A clinic at King’s Walk GC in Grand Forks, N. D. highlighted how the game can be used to help maintain balance, coordination and rotation and combat the affliction that impairs movement and is second only to Alzheimer’s as the most prevalent neurological disorder in the U.S.

Golf is proving to be a key activity for many in the Grand Forks, N.D. area in their battle against the onset of Parkinson’s disease, reported the Grand Forks Herald. The newspaper reported on a clinic recently held at King’s Walk Golf Course in Grand Forks that was organized to help show those diagnosed with Parkinson’s how they can use golf to help resist the debilitating disease.

Research has shown, the Herald reported, that exercise improves strength, balance, coordination and flexibility in people with Parkinson’s, a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that impairs movement and afflicts an estimated one million people in the U.S. Parkinson’s, it was noted, ranks second-highest among neurological disorders, trailing only Alzheimer’s, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. And some studies have shown that exercise may even slow the progression of the disease, which has no cure, the Herald reported.

Along with yoga and Tai Chi, golf is among the sports particularly beneficial to people with Parkinson’s, because it involves a great deal of balance, coordination and rotation, Roxee Jones, coordinator of the Altru Family YMCA’s Parkinson Wellness Recovery program, and the organizer of the golf clinic at King’s Walk GC, told the Herald.

The Herald’s report featured Jolene Dunphy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nearly 13 years ago, as a participant in the clinic. Dunphy, who golfed before her diagnosis, tries to break out the clubs once a week, she told the Herald. And though she sometimes has to force herself to get up and get out, “When I’m done, I feel great,” she said.

To manage the symptoms of the disease—the most commonplace of which are stiffness, slowness of movement and loss of balance—Dunphy tries to lead an active lifestyle, the Herald reported.

via Golf Used as Key Activity for Battling Parkinson’s Disease – Club & Resort Business.