Adaptive Golf Is Growing in Minnesota — And Braemar Is Proof

This fall, Braemar Golf Course will host the second Minnesota Adaptive Open, a championship-level tournament that gives golfers with disabilities a stage to compete at the highest level.

The event carries World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) status, which means every player earns points toward international rankings. It's a serious competition and a celebration of how far adaptive golf has come in Minnesota.

Nathan Lindberg, the MGA's Youth & Adaptive Golf Manager, has watched this growth since the inaugural event last year.

"The player field has expanded, volunteer participation has increased, and overall awareness of the event has grown throughout Edina and the greater Minnesota golf community," he said. "It's exciting to see more people recognizing the championship and embracing adaptive golf."

Bryan See, a longtime adaptive golfer and MGA volunteer, got his official adaptive golf pass this year and plans to compete for the first time.

"There's almost twice as many people signed up already this year compared to last year," he said.

He also credited the visibility adaptive golf has gained nationally, pointing to the U.S. Adaptive Open's growing television coverage.

Max Togisala, the tournament's defending champion, is coming back to Braemar.

"This year means a lot to me considering that I won last year," he said. "I hope to be able to play well and just have fun." Togisala made history in the inaugural event as the first seated golfer to win from an adaptive cart, a milestone he says still carries weight heading into his title defense.

A few spots are still available, please contact Nathan at nathan@mngolf.org to secure one of the final spots.

How Braemar Built a Championship for Every Category

Braemar Golf Course and the City of Edina have long been a partner in adaptive golf.

"Braemar Golf Course is an ideal partner for the Minnesota Adaptive Open," Lindberg said. "It's one of Minnesota's premier public golf facilities, but even more importantly, it has been a longtime supporter of adaptive golf."

Braemar's ongoing partnership with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute helped establish the course as a leader in making the game more accessible, and the City of Edina has backed the event since it began.

The championship runs 36 holes of stroke play across Saturday and Sunday, with golfers competing both within their impairment category and for one of three overall titles: men's, women's, and senior.

Eight impairment categories make up the field, covering coordination impairment, intellectual impairment, lower limb impairment, multiple limb amputee, seated players, short stature, upper limb impairment, and vision impairment.

Yardages shift by category. "This helps make the course as playable as possible for each category while creating a fair and competitive playing field," he said. "The result is a championship that showcases incredible talent and highly competitive golf across every division."

The weekend kicks off Friday evening with a community clinic, where golfers hoping to compete in future years can learn directly from current championship players.

"It creates connections between participants, volunteers, and players while demonstrating the welcoming and supportive nature of adaptive golf," Lindberg said. "Whether you're attending as a clinic participant, a championship competitor, or a volunteer, it's an incredibly impactful experience."

A Defending Champion & Longtime Advocate

Togisala spends much of his year running clinics for other adaptive golfers.

"I really just want to show the other players that you can still play golf, and you can still have fun, and you can still compete against all other golfers," he said. "The players are there to have fun and to inspire people by showing how to overcome whatever tough challenges life throws at you."

See has built his connection to the sport, first as a rules official and then as a competitor.

"A lot of these folks know each other from playing different tournaments, so you see them around," he said. "They've got their own group."

He described that group as one built on a shared love of the game rather than a shared set of circumstances, where the camaraderie matters as much as the competition.

Togisala said tournaments like this give golfers with disabilities a competitive environment to strive in, and See has watched that same visibility change how the broader golf community sees adaptive players as golfers who belong on the same course as everyone else.

See mentioned that local courses, clinics, and adaptive programs make it easy to try the game without a major investment in equipment, he said, and more courses across Minnesota now carry adaptive carts and gear on-site.

"The opportunities are there," he said.

A Local Partner

Part of what's made adaptive golf more accessible across Minnesota is the equipment now available at courses.

VertaCat, a Minnesota-based company, builds adaptive golf carts that more MGA courses have added in recent years, giving golfers a chance to try the sport without sourcing specialized equipment on their own.

See said, "Having them local has also been a help."

For golfers who are still deciding whether adaptive golf is for them, having equipment on-site removes one more barrier between them and their first round.

Making Golf Accessible

The Minnesota Adaptive Open is one weekend, but the MGA Foundation's work in adaptive golf runs all season.

The MGA Foundation partners with Courage Kenny on beginner and intermediate clinics throughout the year, giving participants a chance to try adaptive equipment and carts before committing to the sport.

"These clinics allow participants to experiment with the proper equipment and adaptive carts that they may need to make their golf experience the most successful," Lindberg said.

The MGA Foundation partners with golf facilities across the state to expand access, including donating carts designed for seated players. Many of those carts come from VertaCat.

Lindberg shares, "Golf truly is a game for everyone. Regardless of someone's circumstances, the game has the power to create opportunities, build confidence, and positively impact lives."