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 with a unique design. Courses typically consist of either nine or 18 holes.
Special Olympics divides Golf into five skill levels:
Levels 2 through 5 have minimum qualifying scores. New athletes considering joining our Golf program should reach out to the coaching team (golf@somdmontgomery.org) about the appropriate Golf level for their Unified team.
| Coaches | Head Coach – Louis Hoelmann Sport Director – John Bogasky |
| Season Dates & Times | Practices: Preseason and regular-season practices count equally for meeting qualification requirements for the State Tournament. Athletes who skip the Preseason must achieve perfect attendance in the regular season to qualify. Qualifiers: Montgomery County Qualifier Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Rattlewood Golf Course. State Games: Sunday, September 27th at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course. Signup Begins: Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 6 PM |
| Athlete & Volunteer Registration Expiration Date | Sport’s State Games competition date: September 27, 2026 All Forms must be up to date before the signup date. The expiration date on an Athlete’s Registration form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after the above State Games competition date to participate in the upcoming season. |
You can find the official Special Olympics Rules, Fact Sheet, Coaching Guide, and other resources at this link: Special Olympics Golf.
Our Montgomery Special Olympics Golf Program is a Unified Sport where an Athlete and a Unified Partner play as a team. In levels 2 and 3, the Athlete and Unified Partner hit alternate shots in competition. In levels 4 and 5, the Unified Partner serves as the Athlete’s caddie.
Athletes are responsible for finding their own Unified Partner. While our local Special Olympics program would like to provide Unified Partners, we do not have the committed volunteers needed to do so. When Golf Sign-Up is open, an Athlete’s Unified Partner should sign up as a Volunteer for Golf when the Athlete signs up as a Golf Athlete.
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, and at least five clubs (e.g., a Driver, a 3 wood, a 5 iron, a wedge, and a putter). We provide balls for practice and Level 1 competitions. Athletes must provide their own golf balls for Level 2-5 competitions and for any on-course practice at Northwest Golf Course.
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 a SOMO baseball cap for competitions. Athletes must provide their own khaki shorts, skirt, or long pants for competition.
Location: The SOMO Golf Team has two practice locations:
Activities: Each location offers different practice opportunities. At Northwest, we practice at the driving range and on the putting green. Unified teams also have the option, at the end of practice, to play holes 1, 2, and 9 on Northwest’s Inside 9 course. At Norbeck, we use their short game practice area to practice chipping, pitching, and sand shots.
Coaches assign Unified teams to one of two Golf teams, Team A or Team B. Each week, teams alternate between Norbeck and Northwest, practicing at either location.
On two Wednesdays each summer, the Norbeck short game area is closed for aeration. On those Wednesdays, the affected team (Team A or Team B) will instead practice at TopGolf in Germantown (20101 Century Blvd, Germantown, MD 20874).
Here is the practice location by team for the 2026 season:
Timing: Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 PM. Optional on-course practice for Levels 2-5 players at Northwest can continue past 7 PM until dark.
Qualifiers are held most weekends from August through September. While Athletes MUST attend at least 2 qualifiers to be eligible for State Competition, SOMO recommends that athletes play in as many qualifiers as their schedules allow. 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 the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Qualifier details will be made available to registered players as other Area Programs announce the dates and locations of their qualifiers.
The 2026 Special Olympics Maryland Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday, September 27th at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course on the Eastern Shore.
A Unified Partner/Athlete team must participate together in at least eight (8) practices and compete in two qualifiers in order to qualify for the State Tournament.
Golfers can participate in other SOMO sports as long as they can maintain full practice and competition participation in all of their sports.
