Fourth USAGA International Para-Golf Championship to be Contested at Bear Creek Golf Club in Dallas

Arcis Golf to Welcome Competitive Golfers, October 20-22  

(Burr Ridge, Ill.) - The United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA), comprised of 38 national adaptive golf organizations, will hold the USAGA International Para-Golf Championship at Bear Creek Golf Club, an Arcis Golf property, in Dallas, Texas, October 20-22, 2020.

The USAGA International Para-Golf Championship includes golfers with various physical and sensory challenges (para-golfers) from around the world and is played in accordance with world ranking (WR4GD) standards, the United States Adaptive Golf Ranking system (USAGR), and the IPC Protocol. This is the fourth time the USAGA has hosted and organized this International Championship. Last year’s International Championship was held at Arcis Golf’s Desert Pines Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Chad Pfeifer, retired United States Army infantry paratrooper, is the overall men’s defending champion and also won the first USAGA International Para-Golf Championship in 2016.  Pfeifer lost his left leg during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. The overall women’s defending champion is Patti Valero and the overall seniors defending champion is Vic McClelland. For a list of individual winners in each category, click here: https://tinyurl.com/y9xkgdx6.

“The USAGA’s long-term objective of inclusion comes to the forefront at this event,” says USAGA Chairman E.Q. Sylvester. “The International Para-Golf Championship is all-inclusive and reflects the broad spectrum of all disabled players. The USAGA brings joy and a sense of freedom to 40,000 golfers with disabilities annually and approximately 26% are combat wounded veterans.”

The event has been approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association) as a Counting Event for the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), where para-golfers can earn points toward the world rankings.

Bear Creek Golf Club, located in the Dallas Fort Worth metro area, features two 18-hole Ted Robinson layouts and is known as one of the area’s premier golf venues for championship events. Golf Digest recognized it as one of the "Top 50 Resort Courses in America" and the Wall Street Journal as one of the "10 Great Places To Play Golf.” Its event amenities, including two expansive event pavilions accommodating groups of up to 1,200 guests - prompted Avid Golfer to name it the "Best Place To Host A Corporate Event."

“Our relationship with the United States Adaptable Golf Alliance allows us to bring more people into the game of golf or bring the game to them,” said Blake Walker, Founder and CEO of Dallas-based Arcis Golf.  “Hosting this national championship in our hometown and welcoming these skilled competitors is an honor for our company.”

The United States Adaptive Golf Ranking (USAGR) standards were a product of years of data analyses and conversations with the long-time stakeholders of the American disabled-golf industry.  The standards classify para-golfers into 14 different sport classes, provide yardage allowances for sport classes (much like the game already provides for age and gender) and provide competitive pathways to the highest levels through multiple events run by its member organizations. The season culminates with the USAGA Para-Golf International, where a USA Para-Golf team is announced, comprised of the top-two ranked para-golfers from each sport class. Special awards are also given to the top-ranked male and female golfers for the season, as well as top performers for the week.

For more information on the U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA), visit: www.usaga.org.

Additional information about Arcis Golf may be found at www.arcisgolf.com.