The Stand Up and Play Foundation (standupandplay.org) connects with adaptive athletes, young and old, and provides opportunities, with a ParaGolfer or a Vertacat vehicle, for them to stand up and play golf.
With the electric, all-terrain mobility rider that elevates users into a standing position, physically challenged individuals can do the activities they love.
It’s been a game-changer for so many people. Just ask David Wilshin, retired real estate developer from Westchester County, N.Y. He recently celebrated his 95th birthday and because of the VertaCat, he has reconnected to the game he loves and has played since he was a kid.
About eight years ago, Wilshin needed back surgery, which left him with balance issues. He would fall frequently and needed a walker to get around. He thought his golf days were over. Then he met Anthony Netto, Founder of the Stand Up and Play Foundation and co-developer of the VertaCat.
“Anthony, the foundation and the VertaCat turned my life around,” exclaimed Wilshin. “I had played golf all my life, played in a lot of tournaments, and even won the Father/Son Championship in 1958 with my Dad at Sunningdale. We shot a 75-gross, the only team that broke 80. I played all those years and then suddenly, because of balance and walking issues after back surgery,
“I got into a VertaCat after I met Anthony and I was able to swing a club again and stand up and maintain my balance! The fact that I can hit balls again and play golf has made me so very happy.”
Netto spends time on the course with Wilshin, both at Wilshin’s club at Old Oaks Country Club in Harrison, New York, and at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“To see Wilshin’s joy and excitement as he is now able, with the VertaCat, to be back on the course, reconnected with the game he enjoyed for a lifetime, is so fulfilling to me,” says Netto. “It makes everything we do, all our hard work at the Stand Up and Play Foundation, well worth it.
“But we need your help. Please support the Stand Up and Play Foundation and our mission of empowering individuals with disabilities through adaptive golf therapy, standing wheelchairs, and accessible sports programs.”
