Pre-Season: June – Regular Season: August and September
Email: golf@somdmontgomery.org
Overview: Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players (or golfers) use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes. The game is played on golf courses, each of which features a unique design. Courses typically consist of either nine or 18 holes.
EVERY ATHLETE MUST HAVE A UNIFIED PARTNER TO JOIN THE TEAM AND COMMIT TO PRACTICING ON THEIR OWN OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL PRACTICE SEASON.
| Coaches | Chuck Hellmuth – Head Coach Mike Riggs – Team Manager |
| Season Dates & Times | Practices: Preseason practice: Wednesdays June 14, 21, & 28 2023 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Official season practice: Wednesdays August 2nd to September 20th, 2023 5:30-7 PM. Practice time subject to change due to earlier sunset time. Qualifiers: Montgomery County Qualifier Sunday September 3, 2023 at Rattlewood Golf Course. Coaches will announce additional qualifiers as they are scheduled. State Games: September 22, 2024, at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course |
| Medical & Volunteer Expiration Date | The expiration date on an athlete’s Medical form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after September 22, 2024 to participate in the upcoming season. Check athlete status here. Check volunteer status here. |
Special Olympics Golf is divided into the following 5 skill levels:
Skills Golf (level 1) The Skills program offers new athletes the opportunity to learn the basic skills of golf through 6 events. They will have 5 shots at each event to score points:
- Short Putt
- Long Putt
- Chip Shot
- Pitch Shot
- Iron Shot
- Wood Shot
Levels 2-5
- Level 2 — Unified Alternate Shot Stroke Play (9 holes)
- Level 3 — Unified Alternate Shot Stroke Play (18 holes)
- Level 4 — Individual Athlete Stroke Play (9 holes)
- Level 5 — Individual Athlete Stroke Play (18 holes)
New athletes begin at Level 1. Assignment to higher levels is based on meeting skill level qualifications during competitions. We recommend that new athletes contact the Head Coach at the email address above before signing up for Golf.
Equipment: Athletes and Unified Partners provide their own golf equipment. At a minimum, each player needs a Golf bag, spike-less golf shoes (optional for level 1), golf glove, a Driver, 3 wood, 4 iron, wedge, and putter. We provide balls for practice and Level 1 competitions. Athletes must provide their own golf balls for level 2-5 competitions and any on-course practice at Northwest Golf Course.
Uniform Requirements: Appropriate golf attire is required for practice and competitions, i.e., collared shirt, no jeans or gym shorts. SOMO provides all athletes with a uniform shirt and SOMO baseball cap for competitions. Athletes must provide their own khaki shorts, skirt or long pants for competition.
Practice Overview:
Location: Northwest Golf Course, 15711 Layhill Road, Silver Spring, MD 20906. Meet at the far right side of the Driving Range.
Timing: Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 PM. Optional on-course practice for Levels 2-5 players can continue past 7 PM until dark.
Activities: We start with instructional practice on the driving range and putting greens. After instructional skills practice, Level 2-5 golfers can move to optional on-course play (2 holes) until dark.
Qualifiers:
Qualifiers are held most weekends from August through September throughout the State. Athletes are expected to attend at least 2 qualifiers to be eligible to attend the State Competition. Weekend qualifiers begin in August and are held throughout Maryland. Athletes must travel to at least one qualifier in another county in order to qualify for the State Tournament. All athletes are expected to participate in SOMO’s Qualifier at Rattlewood Golf Course on Labor Day weekend. Families are also expected to volunteer for this event. Qualifier details will be made available to registered players.
State Competition:
The State Tournament is held at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course on the Eastern Shore. Athletes must participate in two qualifiers to qualify for State Competition. All Athletes are expected to compete.
Participation in Other SOMO Fall Sports: Golfers can participate in other SOMO sports so long as the athlete can maintain full practice participation in all of their sports.