Sport - Golf

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Golf

Golf is an official sport of the Special Olympics World Games.

Although golf is not one of the sports included at the Paralympic Games, the sport is played by athletes who are blind and those who have physical disabilities. Click here for information about rule adaptations for golfers with vision and physical disabilities from the U.S. Golf Association.

Photo from the golf page of the Special Olympics International web site at http://www.specialolympics.org.

Athlete Eligibility and Classification

Athletes who compete in Special Olympics golf events must have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation. They are classified according to a process called divisioning in which athletes are grouped by ability levels for competition. In golf, divisioning is accomplished by considering the golfer's average score from his/her most recent six rounds of golf. Scores from early round tournament play may also be used to division athletes.

Events

There are five golf events in the Special Olympics program. With the exception of the individual skills competition, athletes must score at least 60 points in the Individual Golf Skills Test to be eligible for participate in golf events.

	Individual skills competition - combined score for short putt, long putt, chip shot, pitch shot, iron shot, and wood shot
	Alternate shot team play competition - golfer with mental retardation and a partner/coach play 9 holes
	Unified Sports team play - golfer with mental retardation and a partner without mental retardation of approximately the same ability play 18 holes
	Individual stroke play competition (9 hole) - individual play in 9-hole tournament
	Individual stroke play competition (18 hole) - individual play in 18-hole tournament

Playing Area

Golf is played outdoors on a grass surface. This playing area varies widely in both total surface area and terrain, based on the individual layout of each golf course. Most golf courses, however, share common factors: greens (flat grass surface), roughs (taller, thicker grass), sand traps, water hazards, three hazards, and so on.

At the 1995 International Special Olympics Games in New Haven, CT, the competitions for golf were held at the Yale University golf course (6,628 yd). Although this course was adjusted to a shorter distance (about 4,500 yd) for the Special Olympians, the playing area (i.e., grass surfaces, hazards, etc.) was designed to be similar to able-bodied competitions.

Special Olympics golf rules specify maximum distances of 150, 350, and 475 yards for holes in 9-hole play. The maximum distances for 18-hole play are 175, 400, and 525 yards.

Rules

The game of golf consists of hitting a ball from the tee (starting) area into a hole by a stroke or successive strokes, in accordance with the rules. Special Olympics golf games are either 9 holes or 18 holes in length. The U.S. Golf Association rules, posted at http://www.usga.org, govern Special Olympics golf competition, except where modified by Special Olympics International (SOI) rules. SOI rules are posted at http://www.specialolympics.org. Click on "sports" then choose "golf" from the drop-down rules menu.

Equipment

Golfers in Special Olympics competition are required to have clubs (a minimum of one wood, one iron, and one putter), a golf bag, golf balls, and a pitch mark repairer. They must wear appropriate shoes and uniform while playing.

Links

	U.S. Golf Association (USGA)
	Special Olympics International (SOI)

Page prepared by JiTae Kim and revised by Gail Dummer