Written by: Will Knights of the Fried Egg |
Event of the year “Everyone’s giddy—that’s the best word I can think of,” Stephanie Parel, Championship Director for the U.S. Adaptive Open said on Monday. “That’s the only way to describe how wonderful this is, the joy of being part of it.” The inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open kicked off on Monday at the Pinehurst Resort. This tournament for golfers with disabilities features both men and women of professional as well as amateur status. Those with physical, sensory, or intellectual impairments can all participate. Ninety-six players between ages 15 and 80 are in attendance. With recent discourse in the golf world centering on the fragmenting of the professional game, the U.S. Adaptive Open brings what matters about golf back into focus. Every participant has found a way to be involved in the game, no matter the challenges they face. “I can’t even explain how grateful I am about this all happening,” Amanda Cunha said after finishing her first round at Pinehurst. Recently, 18-year-old Cunha lost the majority of her vision, going from “fully sighted to legally blind” in one turn of the calendar. “I have only been in the adaptive community for about a year now,” she added, “but for some of these people who have been waiting for this tournament for such a long time, I’m sure it means the world to them.” It’s easy to forget why we love golf when the news cycle is focused on a handful of professionals bathing in Saudi money. But golf is capable of great things, even if they don’t usually show up on TV. “When I’m out here I don’t even worry about my disability,” Larry Celano said. “I don’t even recognize it.” All participants seem thrilled to be a part of the historic event in Pinehurst, but they’re also there to compete. More than a dozen players in attendance carry a handicap of scratch of better. Simon Lee leads the men’s division and Kim Moore tops the women’s division through two rounds. The final round gets underway this morning. (WK) Some U.S. Adaptive Open content A variety of outlets, from the USGA to independent media, have highlighted a range of stories from the U.S. Adaptive Open field. Here are a few of our favorites so far: Jordan Perez caught up with Kurtis Barkley and Conor Stone, who are both competing with scoliosis. Perez also shares her personal journey with her scoliosis diagnosis. Full Story for the Fire Pit Collective Beth Ann Nichols tells the story of Dennis Walters, a former professional who was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1970s. Walters now plays with the help of his golf cart and service dog Gussie. Full Story for Golfweek James Colgan of Golf.com interviewed Amy Bockerstette and her dad Joe following the first round. Bockerstette won the hearts of golf fans back in 2019 when she played the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale with Gary Woodland. Full-field breakdown from the USGA |
TIU4ALL
The Inaugural US Adaptive Golf Open
Just a quick shout-out to all of our Adaptive Golf friends who are competing this week in the USGA Adaptive Golf Open taking place at Pinehurst #6….We’re all going to be watching and rooting you on! Fairways and Greens!!!!
We need to get more proactive on accommodating people with disabilities…..
It can be easy to overlook the daily challenges facing people impacted by a disability. The National Center on Accessibility (NCA) estimated in 2010 that more than 56.7 million people in the United States, or 19 percent of the population, are disabled in some way. That is a large group of people who, like those without disabilities, desire to live active and fulfilling lives.
Golf offers an opportunity for people with disabilities to do just that. The NCA believes that there are probably at least 8 million people with disabilities who would consider playing golf or returning to the game if given the opportunity. Think of the positive implications for the game if that estimate is even close to accurate.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1992. The law was made to guarantee access for people with disabilities to all facilities that cater to the public. More specific guidelines for golf courses were developed in 1992. The details of the law and its impacts on golf facilities can be reviewed in the article, “Fear and Loathing and the ADA.”
