Last updated on December 7th, 2024 at 11:51 am
The USGA and LPGA published new guidelines that require golfers to be female at birth or transitioned before puberty to qualify for their events. They will implement their updated gender policies next year. Women at birth can compete in the Epson Tour, LPGA Tour, and USGA championships. However, golfers born male and went through male puberty are ineligible.
According to sportsbook pay per head experts, the LPGA policy prohibits transgender women from participating in events unless they can prove they have not progressed beyond stage two of male puberty on the Tanner scale or were assigned female at birth before age 12. Other requirements include maintaining a serum testosterone concentration below 2.5 nmol/L.
On Wednesday, the USGA announced it will implement the same rules next year. Players can compete in women’s competitions only if they were assigned female at birth or transitioned before puberty. Both the LPGA and the USGA agree on the definition of male puberty.
USGA and LPGA Updates Policies Based on Science
Both groups emphasized maintaining “competitive integrity” in news releases at the sport’s top levels. The new regulations would have the most public impact on transgender golfer Hailey Davidson.
In October, Davidson took part in LPGA qualifying. At the same time, 275 female players signed a letter asking governing bodies to ban athletes assigned male at birth from women’s events.
A working group of experts in medicine, sports physiology, gender policy, and golf performance informed LPGA policy. According to pay per head reviews and news sites, the group concluded that golfers who have experienced male puberty have an advantage over those who have not.
New Policies on Trans Golfers
The debate over whether transgender women, particularly those who underwent male puberty, have an athletic advantage over cisgender women remains unclear. There is insufficient data and a lack of scientific consensus, even with ongoing hormone therapy. That is especially true, given that trans athletes’ talents might vary just as much as those of cisgender athletes.
Reports in May cited Dr. Joshua Safer of Mount Sinai as saying that numerous prestigious sports organizations are attempting to formulate regulations without relevant data on the performance of trans athletes in their respective sports, like basketball or soccer.
A 2021 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that trans women have hemoglobin levels similar to those of cisgender women. The study found that after 12 months of hormone therapy, trans women’s strength, muscular area, and lean body mass decreased significantly but remained higher than those of cisgender women. Although sex differences do emerge beyond puberty, a 2023 scientific study indicated that gender-affirming hormone treatment can reduce or even eliminate many of these differences over time.
The study found that physical attributes like limb length and height are less changeable than other characteristics. However, it did note that cisgender athletes with exceptional physical talent are not being restricted, and the study argued that transgender athletes’ and all athletes’ abilities would be insulted by the exclusion of transgender competitors.
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