Nebraska’s Ryan Brendan, pictured,
won the overall U.S. Disabled Open
Championship with a score of 150 for
the two days. He won after a playoff
with Gary Hooks.
—Jason Faircloth
Fairly or unfairly, the USGA continues to
sanitize a previous-century notion within
the golf industry that it hasn’t been respon-
sive enough to various needs or changes.
In this case, the USGA openly lobbied
leading adaptive golf organizations for
input to the Rules. Out of the suggestions
came more streamlined, modern language
and a restructuring of disability categories.
The purpose: to provide easier, more intu-
itive application of the modifications for
players and committees.
“Similar to the full set of Rules, the mod-
ifications have undergone a thorough and
fundamental review to ensure they support
and promote today’s adaptive golf commu-
nity and the greater golf community as a
whole,” said Bodenhamer.
could more broadly support individuals
with disabilities and be more inclusive of
the population.
The USGA took a hard look through the
lens of its relationship pillars, said USGA
Director of Public and Community Affairs
Beth Major, to see how it could be more
supportive. The National Alliance for
Accessible Golf, with its focus on advo-
cacy awareness of those with disabilities
who play the game, was one of them. The
USGA partnered with the Alliance, which
began in 2001, to fulfill grant opportuni-
ties that help provide funding to adaptive
grassroots programs.
INCREASING COMMITMENT
The most underpublicized, and yet maybe
most important, commitment the USGA
has made toward golfers with disabili-
ties began a few years ago. It was then
that the Association had targeted how it
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J U LY / A U G U ST 2 0 1 8
THE U.S.
DISABLED OPEN
HELD AT EAGLE CREEK GOLF
CLUB IN ORLANDO, FLA., WAS
THE FIRST ADAPTIVE GOLF
CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE U.S.
BANKING ON DATA
If the intention to hold a disabled national
championship is a rising star at the USGA,
then a relatively new Research, Science
48 8
GOLFERS
ALL WITH DIFFERENT
DISABILITIES
COUNTRIES
REPRESENTED
vsga.org
“I was amazed to see the athletes’ mindset
on what can they do instead of what they
cannot do.”
On the USGA’s behalf, the Alliance
recently scoped out the first U.S. Disabled
Golf Championship at Eagle Creek Golf
Club in Orlando, Fla. The event imple-
mented the “Modifications to the Rules of
Golf for Golfers with Disabilities” and saw
Nebraska’s Ryan Brendan win the two-day
event in a playoff over Gary Hooks. In all,
48 golfers representing eight countries
played, all with differing disabilities.
No less than three times did Faircloth
maintain that his door is always open
to the Alliance and USGA. The USGA
publicly supported Faircloth’s three-year
effort to finally get the U.S. Disabled Open
off the ground, but wouldn’t say whether
they’d consult Faircloth on the potential
national championship.
Faircloth doesn’t view the USGA as com-
petition. It’s just the opposite. He believes
there is room for the U.S. Disabled Open
and more. In fact, the more tournaments
for disabled golfers, the better.
“Accessibility was, and still is, the No. 1
goal with respect to the adaptive golfers
and those with impairments,” Faircloth
said. “The USGA seems to be changing
course in their line of thinking. That’s
never a bad thing.”