dhttps://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/forethegolfer/2018/accommodating-golfers-with-disabilities.html: We need to get more proactive on accommodating people with disabilities…..Results from the 2022 Conquistador Paragolf Championship
We apologize for the delay in getting this posted!! We just this morning realized we dropped the ball….here you go
Player Demographics | Scores | Totals | |||||||||||||
Last Name | First Name | Playing from…? | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Tees | Course | ||||||||
Smith | Deborah | Red | 105 | 98 | 99 | 302 | Rating | Slope | |||||||
Larson | Sarah | Red | 116 | 98 | 108 | 322 | Black | 72.4 | 129 | ||||||
Kimmel | Nick | White | 107 | 97 | 102 | 306 | Blue | 70.4 | 125 | ||||||
Healea | Tim | Green | 108 | 107 | 105 | 320 | Green | 68.5 | 124 | ||||||
Schmidt | Chris | White | 101 | 106 | 102 | 309 | White | 66.8 | 122 | ||||||
Brendan | Ryan | Blue | 86 | 90 | 77 | 253 | Yellow | 71 | 127 | ||||||
Mathis | William | White | 121 | 116 | 123 | 360 | Red | 68.2 | 123 | ||||||
Bowen | Eric | Green | 86 | 84 | 86 | 256 | Modified | ||||||||
Cunha | Amanda | Red | 95 | 84 | 85 | 264 | |||||||||
Conover | Kody | White | 97 | 88 | 85 | 270 | |||||||||
Urrutia | Hernan | White | 96 | 82 | 84 | 262 | |||||||||
Osbourne | Chris | Blue | 108 | 105 | 103 | 316 | |||||||||
Bell | John | Black | 101 | 82 | 79 | 262 | |||||||||
Tubio | Mariano | Yellow | 88 | 90 | 90 | 268 | |||||||||
Finan | Patrick | White | 88 | 83 | 87 | 258 | |||||||||
Fryar | Billy | Yellow | 96 | 88 | 88 | 272 | |||||||||
Madsen | Michael | Blue | 87 | 87 | 85 | 259 | |||||||||
Celano | Larry | Yellow | 95 | 80 | 90 | 265 | |||||||||
McDonald | Brad | White | 86 | 82 | 81 | 249 | |||||||||
Shipuleski | Steve | White | 78 | 86 | 83 | 247 | |||||||||
Pfiefer | Chad | Black | 74 | 79 | 74 | 227 | |||||||||
Walden | Robert | Black | 75 | 75 | 74 | 224 | |||||||||
Geersten | Jon | White | 100 | 93 | 85 | 278 | |||||||||
MacDermott | Robert | White | 83 | 98 | 86 | 267 | |||||||||
Rossiello | Sam | Green | 102 | 108 | 85 | 295 | |||||||||
Holland | Kevin | White | 90 | 94 | 93 | 277 | |||||||||
Hutchinson | Bobby | Blue | 99 | 94 | 92 | 285 | |||||||||
Ochoa | Charles | Yellow | 98 | 98 | 103 | 299 | |||||||||
Acosta | Danny | Black | 88 | 80 | 81 | 249 | |||||||||
Duchi | Dennis | Yellow | 95 | 99 | 97 | 291 | |||||||||
Garson | Dan | White | 92 | 90 | 94 | 276 | |||||||||
McClelland | Vic | Blue | 97 | 106 | 86 | 289 | |||||||||
Schlatterer | Daniel | White | 99 | 103 | 113 | 315 | |||||||||
Collins | Sean | Yellow | 113 | 108 | 106 | 327 | |||||||||
Burns | Don | Green | 119 | 94 | 90 | 303 | |||||||||
You want to experience the ULTIMATE group golf trip?
You can’t beat this deal!!! ANY WHERE, ANY TIME!
Imagine…..Golf limited to just 18 daily tee times spaced at least 15 minutes apart ensures a relaxed pace of play and excellent turf conditions throughout the year. Enjoy full member privileges at each club, with no greens fees, carts fees, or reciprocal play arrangements. Take your time—it’ll feel like your own private course.
Only right here can you enjoy the ultimate guy/gals/friends golf trip for 3 days and 2 nights with unlimited golf rounds, exclusive accommodations and world class cuisine at the most exclusive PRIVATE golf clubs in the US, AND at a price that can’t be believed!.
