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CNN
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Bobby Weed’s golf course design business flourished well into the turn of the century. Gradually, and then suddenly, he and his family were plunged into uncharted waters.
Born in 1998, the youngest of Weed’s three daughters, Raniere stopped walking and talking when she was 18 months old. Soon after, she was diagnosed with non-verbal autism.
“You know when you go to the electrical panel and start flipping the circuit breakers and turning them off? That’s what started happening to her,” Wade recalled to CNN.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as of 2020, 1 in 36 children (approximately 2.8%) will have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), raising concerns about this developmental disorder. Awareness and understanding are increasing. However, when Lanier was diagnosed, Weed and his wife, Leslie, who live in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., found themselves thrust into a world of much lower educational standards.
In 2000, the CDC found that only 1 in 150 children had autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Coupled with the fact that the condition occurs nearly four times more often in boys than girls, it meant Lanier’s case was even more unfamiliar to professionals and Wade at the time. Weed said the family found themselves in “uncharted territory.”
“We don’t even know what autism is,” he added. “We almost have to educate and train ourselves.
“It changed our lives. It changed our family… We immediately felt like we were crossing the Atlantic alone in a canoe and everyone else was on a big boat. It was really, really difficult – in It’s challenging in every way.”
In a frantic search for support, Weed flew to experts across the United States, while his wife immersed herself in learning as much as she could about autism, so much so that Weed recalls attending conferences where she was mistaken for a doctor or lawyer.
This tenacious pursuit caused great turmoil. Weed’s other two daughters – Hayley and Carlisle – were sent to boarding school to prevent them from descending into “complete chaos” in the house, as a parade of doctors, therapists and experts came through the door. Weed recalled that he hired six employees to assist Lanier.
Wade was feeling the pinch financially because he had been taking long-haul flights to participate in various course design projects and felt “like a human ATM machine.” This then had a potential impact on his marriage, but the experience only served to bring him and his wife – who first met on a golf-related blind date – closer together.
“It showed me a side of my wife that I didn’t know existed,” Weed said.
“I had no idea I had such a brave wife and she was in the trenches 24/7…it was an unprecedented challenge. I can see the divorce rate is high related to autism, but from my To put it into perspective, it actually strengthens our marriage and our family as a whole.”
Determined to share what they learned with other Northeast Florida families dealing with similar challenges, the couple created the Help Enriching Autism Lives (HEAL) Foundation in 2004 to provide services to those affected by autism. Provides educational and funding services.
The foundation has since raised more than $5 million to support the local autism community, providing annual spring and fall grants to various relevant organizations and funding $500,000 to enhance public and private school education for students with autism. .
They have funded the training of autism service dogs, provided more than 500 iPads and 200 trikes to students with special needs, and funded a series of summer camps, including Help Us Golf (HUG) summer camps.
The summer camp is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, home of The Players Championship and one of Weed’s most famous programs, where local PGA pros help teach the game to children with autism. While it offers the opportunity to play the iconic 17th Island greens, learning your swing on one of the most famous courses in the world is only part of the experience.
“This is a great camp and it’s about so much more than just golf,” Weed said.
“They showed them all the wildlife associated with the golf course, all the water features, showed them how to change the cups on the greens and how to mow all the grass. It became very educational.”
TPC Sawgrass has been a regular visitor to the Foundation since it hosted a gala celebrating the PGA Tour in 2007 and selected HEAL as its Adopt a Charity recipient – choosing the Foundation to sponsor the golf tournament. business.
Weed worked on the PGA Tour for 13 years before starting his own design firm in 1996, and his contact book in the sport is already full. Several high-profile figures with whom he was associated have given support to the foundation, including design mentor Pete Dye and seven-time Grand Slam champion Arnold Palmer, who Weed said offered his personal plane, allowing him and Lanier to fly to Chicago to see a specialist. .
Wead, who also designed Michael Jordan’s private golf course in Hobe Sound, continues to build courses around the world and spends most weekends with his young daughter, now 25 .
Lanier lives in a nearby group home that provides round-the-clock support for adults with autism.
“It’s good for our daughter and it’s good for us,” Weed said.
“We get to see our daughter every weekend and we have access to her and it gives us some comfort knowing that she’s safe and we can coexist and we’re still a family.”
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