Organizers hope to make Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic more inclusive with a sensory center
The PGA Tour Champions event in Allentown features an area in which fans can have "a nice, quiet space to decompress," tournament director Tommy Sullivan said.
ALLENTOWN — When Ernie Els was living in London, his son, Ben, was diagnosed with autism at 3½ years old. The former world No. 1 golfer and Hall of Famer realized that many services his son needed were inaccessible to him in London, so he decided to relocate his family to South Florida
His son’s diagnosis sparked the idea for Els for Autism, which was founded in 2009. The foundation works to support the growth and learning of individuals with autism, along with their parents and caregivers, so they can live a fulfilling life.
And EY, one of Els’ sponsors, hopes to make golf more accessible to neurodivergent fans at this weekend’s Jefferson Health Lehigh Valley Classic via the EY Sensory Center by Jefferson Health.
“There was a day when if you were different, you had to learn to accommodate to the world and now what we’re seeing much more is that the world is seeing that they also have a responsibility to the individual,” said Wendy Ross, the director of the center for autism and neurodiversity at Jefferson Health. “That’s an important statement for golf because it looks like it’s an individual sport, but it really is a team effort.
“If you just look at it superficially, you’ve got a lone golfer. But in reality, they have a team around them. They have a caddie, they have a coach, they have a place to play. This is a good metaphor for the work we are trying to do.”
The center, designed by Ross, is near the ninth green at Lehigh Country Club, where fans can catch some of the action while taking a break from the crowds.
“Not that the golf course is so loud, but the noises that happen are sudden and unexpected,” Ross said. “Autistic individuals and people with neurodivergence sometimes can get overwhelmed, and so they need a place to kind of cool off and reset. Sometimes they have sensory-seeking desires, and sometimes they are sensory avoidant, so we have a number of items that are both.”
Ross said that it may be challenging for a neurodivergent individual to experience a golf tournament for the first time because of the etiquette of watching the sport in person.
There is a sensory room at Lincoln Financial Field where people with autism, PTSD, Down syndrome, and other sensory processing needs can watch the game on a TV. The vibes at the PGA Tour Champions event aren’t quite the same as the Linc on an Eagles game day, and tournament director Tommy Sullivan said organizers intentionally put their sensory center outside, right near the action.
“You still can watch the golf right there,” Sullivan said. “You’re not taken away from the event. You’re still a part of the event, but it’s a nice, quiet space to decompress, so that was important to us.”
Proceeds from the tournament will go to three charities, one of which is the Eagles Autism Foundation.
The center is the first on-course sensory zone at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. It also is providing sensory bags to its visitors that include noise-reducing headphones, a fidget toy, and sunglasses.
As Els made his birdie putt on the ninth green on Friday during his first-round 1-over 71, he walked past the EY Sensory Center and smiled. Els currently is tied for 49th, while co-leaders Y.E. Yang, Richard Green, and Robert Karlsson are 6-under after each shooting a 64.
“We’re trying to make this tournament something that the whole community wants to be a part of, not just for the people that take golf seriously,” Sullivan said.