Dormie Network Philanthropy
Dormie Network’s Philanthropy and TIU4ALL are privileged to offer this experience with all proceeds going towards the TIU4ALL Adaptive Golf program which assists disabled youth, injured veterans and first responders experience the game of golf and the life benefits that golf provides.
Click here for more information on this ultimate golf package and learn how you can experience this once in a lifetime opportunity for as low as $750 pp (price based on 4 players) and at the same time, help the TIU4ALL mission to grow the game and assist our heroes.
Important Update:
We have decided to auction off four more “stay and play” packages along with a unique opportunity to obtain a National membership at all Dormie Clubs. Stay tuned for the announcement this coming week.
2022 Conquistador Paragolf Championships is officially in the books!
Our 2022 Championships came to a successful end on Thursday April 14 at the El Conquistador Golf Club in sunny Tucson. Hats off to our 2022 Men’s Champion, Robert Walden and our 2022 Woman’s Champion, Amanda Cunha! Although we had some challenging winds in the first round, the famous Tucson weather held true with sunny calm days for the balance of the tournament. We had quite a few first time classification winners this year and everyone had a great time.
Here are the final results:
Award | Name | Score |
Mens Grand Champion | Rob Walden | 224 |
Women’s Grand Champion | Amanda Cunha | 264 |
G1 Champion | Chad Pfeifer | 227 |
G1 Runner-up | Mike Madsen | 249 |
G2-3 Champion | Brad McDonald | 256 |
G2-3 Runner-up | Eric Bowen | 256 |
G4 Champion | Steve Shipuleski | 247 |
G4 Runner- up | Patrick Finan | 258 |
G5-7 Champion | Bob McDermott | 267 |
G8 -G15 Champion | Kody Conover | 270 |
G8 – G15 Runner-up | Kevin Holland | 277 |
G9-10 Champion | Larry Celano | 265 |
G9-10 Runner-up | Mariano Tubio | 268 |
G11-13 Champion | Christopher Schmidt | 309 |
G11-12 Runner-up | William Mathis | 360 |
9Hole Champion | Bailey Bish | 90 |
9 hole Runner-up | Anne Fuhrman | 128 |
Mens inspirational | Danny Acosta | |
Women’s Inspirational | Norma Trujillo | |
Deborah Smith | ||
Sarah Larson Bailey Bish |
New this year are the Inspirational awards which were given to those individuals who represent what’s best about Adaptive Golf as well as making a difference in the game. This year’s Men’s winner was Danny Acosta, who has achieved his lifelong goal of becoming a PGA professional/teacher. The Women’s winner was shared by Norma Trujillo, Deborah Smith, Sarah Larson, and Bailey Bish. These exemplary ladies are the faces of this year’s TIU4ALL theme, “Women of Substance in Adaptive Golf“. Our hats are off to all of you for what you’ve accomplished this year.
We need to thank our golf hosts, El Conquistador Golf & Tennis/Town of Oro Valley and our long time catering partners, Firetruck Brewery for their great support and hosting the events for the week. A special shoutout to our most ardent supporter, Jim Click, for your support of these superb adaptive athletes.
Finally, we’re already starting the planning for the 2023 Paragolf Championships which will take place April 17-20, 2023. We are in the process of negotiating a three year deal with a new golf facility that is going to be spectacular! We’re hoping to make an announcement on this within the next couple of weeks.
A million thanks to all of you who were able to attend this year and we ardently hope that you all can attend next year’s event as all. Fairways and Greens!!
@stitchgolf, @Athalonz, @seated golfers, @adaptive Golf, @amputeegolf, @USBGA, @U.S.Adaptivegolfalliance, @North American one-armed golf association, @adaptivegpa, @azadaptiveathletics, @Arizona Adaptive, @UAZAdaptive, @USGA#MAGAGolf, #NAGAGOLF, #USAGA, #NEVERQUIT, #TIU4ALL, #TURNNOONEAWAY, #UAZAdaptive, #USGA