{"id":778907,"date":"2026-07-04T17:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T17:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778907\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T17:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T17:05:25","slug":"what-defines-an-adaptive-golfer-criteria-come-to-light-at-u-s-adaptive-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/778907\/","title":{"rendered":"What defines an adaptive golfer?\u00a0Criteria come to light at U.S. Adaptive Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

This content was first published in Golf Journal, a quarterly print publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be among the first to receive Golf Journal and to learn how you can ensure a strong future for the game,\u00a0become a USGA Member today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Golf is not a game that tests players based on what they\u2019ve lost, or how they\u00a0got here; it only asks what they can do in the moment. It measures adaptability, execution and resolve without regard for background or circumstance. <\/p>\n

At the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship \u2014 which this year is being held at Woodmont Country Club<\/a> in Rockville, Md., from July 6-8 \u2014\u00a0that standard is reinforced through a competitive structure that groups players among their peers, with outcomes earned through performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Each year, the USGA<\/a> accepts hundreds of applications for the championship from around the world. In 2024, the association introduced qualifying events in the U.S., allowing players an additional pathway to the championship. Eligibility is confirmed by medical assessors who assign a WR4GD Pass \u2014 the criteria and standards of which are closely aligned with those of the International Paralympic Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The USGA uses eight distinct impairment categories to determine the field of 96 professionals and amateurs, then collaborates with medical assessors from the Shirley Ryan\u00a0AbilityLab\u00a0to ensure appropriate placement of tees and hole locations. The categories in which prizes are awarded (along with an overall men\u2019s and women\u2019s champion) are as follows:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coordination Impairment:\u00a0Players have one or more movement disorders that affect the central nervous system\u2019s structure and function.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Intellectual Impairment:\u00a0Players have a restriction of general mental functions. Requires a WR4GD Pass and Virtus II1 eligibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lower Limb Impairment:\u00a0Players have impairments affecting the leg, hip and\/or spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Multiple Limb Amputee:\u00a0Includes players with limb deficiency in more than one limb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seated Players:\u00a0Players who make every stroke from a seated position because that is the only way they can play\u00a0based on their impairment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Short Stature:\u00a0Players have\u00a0reduced\u202fheight\u202fdue to\u202fcongenitally or developmentally reduced length of the bones of the upper and lower limbs (and may also have reduced trunk length).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upper Limb Impairment:\u00a0Players have impairments affecting the arm, shoulder and\/or spine.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vision Impairment:\u00a0Players have reduced or no\u202fvisual function even when using the best possible refractive or optical correction.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

These impairment categories are designed to create equity at the U.S. Adaptive Open. The championship, now in its fifth year, brings players together to compete among their peers and strives to ensure meaningful competition in which results are determined by performance, not circumstance.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This content was first published in Golf Journal, a quarterly print publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":778908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-778907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}