The Range at The Turn is part of an ongoing complete accessibility campaign at The Turn’s campus of the Wharton Center at North Olmsted Golf Club. The artificial turf driving range is in the first fairway and is used during programming of The Turn. This state-of-the-art turf has two different textures for practicing different types of lies. One portion of each hitting location is short, simulating a lie in the fairway. However, there is a small strip at each bay that is longer, which simulates a less ideal lie in the rough.
“Not only has the new range improved our programming functionally, but also improves the safety of our range sessions,” said Program Director Trevor Hazen, PGA at a dedication ceremony this morning. “Previously we had to transport artificial turf mats to and from the fairway which is not the most stable platform for individuals with balance issues. With the new permanent turf, participants are able to drive our adaptive golf carts directly on to the turf. It’s a seamless transition.”
This new tool was made possible by a generous donation in honor of the current President of The Turn and the Northern Ohio Golf Association, Rik Kohn. Keepers Turf built the range this summer, and participants have been using it weekly for programming. In addition to the range on the first fairway at North Olmsted Golf Club, Keepers Turf renovated and added a tee box on the eighth hole, which had been in desperate need of a new turf layer.
The Range at The Turn was uncovered at a dedication ceremony today (October 24). A boulder and plaque, placed adjacent to the range was unveiled, which read:
THE RANGE AT THE TURN
IN HONOR OF
RIK ROHN
2016-2017
FOR HIS LEADERSHIP
Stefan Taylor is the Communications Manager for The Turn, contact him at staylor@jointheturn.org.