Blind golfers tee off in Simcoe for eight-day international tournament

Ready with their guides in the driver’s seat, blind golfers from around the world waited in their carts to embark on the course at the Greens at Renton in Simcoe, Ontario today.

The golfers will be here for eight days competing in three tournaments, which will be played back-to-back to cut down travel time.

“We have athletes that are B1, which is profoundly blind, we have athletes that are B2 classification which is about 5 per cent vision, and I play in B3 classification which is 10 per cent vision,” Hugh Montgomery, Vice President of Ontario Blind Golf said.

Darren Douma has been honing his tee-off skills for 44 years. When his vision worsened, he began looking at other options and found blind golf in 2012.

Since he grew up with the sport, he says it was an easy transition.

“Because I have some vision, I use a monocular to do the depth perception where the flag is on the green,” Douma told CHCH News.

The monocular is one tool used in the sport, but the most important tool are the guides. They act like on-the-green coaches, ensuring the athletes swing and position will get them to the pin.

In addition to blind golf, Kevin Frost is a three-time world champion in blind speedskating. He’s rowed, cycled and ran track for Team Canada in the Paralympic Games.

Frost also depends on a guide to golf, but he has a special member of his crew, Woody the service dog join him on the course.

“Having a cane is great, but a service dog is more independent and it’s great having Woody on the golf course by my side,” he said.

Brad Halyk, the general manager of Greens at Renton, says the course is home to Blind Golf Canada.

“It’s really inspiring to see them play,” he says.

“People sometimes come into blindness halfway through their lives. Some have been blind for longer than that. It’s the real competitiveness they still have.”

For more information on this series tournament, visit www.internationalblindgolf.com or call Greens at Renton at 519-426-3308.

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