Topgolf is set become an official sanctioned event for the Special Olympics beginning in 2024.
Special Olympics athletes will be able to compete as an individual or with a team through Special Olympics Unified Sports, which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition.
“We have a responsibility now more than ever to invite everyone into the game of golf, and our partnership with Special Olympics will help us further unleash the power of play and bring more joy to more people,” said Topgolf Chief Brand Officer Geoff Cottrill.
Local organizing committees for any Special Olympics event around the world – including the Special Olympics USA Games and World Games – will be able to include Topgolf as a medaled event starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics was created as a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. It delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and more than100,000 games and competitions every year.
“I’ve been at Topgolf for 14 years, and this partnership will go down as one of the things I’m most proud of,” said Topgolf’s Director of Charitable Initiatives Tiffany Brush. “Topgolf is changing the traditional definition of ‘golfer,’ and to see Special Olympics athletes so enthusiastic about Topgolf is a clear example of how we’re making the game more inclusive and open for all.”
Amy Bockerstette at Topgolf. (Photo: Courtesy of Topgolf)
But that’s not all. In May 2023, Topgolf will offer free practice sessions to Special Olympics athletes and Unified Sports participants.
And then there’s Topgolf’s “season of Giving,” a charitable effort held from Sept. 15 – Oct. 31 2023, where Topgolf players at venues in the United States and United Kingdom will have the opportunity to donate to the Special Olympics. Each venue has a goal to raise $10,000, with an overall goal of more than $500,000. U.S. and U.K. Topgolf locations will also host “Days of Giving” on Oct. 26-27.
“A partnership with Topgolf will help Special Olympics demonstrate to the world how inclusive sport training and competition is a catalyst for inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities,” said Lou Lauria, Chief of Sport and Competition at Special Olympics. “Special Olympics and Topgolf are completely aligned on the belief in the unlimited power of sport. What starts on the playing field extends into classrooms, workplaces and communities.”
Also in 2024, Topgolf will host the first Unified Fore Joy fundraising event, which will bring together Special Olympics athletes, Unified partners, professional golfers, celebrities and supporters at five of its U.S. venues.
Topgolf has 87 venues worldwide, 78 of which are in the U.S. The other nine locations are spread across Australia, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, the UAE, U.K. and Scotland.
