk the course. CBS golf analyst Ken Venturi, who won the 36-hole 1964 U.S. Open in scorching heat and humidity, supported the USGA during his Tuesday testimony.
Carts would be unfair, Venturi said.
"You're talking about only the best, physically and mentally, being able to win," he said. "Play by the rules."
Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open in 1950, one year after he was in a car crash that injured him so badly doctors said he would never walk again.
"They never thought about carts," Venturi said.
Just how much does walking on the golf course take out of you? Dr. James Rippe, speaking for the USGA attorneys, claimed studies show a 177-pound male walking a 4-1/2 hour round of golf is equal to running two hours at 11 minutes per mile.
Olinger hopes to qualify for the U.S. Open this year. The local qualifier takes place Monday in South Bend, which is why the judge must decide by Monday morning.
Olinger is asked what it would be like for him to try to walk 18 holes. He pulls bottle of medication out of his gray suit.
"Trying to walk 18 holes?" he said. "I don't know. I haven't done it for a long time. Just walking three or four holes or even being on my feet for a few hours is immense pain. That's the reason I take oxycontin, a very strong pain medication.
"The doctors have never really told me. They tell me it's a risk every time I get out of bed my hips are gonna break. Walking 18 holes up and down hills. Take that for what it's worth.
"Just standing here during this interview, my left hip could go, OK, we're done."
Last year a temporary injunction allowed Olinger to use a one-seat cart as he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open. He finished 12 strokes over par with an 83 and did not qualify. Now he hopes the use of a cart becomes permanent.
Olinger began golfing at age 5 at Warsaw's Rozella Ford Golf Course. He was diagnosed with his degenerative hip condition in late 1995.
The question asked by the guys lugging the TV cameras focused on Olinger, by newspaper reporters holding pads, is, "Why? Why do all this? Why try to golf when you have hips that are dead?"
"To continue my professional golf career, but also help the disabled golfers throughout the United States," he said. "The game of golf is for everyone. Not just the rich. Not just the young 25-year-old fit, healthy ones. That's the reason they have a blind golfer's association."
Olinger knows what skeptics say. Could you imagine giving an injured football player special provisions to play in the NFL? Where do you draw the line? Who determines what injury deserves a golf cart and what injury doesn't? What about Ben Hogan in 1950?
"I don't want to open the floodgates, too," he acknowledged. "For everyone that tries out, I got an injury.
"Really and tru#ly, I got an injury. Every day I deal with it. It's not for somebody who has a strained back or something. That's not the purpose of this." [[In-content Ad]]
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One ruling down, one ruling to go.
The case over whether Warsaw golf professional Ford Olinger can use a golf cart in qualifying for this year's U.S. Open wrapped up in South Bend's U. S. District Court Tuesday.
Now all that's left is for Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. to make his decision, which will be announced sometime by 7 a.m. Monday.
The 32-year-old Olinger suffers from the degenerative hip disability bilateral avascular necrosis.
"My hips are dead," Olinger said. "The femural heads are dead, and there is no bone density. The bones are just crushing."
Walking down the sidewalk, Olinger does not limp as much as he does waddle.
Olinger already has won one ruling. The judge ruled the American with Disabilities Act applies to the U.S. Open.
"That means the United States Golf Association has an obligation to make reasonable modifications for players with handicaps," Douglas Lemon, an Olinger attorney, said.
Now Olinger and Lemon wait on the judge's ruling on the second issue, which is whether Olinger's request to ride a golf court in the U.S. Open is a reasonable accommodation.
"Our position is that it's certainly reasonable," Lemon said. "We don't have to prove it is reasonable. Once we establish the ADA applies, the USGA has a burden to prove his request to ride a golf cart would fundamentally alter the nature of the competition."
Olinger's opponent, the USGA, says yes. The USGA claims golf carts for certain golfers would be unfair to other golfers who must walk the course. CBS golf analyst Ken Venturi, who won the 36-hole 1964 U.S. Open in scorching heat and humidity, supported the USGA during his Tuesday testimony.
Carts would be unfair, Venturi said.
"You're talking about only the best, physically and mentally, being able to win," he said. "Play by the rules."
Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open in 1950, one year after he was in a car crash that injured him so badly doctors said he would never walk again.
"They never thought about carts," Venturi said.
Just how much does walking on the golf course take out of you? Dr. James Rippe, speaking for the USGA attorneys, claimed studies show a 177-pound male walking a 4-1/2 hour round of golf is equal to running two hours at 11 minutes per mile.
Olinger hopes to qualify for the U.S. Open this year. The local qualifier takes place Monday in South Bend, which is why the judge must decide by Monday morning.
Olinger is asked what it would be like for him to try to walk 18 holes. He pulls bottle of medication out of his gray suit.
"Trying to walk 18 holes?" he said. "I don't know. I haven't done it for a long time. Just walking three or four holes or even being on my feet for a few hours is immense pain. That's the reason I take oxycontin, a very strong pain medication.
"The doctors have never really told me. They tell me it's a risk every time I get out of bed my hips are gonna break. Walking 18 holes up and down hills. Take that for what it's worth.
"Just standing here during this interview, my left hip could go, OK, we're done."
Last year a temporary injunction allowed Olinger to use a one-seat cart as he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open. He finished 12 strokes over par with an 83 and did not qualify. Now he hopes the use of a cart becomes permanent.
Olinger began golfing at age 5 at Warsaw's Rozella Ford Golf Course. He was diagnosed with his degenerative hip condition in late 1995.
The question asked by the guys lugging the TV cameras focused on Olinger, by newspaper reporters holding pads, is, "Why? Why do all this? Why try to golf when you have hips that are dead?"
"To continue my professional golf career, but also help the disabled golfers throughout the United States," he said. "The game of golf is for everyone. Not just the rich. Not just the young 25-year-old fit, healthy ones. That's the reason they have a blind golfer's association."
Olinger knows what skeptics say. Could you imagine giving an injured football player special provisions to play in the NFL? Where do you draw the line? Who determines what injury deserves a golf cart and what injury doesn't? What about Ben Hogan in 1950?
"I don't want to open the floodgates, too," he acknowledged. "For everyone that tries out, I got an injury.
"Really and tru#ly, I got an injury. Every day I deal with it. It's not for somebody who has a strained back or something. That's not the purpose of this." [[In-content Ad]]