By Fred Altvater
Most golfers grab their sticks from the trunk, lace up their golf shoes and head to the first tee, but for another group of special golfers, the game is a bit more challenging.
Every year the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA) hosts the National Adaptive Golf Championship. Last year it was held at the Fortress Golf Club in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Over 90 
golfers traveled from as far away as New Zealand and Korea to compete in this unique event and prove to the world that a prosthetic, or even partial paralysis, is not a valid reason to stop playing golf.
This year, August 5-9, the USAGA will hold the 71st National Adaptive Golf Tournament, along with the 30th Senior Adaptive Championship at Peak N Peak Resort in Clymer, New York.
These golfers may require para-mobile carts, specially built equipment or other devices to assist them on the course, but their desire to compete overrides any difficulties they face.
Adaptive golf advocate and survivor of a severe head trauma injury, coma and partial paralysis, Rich O’Brien told us,
“According to US Census Bureau, approximately 57 million Americans (19%) suffer from some form of disability. Of that total, an estimated 18 million of them played golf before suffering their disability.
In addition, a study conducted by the National Center on Accessibility, in conjunction with Clemson University, revealed a strong desire to play golf among the disabled.”
Many of the competitors at the USAGA events are military veterans, who have lost a limb in service of the country, but still want to remain active. They still have the fire to win, but these USAGA events are more about re-connecting with friends, playing a few holes together and spending time swapping lies in the 19th hole.
The USAGA was founded in 2014 and makes playing golf a reality for the 18 million physically disabled golfers. It includes 31, member organizations across the United States and provides adaptive golf to over 13,000 individuals, of which 26% are wounded veterans.
E.Q. Sylvester, CEO of the USAGA, is working diligently to have golf included in the para-Olympics. Last year, the USGA sent a representative to Frankenmuth to study the success of the USAGA in preparation of hosting their own USGA sanctioned event for physically limited golfers.
Golf also has become a type of therapy for the physically disabled. It gives them a reason to aspire to improve on the course, as well as, in life in general. Losing a limb or the use of a portion of your body does not mean you have to give up the things you love.
Adaptive golfers worldwide continue to prove that fact every day.
To learn more visit: https://www.usaga.org/
