My Story

meet Gianna rojas, THE “ONE-HANDED” LADY GOLFER

Growing up like many other military families, mine move and change schools every couple of years—which meant I was regularly the new kid. The only trouble with being the new kid for me was that I was visibly different. You see, I was born in 1962 with no fingers on my left hand.

As a child I had to learn early on how to break the ice with people to make them comfortable with me.  As soon as I did, we would move away again and I would have to start all over. I’ve faced more than my fair share of being picked on, left out and bullied. I was even locked in a locker in middle school for three hours until someone finally heard me. 

As an adult, I began to get that feeling of being left out again. My husband, his friends and their wives would meet most weekends to play golf. They were nice enough to call me when they rounded the 15th hole to join them for lunch. Just like all golfers do, they would sit and talk about their morning round. I found myself not having much to add to the conversation.

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While I used my experiences as a child to learn early on how to break the ice with people initially uncomfortable with me, when I began to notice that I was excluding myself from joining my husband and our friends on their rounds of golf, I realized it was time to start doing something rather than watching from the sidelines.  

During my quest to find an adaptive way to learn to play golf , I learned how limited options were for golfers with different needs. I soon began forging relationships with leading experts and product manufacturers and decided to create Adaptive Golfers, an in-person and online space where those with different abilities can find programs and events, using modified clubs and equipment, that fit the space I struggled to find early on in my own golf journey as the self-proclaimed “One-Handed Lady Golfer”.  

I believe in the words attributed to John F. Kennedy: “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try”, and I live my life accordingly. I recognized that what was lacking for individuals like me was a voice. So, I decided to use my voice to advocate globally for adaptive golf.   

Through Adaptive Golfers, my mission is to re-imagine golf to allow any and everyone to discover the incredible benefits the game has to offer. Today, we host accessible golf clinics across the country, as well as training for golf instructors and course operators interested in better equipping their facilities to support golfers of all different abilities.  

I’m passionate about bringing attention to the success stories of Adaptive Golfers and sharing my own story in the hopes of inspiring others who may question their own abilities. I encourage you to learn more about Adaptive Golfers and how to get involved.  

Join us in making a difference.    

Sincerely,  

Gianna Rojas
Founder, Adaptive Golfers

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