Opportunities For Disabled Golfers Abound In Aftermath Of Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open

In the aftermath of the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst, interest in adaptive golf tournaments around the United States has been rising, growing competitive opportunities for golfers who happen to have a disability.

Tournaments for golfers with various disabilities have been conducted for decades. But creating a national championship featuring eight separate impairment categories, staged at one of golf’s most prestigious venues, with trophies up for grabs as grand as the U.S. Open’s Wanamaker has taken adaptive golf to a whole new level.

“We believe this is just the beginning. We hope to eventually see state and regional qualifiers for the U.S. Adaptive Open, just like you’d see for other USGA championships,” John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer says.

“Here in the U.S., the Georgia State Golf Association has been a leader in the adaptive golf space for quite some time. But in the weeks since the Adaptive Open, several other allied golf associations have reached out for guidance on how they too can begin to create programming for adaptive golfers, including competitive opportunities. We expect to see more and more of that on a statewide basis in the years to come,” he adds.

Jonathan Snyder, who played in the U.S Adaptive Open in the men’s arm impairment category was born without a left hand and wrist. He is the director of golf for the U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance, a 501(C)3 whose mission is to serve the special needs community by fostering their inclusion in the game of golf. In 2018 there were five tournaments that met their ranking requirements and standards and in 2022 that number has ballooned to over 30 competitive events across the country.

“To have 30 events on your schedule, we’re beginning to see the formation and structure of a true adaptive tour in which individuals are able to plan out their schedule and compete in adaptive events,” Snyder explains.

While Snyder didn’t have his best personal outing at the U.S. Adaptive Open, finishing T51st, he felt overall the event was a spectacular success. In the past few weeks, in the aftermath of the tournament he’s received a fat stack of inquiries from people wanting to get involved in adaptive golf on both the playing and teaching fronts and he gives a lot of credit for that to the impact of the media coverage it received.

While the event wasn’t televised in its entirety, Golf Channel aired highlights packages and player interviews and Golf Digest in partnership with the USGA recently released the docuseries An Even Playing Field: The U.S. Adaptive Open, serving up deeper dives into the backstories of the players who competed in the event.

“Golf is truly a game for everyone, and a game that can change lives. The U.S. Adaptive Open will no doubt prove to be one of the most consequential events the USGA has ever launched,” Stina Sternberg, the vice president of digital content at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, Golf Digest’s parent company, says.

“By launching and staging this event in the same prestigious manner they stage a ‘regular’ U.S. Open, they’ve elevated adaptive golfers to the level of superstars. They’ve opened the public’s eyes to the possibilities this game offers to literally everyone out there, in a way only they could. What impressed us the most was the care with which their team approached every single detail of the inaugural event, knowing how important it was to get everything right,” she adds.

The hope is all the attention lavished on the new championship which will return to Pinehurst in 2023 will inspire more people within the adaptive community to take up the sport domestically, while also providing a catalyst to grow adaptive golf on the global stage.

“This impact will extend beyond the U.S. We’ve been clear from the start that in addition to wanting to provide adaptive golfers with a USGA national championship, the creation of the Adaptive Open will go a long way in growing competitive opportunities around the world, and most notably, will give a big boost to the efforts to include golf in the Paralympic Games,” Bodenhamer says.

While the slate for Paris 2024 has already been set, golf could very well get added to the docket for the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. That has certainly been the goal that all golf’s governing bodies and grassroots organizations have been working toward.

“We are very hopeful and excited and we’re trusting the Paralympic committee to make a great decision based on the application that was put in,” Snyder says.

For golf courses looking to be more accessible to adaptive players, a few changes can go a long way: shallow bunker egresses to accommodate non-ambulatory competitors, tee to green cart paths, ADA compliance throughout the property including on-course restrooms, adding single rider handicap accessible carts to their fleet and allowing non-playing companions free access are just a few recommendations.