Disclosures: Victoria L. Heasley, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To test the hypothesis that collaboration between engineers and PM&R clinicians would increase usability and compatibility of adaptive golf equipment for children with functional impairments on an accessible mini-golf course.
Design: Case-control Setting : Nonprofit organization and Academic Hospital Participants : Two engineers and a physiatrist
Interventions: A physiatrist was added to a design team that previously consisted of two engineers to design adaptive golf putters.
Main Outcome Measures: Feasibility of the team building the putter and ability of children to use either design to golf
Results: The team consisting of both engineers and a physiatrist built two adaptive putters based on mobility and adaptability for the golfer. One was a motorized putter consisting of a mobile base and separate control panel with buttons to control the swing speed. The other mechanical putter was attached to a rotating rod – allowing the golfer to hit or push, instead of gripping and swinging the club. Over ten children with functional mobility ranging from using a walker, forearm crutches, to head control wheelchair were successfully able to use one of the putters to mini-golf. The initial design created by the two engineers could putt, however it was not durable or accessible to children with various levels of functional mobility. With the addition of a physiatrist to the design team, the designs changed so the motorized putter had a base and a separate control panel that could be placed wherever the child needed to access the push button. Additionally, the mechanical putter was made of metal with a heavy base to prevent tipping regardless of the child’s pushing force. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first documented collaboration between engineers and PM&R faculty to create an adaptive putter. These two fields have different strengths, but when collaborating the results can have a large impact for the patients and increase opportunities in adaptive sports.
Level of Evidence: Level V
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Heasley VL, Pajor H. Collaboration Between Engineers and PM&R Faculty to Make Adaptive Putters [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/collaboration-between-engineers-and-pmr-faculty-to-make-adaptive-putters/. Accessed May 16, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/collaboration-between-engineers-and-pmr-faculty-to-make-adaptive-putters/