The renewed partnership between Special Olympics and Topgolf continues to expand opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) around the world, creating new pathways into golf and growing participation numbers in the sport while also strengthening competition opportunities across the movement.
The three-year, $2.5 million commitment harnesses Topgolf’s expertise, resources, and global brand power to increase Special Olympics’ impact in golf by removing barriers to participation and expanding access and inclusivity. Through ongoing initiatives like the Topgolf Playing Season, Topgolf Giving Season, the Unified Fore Joy ProAm, the Global Invitational Tournament, and Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) engagements, Special Olympics programs are empowered with year-round opportunities to engage athletes, Unified partners (teammates without intellectual disabilities), volunteers, and coaches in the sport of golf.
This continued support not only provides critical financial investment but also strengthens individual program capacity, enabling sustainable growth and expanding the reach of inclusive golf experiences around the world. As a result, golf is becoming increasingly more prominent across Special Olympics programs, with more athletes participating while also growing the number of competitive opportunities being introduced at local, national, and global levels.
“Partnering with Topgolf expands the many ways Special Olympics brings people of all abilities together through the power of sport. Topgolf and Special Olympics share a belief in sport’s unique ability to build friendships, foster inclusion, and transform lives. We’re deeply grateful to Topgolf for opening their state-of-the-art venues to our athletes—offering them a world-class environment to sharpen their skills, showcase their determination and courage, and inspire us all to reach for our personal best."
Building on the momentum of a successful two-year pilot program from 2023 – 2025, and the partnership’s promising first year 2025 – 2026 statistics, the collaboration between Special Olympics and Topgolf has flourished. As of 2026, the partnership has raised $765,699 through key fundraising initiatives such as the Inaugural ProAm ($573,835), Tip-A-Cop® ($90,494), Peer-to-Peer campaigns ($81,303), and the Red Glove ($13,410) and WGT Glove ($6,657) cause marketing campaigns. This funding has fueled meaningful growth across Special Olympics programs, resulting in 7,296 active participation by athletes and Unified partners in over 38 competitions in 2024 alone.
The Topgolf Invitational has become one of the most innovative competition opportunities in Special Olympics golf, after just 2 years from the inception of the competition. The Invitational connects athletes and Unified partners through a unique blend of local participation and global competition. As the only medaled tournament of its kind within the Special Olympics movement, and the only official sport competition delivered through a corporate partnership, athletes and Unified Partners compete from their local Topgolf venue while participating in the worldwide event utilizing the advanced Toptracer technology found at and globally synced across all Topgolf facilities. Scores are submitted to a global leaderboard, culminating in medal placements for both Individual and Unified Doubles divisions.
Participation in the Topgolf Invitational increased by 32% in 2025, including a 48% increase in Unified partners. Building on this momentum, the 2026 Topgolf Invitational is set to take place on August 29, 2026, with more than 30 participating Topgolf locations (a 37% increase from 2025) expected to host athletes and Unified Partners across 4 countries—Australia, the USA, the UAE (Dubai), and Great Britain. The continued growth of the tournament reflects increasing demand for accessible and inclusive golf competition while demonstrating the strength of the Topgolf partnership.
In recent weeks, Special Olympics Mexico has become the fifth country to formally join the initiative through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Topgolf Monterrey. This commitment will support the first-ever delivery of Special Olympics golf programming in the Special Olympics Latin America region and has already initiated discussions with the Mexican Golf Federation. These federation partnerships are critical to ensuring high-quality coaching, meaningful competition opportunities, and the long-term sustainability of golf within Special Olympics. By removing many of the traditional barriers to participation, Topgolf provides an accessible platform that not only introduces athletes to the sport but also helps create connections with golf governing bodies, corporate partners, LETR, and is strengthening the quality and future growth of golf opportunities for athletes across the movement.
“This partnership with Topgolf represents a meaningful step forward for Special Olympics in Latin America, opening new pathways for athletes to experience golf in an inclusive, accessible, and exciting way. For many athletes, this will be their first opportunity to engage with the sport, helping us expand our programming, develop new skills, and create lasting opportunities through the power of sport.”
A similar story to Mexico’s addition to the global collaboration is continuing to unfold in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Athletes who participated in the first ever season of Unified golf in Special Olympics UAE recorded average score improvements of approximately 60% from week one to week 10 of their practice season and competition model. These outcomes demonstrate improved golf performance while athletes gain increased confidence, independence, social connection, and personal development through sport.
There are many examples of how Topgolf has changed the landscape in which golf training and competition are being delivered. One outstanding example is Special Olympics Pennsylvania's collaboration with the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association. Together, the organizations hosted all-ability golf clinics at Topgolf, coached and hosted by PGA professionals, creating a first-of-its-kind program that brought athletes, coaches, golf professionals, and community partners together in an inclusive learning environment.
Initiatives like these demonstrate how Topgolf has evolved beyond providing facilities for practice and competition to Special Olympics. It has become a catalyst for innovation, partnership development, and new models of inclusive golf delivery that are helping shape the future of the sport.
“Special Olympics Topgolf has given my son an opportunity to discover something in himself that he did not know was there. He had never played golf before, but because Topgolf made the sport accessible and welcoming, he was able to participate fully and quickly realized that he not only loved playing, but he was actually pretty good at it," said Stephanie Willis, mother of Special Olympics DC athlete Brandon Willis.
She added, "Topgolf was his first entry point into Special Olympics, and it has opened the door to new friendships, greater confidence, and experiences we hope will remain part of his life for many years."
Topgolf's commitment to Special Olympics extends beyond programming and competition through a three-year grant that provides $500,000 annually to support golf development and fundraising initiatives across the movement.
In 2026, this investment supported Topgolf's Bronze Sponsorship of the Special Olympics USA Games, expanded capacity within Special Olympics International to support the growth of golf programming, provided investment into LETR, and directly funded Special Olympics programming across five countries. It has also enabled a grant program benefiting more than 30 Special Olympics programs, helping them strengthen both sport delivery models and infrastructure and fundraising capacity in the program to allow for the sustainable and strategic development of their golf programming in the future.
The continued investment of time, expertise, resources, and unwavering commitment from Topgolf has created a strong foundation for the future of Special Olympics golf. With expanding opportunities, growing participation numbers in the sport, increased program capacity, and strengthened partnerships across the globe, 2026 and beyond promises to be a transformative period for golf throughout the Special Olympics movement.
At the heart of this growth is a shared commitment to investing in local Special Olympics programs, where the greatest impact on athletes is made. Sustainable funding at the community level ensures that athletes have access to quality coaching, meaningful competition, and year-round opportunities to challenge themselves, build resilience, discover new strengths, and achieve goals they may never have thought possible.
