CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora named the host for the 2029 U.S. Adaptive Open, becoming 16th different Colorado venue for a USGA championship; state is now up to 40 USGA championships held or scheduled
By Gary Baines
ENGLEWOOD — CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, owned and operated by the CGA, has ably played second fiddle for two past USGA championships. Now, it will get the spotlight.
After serving as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the 2012 U.S. Amateur (which Cherry Hills Country Club hosted) and the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur (which Colorado Golf Club hosted), CommonGround on Sunday was named the sole host of the 2029 U.S. Adaptive Open, USGA managing director of championships Mark Hill announced at the CGA Medal of Excellence event at The Inverness Denver.
The dates for the 54-hole championship in 2029 will be July 9-11. With the addition, Colorado will now host USGA championships in three straight years, with the 2029 Adaptive at CommonGround, the 2030 U.S. Junior Amateur at Colorado Golf Club in Parker and the 2031 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
2029 will mark the eighth edition of the U.S. Adaptive Open, in which male and female golfers with physical, visual or intellectual impairments compete in a national/international championship.
“We are excited to bring the U.S. Adaptive Open to CommonGround in 2029,” Hill said in a release. “With its deep connection to golf in Colorado and focus on providing an accessible and welcoming community home, CommonGround will provide an excellent stage to showcase the skill of the world’s best adaptive golfers.”
Appropriately, the news of CommonGround being chosen as a host site for the event comes just months after a Coloradan, PGA professional Justin Carlock of Eaton, matched the best men’s overall finish ever by an American at the championship as he placed third.
Carlock — who has lived his entire life with a condition that caused his fingers and hands to fuse differently; he’s undergone more than 10 surgeries — posted the best overall showing ever by a Coloradan in the U.S. Adaptive Open. Meanwhile, another Coloradan, Mario Dino of Denver, has competed in the U.S. Adaptive Open all five years — and had his best men’s overall finish in 2026, tying for 15th.
As evidenced by Carlock — a PGA assistant professional at Eaton Country Club — pros as well as amateurs can compete in the championship.
This year, the final round of the U.S. Adaptive Open received three hours of live TV coverage on Golf Channel.
“CommonGround was created to provide a place where golfers of all backgrounds and abilities can experience and enjoy the game, making the U.S. Adaptive Open a natural fit,” CGA CEO/executive director Ed Mate said in a release. “We’re incredibly proud to welcome this championship to Colorado and look forward to showcasing the world’s best adaptive golfers on a course that was built to serve the game and our community.”
CommonGround Golf Course has twice served as the second stroke-play course for a USGA championship, and it’s hosted numerous CGA championships.
To be eligible to compete in the U.S. Adaptive Open, a golfer must have a WR4GD (World Ranking for Golfers with Disability) pass — and a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 36.4 for amateurs. According to GAPAdaptive.org, “WR4GD Certification is a process that the game of golf uses to confirm that an individual has an impairment that severely affects their ability to play golf.”
Because of the nature of the championship, carts are permitted for all players and caddies at the U.S. Adaptive Open.
In addition, there are several modified rules for some Adaptive Open competitors. Among them: visually impaired players are allowed to have their caddie behind them while taking a stance and during a stroke; amputees are allowed to replace their ball with something other than by hand; seated players are allowed four club lengths for lateral relief. In addition, local rules can be in effect for seated players to assist them in taking a stance or playing a ball from a bunker.
Dramatically varying yardages are used for the various competitions which take place within the championship.
The field size for the 54-hole championship has been 96 players. A cut is made after 36 holes, including to the top 20 overall men and ties and to the top 10 overall women and ties. Qualifying for the event takes place typically in the spring.
Kipp Popert of England, who was born with cerebral palsy, has won the last four men’s overall titles at the U.S. Adaptive Open, becoming the first male competitor to do so at the same USGA championship for four consecutive years. This year’s victory was by six strokes over inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open champ Simon Lee of South Korea.
Kim Moore of Fort Wayne, Ind., who competes in the lower limb impairment category, has captured the women’s overall title three times, including this year.
Dennis Walters, a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, has also been a fixture at the Adaptive Open each year.
There are eight impairment categories for the Adaptive Open, each of which comprises a sub-tournament:
- Intellectual Impairment
- Lower Limb Impairment
- Multiple Limb Amputee
- Coordination Impairment
- Seated Players
- Short Stature
- Upper Limb Impairment
- Vision Impairment
The next two U.S. Adaptive Championships are set for Sunriver (Ore.) Resort — in 2027 and ’28. Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., has hosted the last two championships.
As for the 2029 host course, CommonGround Golf Course was designed by Tom Doak and it opened in 2009. Its catch phrase, which goes to why it pursued hosting the U.S. Adaptive Open, is “Located at the Intersection of Mission and Masterpiece”.
With the addition of the 2029 U.S. Adaptive Open to the schedule, 40 USGA championships have been held in Colorado all time — or are scheduled. Joining the 2029 Adaptive on the upcoming docket are the 2030 U.S. Junior Amateur (Colorado Golf Club) and the 2031 and ’37 U.S. Senior Open (The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs).
CommonGround will be the 16th different Colorado course or club to serve as the primary host of a USGA championship. The others are Cherry Hills Country Club (10 championships); The Broadmoor (9, with 2 more planned); Denver CC (2); Hiwan Golf Club (2); Lakewood CC (2); Wellshire (2); Colorado Golf Club (1, with 1 more planned); Greeley CC (1); Hyland Hills (1); Kissing Camels (1); Murphy Creek (1); Riverdale Dunes (1); Sonnenalp (1); Eisenhower Golf Club (1); and Walking Stick (1).
For more information about the U.S. Adaptive Open, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com
