CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's golf team is pairing with the City of Chattanooga's Parks and Recreation Therapeutic Recreation Services to host a Golf Skills Open House for individuals with disabilities. It will be held at the Player Development Complex on Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m., through Noon.
"C.H.I.P.S. is an outstanding program the city provides to people with disabilities," said head coach Mark Guhne. "Ben (Rickett, assistant coach) got us involved in the fall and it sparked this opportunity. To share our love of the game of golf is very special, and our student-athletes enjoy it."
It is an interesting time for the team to host a clinic. The Mocs are preparing for NCAA Regionals May 19-21 at a site to be announced by the NCAA on Monday, May 9.
"There is plenty of time for both," added Guhne. "This is an important program and we can practice afterwards. We are excited about it."
The team and program leaders from C.H.I.P.S, along with the First Tee of Chattanooga, are designing a program that will combine individual instruction along with socialization. It is free and open to individuals ages eight and up with disabilities, physical or cognitive.
"There are two keys for the day," said Chattanooga Parks & Recreation Therapeutic Recreation Coordinator Elaine Adams. "We want to have a lot of fun while learning the game of golf. C.H.I.P.S. makes it possible for anyone regardless of disability to be able to play the game of golf."
The Player Development Complex is at 2453 Hickory Valley Rd., in Chattanooga, not far from Hamilton Place Mall. Contact Elaine Adams at (423) 697-1345, or by email (adams_e@chattanooga.gov) to register or for more information.
ABOUT C.H.I.P.S.
C.H.I.P.S. Golf is one of the many programs Therapeutic Recreation Services facilitates for individuals who have disabilities. C.H.I.P.S. makes it possible for anyone regardless of his or her disability to be able to play the game of golf. C.H.I.P.S. is also the only community-based program of its kind in the Chattanooga area whose purpose is to use the sport of adaptive golf as a therapeutic tool to teach life skills such as Character, Honesty, Independence, Pride, and Sportsmanship. C.H.I.P.S. also focuses on teaching proper social skills, enhancing cognitive reasoning skills, increasing physical abilities, and much more.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA MEN'S GOLF
Under Mark Guhne, the Chattanooga golf program has become a fixture on the national scene. Twice in recent years, the Mocs have been ranked No. 1 in the country during the fall portion of the season. Chattanooga won the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Southern Conference Championships and competed in NCAA Regionals every season since 2007 winning 14 team titles and eight medalist honors along the way. The 2009 Mocs advanced to the NCAA Finals at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio.
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