TaylorMade Golf recently custom fit amateur golfer Kenny Powell for a new set of clubs designed for him to use in conjunction with his ParaGolfer Buggy, after he suffered multiple spinal strokes.
Powell is a keen amateur golfer and previous club champion at his home club, North Foreland in Kent. His world turned upside down in February 2021 when he suffered the first of two spinal strokes, leading to him being hospitalised for 10 months and now paralyzed from the waist down. The thought of never playing golf again was a very real reality for him until he discovered the ParaGolfer Buggy, designed specifically for those with severe paralysis to enable them to play golf again.
With a lot of effort and the generosity of many, money was raised and a ParaGolfer Buggy was purchased for Kenny. Something that is not lost on Ken, who is forever grateful to all who made this happen, including the Golf Trust Charity, North Foreland Golf Club, and TaylorMade Golf for supplying him with a complete custom-fit set of clubs, which has taken Kenny from the depths of despair back into the golf environment of friends and camaraderie that is so precious to us all.
“Being told I would never walk again and play my beloved golf, was the worst day of my life,” says Kenny. “Through the generosity of friends, North Foreland members, and fantastic people whom I do not know, I was able to see a route to getting out on the Links again with the ParaGolfer.
“This jigsaw was now 80% complete, as I needed some clubs which would help me progress around the course to the best of my ability, as my current ones were not fit for purpose. Step up to the plate, Darren Parris, North Foreland Head Professional. Darren contacted TaylorMade and they said it would be a pleasure to help.”
Parris has known Kenny for over 30 years and watched him win many tournaments, including the Club Championship, and it was a major shock to him and everyone at the club to hear the news that he had suffered two spinal strokes and that he wouldn’t be able to walk again. Golf was a huge part of Kenny’s life and many didn’t think he would ever play golf again.
Parris said: “The members here at North Foreland and Ken’s golfing friends pulled together their fundraising skills, a GoFundMe page was created in August 2022 and by Christmas Day they had raised £30,000 to purchase a ParaGolfer for Ken to use.
“To see the club support Kenny after such a life-changing event is fantastic and just shows what a great big family the golf community is, the North Foreland members should be extremely proud of themselves.
“The ParaGolfer is stored at the club, so any other paralyzed golfers are able to come to North Foreland and experience this incredible machine. We recently had a member from Princes Golf Club use it for the first time with help from the Golf Trust, and the joy on her face was a great sight to see.
“The North Foreland fundraising continued with Kenny’s Golf Day which was held at the club last Friday, and the generosity from TaylorMade in supplying Kenny with a full bag of custom-fitted clubs is greatly appreciated. Ken is back enjoying the sport that he loves and we are sure it won’t be long before he’s taking money off the boys on a Saturday morning again!”
Kenny’s Golf Day, which TaylorMade sponsored the prizes for, raised just over £5,000, which will go towards a trailer so Kenny can take the ParaGolfer and play at other courses, alongside supporting the monthly cost of his ongoing specialist physio sessions.
THE FITTING PROCESS
TaylorMade Experiential Rep Henry Leo was on-hand to conduct the fitting, however, he had to do a little more preparation for Kenny’s fit compared to an able-bodied golfer.
“I took some time researching the buggy system and looking at what posture it puts the golfer into, to determine whether I would need to get some longer iron shafts built to test. Due to the disability of the golfer, the swing is mainly all arms, so being able to generate speed would be important, so I had some lighter and longer shafts made up.”
The fitting process was very similar to an able-bodied golfer. Kenny has a great golfing mind, he knows what works and what doesn’t, and he wasn’t afraid to try different combinations. Henry started with driver and continued to work their way back down in yardage, looking at creating a consistent distance gap throughout the bag.
“To generate more speed in the swing, we immediately saw a rise in clubhead speed and ball speed by moving into a lighter-weight shaft, with plenty of flex. Loft also played a crucial part in allowing Kenny to gain carry distance, so we used the loft sleeve to add as much loft as possible to the 12-degree head. At 14 degrees, we saw more launch, and the closed face promoted a strong draw-shaped flight.”
Henry knew loft would be important throughout the bag, so when it came to fairway woods, the higher lofted woods achieved greater distance from the deck, as well as a lofted hybrid. Being a scratch golfer for years, Kenny preferred the look of a smaller iron head, and the P770 gave him that look he was after. An inch longer in the iron shafts was perfect, the strike was consistent and most importantly, it felt comfortable for Kenny.
Throughout the fitting Henry and Kenny discussed and tested different golf ball options and how a specific golf ball could help Kenny with maintaining a higher launch and creating a little more spin. They ended up landing on the Tour Response ball, a three-piece cast urethane ball that fits all of those characteristics whilst still offering a soft feel which Kenny didn’t want to sacrifice.
“My fitting requirements were so different from when I was an able-bodied golfer,” said Kenny. ”Henry took the time to work with me to produce the best results, then sent off the specification sheet for the clubs to be built. This was on a Monday and my new clubs arrived on the Friday. Fantastic turnaround. When I used the clubs for the first time the difference was incredible, my enjoyment of golf will be vastly increased.”
KENNY POWELL’S CUSTOM FIT EQUIPMENT SET UP
Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 12° (set to 14°)
Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 5 (18°, 0.5” shorter), 7 (21°), 9 (24°, 0.5” longer)
Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (28°)
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (6-PW, 1-inch longer, 2° weak, 3° flat)
Wedges: TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 52°, 56°, 60° (1” longer, 3° flat)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider GT Max putter (37-inch shaft)
Ball: TaylorMade Tour Response