The International Golf Federation (IGF) has adopted and published new classification rules for athletes with disabilities, marking the culmination of three years of work alongside researchers, specialists and organizations across the sport. The initiative aims to establish more objective and transparent international criteria to ensure fair competition, while representing another step forward in golf’s journey towards possible inclusion in the Paralympic Games.
The new rules were developed in alignment with the 2025 Classification Code of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and its accompanying international standards. The system includes eight sport classes for seated and standing athletes, as well as athletes with visual or intellectual impairments, with the aim of assessing how each impairment affects their ability to perform the fundamental skills required in golf.
IGF establishes a classification system based on scientific evidence
One of the main objectives of the regulations is to reduce subjectivity in assessments and ensure that athletes are classified according to consistent criteria, regardless of where the process takes place. To achieve this, the IGF worked with the IPC Classification Team and international specialists, incorporating clinical evidence, golf biomechanics research and technical reviews to establish standardized tests, measurable parameters and clearly defined protocols.
The development of this methodology involved the IGF’s Head of Classification, Sam Taylor, as well as researchers such as Emma Beckman, Sean Tweedy and Sean Horan. The contribution of the University of Adelaide was also significant, as it conducted an independent psychometric review of five clinical assessment measures and found that they generally demonstrated acceptable to strong measurement properties. Although these findings support their use, the federation acknowledges that further golf-specific research and continued analysis of athlete data will be necessary to strengthen the available scientific evidence.
Eight sport classes and a four-stage assessment process
The regulations establish a four-stage classification process: confirming the existence of an underlying health condition, determining whether the athlete has an eligible impairment, assessing whether they meet the minimum impairment criteria, and assigning a sport class and corresponding sport class status. This process aims to determine which athletes are eligible to compete and how they should be grouped, taking into account the impact of their impairments on the fundamental activities of golf. The rules also include procedures for reviews, protests and appeals, alongside training requirements for classifiers and measures to protect athletes’ personal information.
The IGF’s Chief Executive Officer, Antony Scanlon, highlighted that the publication of the regulations represents an important moment for the development of golf for athletes with disabilities and the sport’s Paralympic ambitions. Taylor, meanwhile, emphasized that the system is based on clearly defined minimum impairment criteria and evidence-based methods, with the possibility of being reviewed and refined as research progresses. Implementation will begin at the Australian All Abilities Open, a 54-hole championship scheduled to take place from November 11 to 13, 2026, at Sandhurst Club in Melbourne, in collaboration with Golf Australia. It will be the first IGF-covered competition to apply the new rules, while the federation develops training and certification programmes to ensure consistent implementation of the system internationally.
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