Burr Ridge, Illinois: The U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA), providing tournaments, clinics and connecting disabled golfers to the game of golf since 2014, offers over 20 adaptive golf tournaments on the calender this year, led by member organizations of the USAGA, and culminating with the USAGA Invitational, Nov. 10-12, 2022, at Bear Creek Golf Club in Dallas Texas.
The USAGA includes 39 member organizations across the United States, providing adaptive golf to 40,000 individuals annually, of which 26% are combat-wounded veterans.
“We’ve come a long way since 2014,” recalls Edmund ‘EQ’ Sylvester, Founder and Chairman of USAGA. “In 2015, we had five Adaptive Golf Member Organizations. Today we have 39 Member Organizations.”
“The USAGA was formed in 2014 as a result of watching wonderful, disabled individuals adapt to the game of golf competing in the para-long drive competition in Mesquite, Nevada, earlier that year,“ explains Sylvester. “A double-below-the-knee amputee player hit a drive 407 yards to win the competition. When I asked the competitors what they were doing about getting golf into the Paralympic Games, they said they had been talking about it for six years but with no progress. That’s when I decided to accept the challenge.”
Sylvester himself is a triple amputee, having developed Sepsis from a kidney stone in 2011 at the age of 73. He was in a coma for two weeks. “After twelve operations, I left the hospital with no feet and one hand,” added Sylvester. “I could ride a horse, I could swim, but I couldn’t hit a golf ball out of my shadow.”
In July 2012, Sylvester formed the Freedom Golf Association (FGA) and the organization had their first Adaptive Golf Clinic in Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in January 2013. “I knew we were on to something when a young boy who was in a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis, hit the golf ball for the first time and had a huge smile on his face. His caregiver told me that was one of the happiest moments in his life!”
Seeing how golf positively changes lives, continues to motivate Sylvester and the USAGA in their work in making golf accessible to the adaptive golf community. “And we are thrilled that the USGA is hosting its first-ever USGA Adaptive Open, July 18-20, at Pinehurst #6,” added Sylvester. “We can’t thank the USGA enough for organizing this tournament and we encourage adaptive golfers to participate. Hopefully, this will help inspire those in the adaptive community to play more.”
For a list of USAGA tournaments: https://www.usaga.org/adaptive-tournaments.html
For a schedule of clinics offered by the USAGA: https://www.usaga.org/usagaclinics.html
Contact:
Ashley Pierce
Chief of Staff/Office Manager
U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance
900 Oakmont Lane Suite 111
Westmont, Il. 60559
apierce@usaga.org
www.usaga.org
