Lee savors newfound Adaptive Golf Competition
Nancy Lee had moved past golf when one of her friends dragged her to a local driving range.
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Being the kind of person she is, Lee went. Little did she know how her life would change as a result.
“The Adaptive Golf community is fairly new to me,” Lee said. “I’ve only been involved for a couple of years. It’s funny. Somebody tapped me on the shoulder at the driving range and asked me if I played in Adaptive events. I told him I didn’t play anymore, and my friend just drug me here to the range. He then came back, said I had a great swing and was adamant I should play.”
That was 2023. Just shortly after that, Lee played in the first golf tournament of her life. The 2023 U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort. Quite the stage to make her debut.
Lee, playing in her first GAP Adaptive Championship, finished second in the Women’s Overall Division at Indian Valley Country Club (par 72, 4,950 yards). She won the Women’s Below Knee G2 category with rounds of 87 and 92.
“I have only played a couple of tournaments in the Adaptive Golf space,” Lee said. “The tournament was super thoughtful, from all of the gifts we received and the snacks we had on the golf course. I would love to have had a better turnout for the women. But we have to start somewhere. I am excited for future events.”
Lee’s life changed well before she found golf again. Close to 30 years ago, Lee was in a car accident. In 2014, a bone infection set in, and she needed to have her left leg amputated.
“Once you are an amputee, you have a new normal, so it is what it is,” Lee, 58, of New York, N.Y., said. “I think a lot of us just accept what happened and deal with it. You don’t let it hinder or limit your life in any way.”
And she doesn’t. Lee finds time in her schedule to run, to use her Peloton, to ski and to play tennis. Of course, in addition to golf.
“People ask me a lot what my life is,” Lee said. “I would say my public life has improved. I can walk in heels, I can ski like I used to. I can run, and I can play golf without any pain. My private life is more difficult. Using the restroom and getting around my house at night are more challenging.”
The GAP Adaptive Championship wasn’t the only first for Lee. She found out at the dinner after Round 1 she would be a grandmother for the first time. Her son David and his wife are expecting.
“My son called me on FaceTime during the dinner at the hotel after Round 1,” Lee said. “I walked outside the ballroom to take it. He told me then I was going to be a grandmother. I couldn’t help but cry. Everyone at the dinner congratulated me. It was a special moment. I didn’t know I was going to react like that.”
Lee said she was blown away by the kindness of everyone involved in the Adaptive Golf community. She said she thought the U.S. Adaptive Open was the only golf tournament for Adaptive Golfers. But now she knows there is so much more to explore. It’s hard to imagine what her life would be like if she refused to go with her friend to the driving range.
“My biggest goal in the immediate future is to play in more Adaptive Golf events,” Lee said. “I’ve only played in the U.S. Adaptive Open and the GAP Adaptive Championship. If you ask the rest of the competitors, they have a schedule and travel all over the country. I want to give it a shot.”
GAP Adaptive
In 2024, GAP (Golf Association of Philadelphia) launched GAP Adaptive to continue its mission of promoting, preserving and protecting the game of golf for all. GAP’s Adaptive Golf committee opened the season with its first program titled No Limit Clinics, a season-long series of instructional Adaptive Golf events taking place at various GAP Member Clubs. The GAP Adaptive season culminates with the GAP Adaptive Championship, a WR4GD-counting event. The field consists of local and international Adaptive Golfers.
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