Playing golf is hard enough even when you can see what you’re doing, so why would it be nearly impossible to play blind?
I thought so too, until I met blind British Open champion Mandy Large – who showed me just how good she is at her local course.
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Mandi makes playing with only five percent vision look like Tiger Woods playing at your local pitch and putt.
Mandy, 51, is a former GP whose life was turned upside down when in 2003 she began to lose her sight.
A genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa caused him to gradually lose his sight to such an extent that he was forced to take medical retirement as a GP, which he claims made him “lose his purpose”.
But thankfully for Mandy, golf helped her overcome hardship – picking up a club for the first time and learning to play the world’s toughest game without looking at what she was doing.
Just two years after she first played golf, Mandy became the British Blind Open champion – one of the many inspiring reasons she has been named one of American golf’s game changers.
Though reaching the top may seem like an easy journey, Mandi has fought very hard to earn her place as one of the best blind golfers in the country.
He told SunSport how tough it was for him to pick himself up after losing his sight at the age of 30.
Mandy recalled: “Initially I didn’t realise I was losing my vision. I actually drove in front of another car and collided with it.
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“So I went to get my vision checked because I thought I needed glasses and that’s when the visual field test showed signs.
“It was a weird shock, and even though I was a doctor when I was diagnosed, I was completely devastated.”
Mandy told how losing her eyesight left her mentally distressed as she was forced into retirement.
“When my vision started to deteriorate it had a really bad effect on my mental health, I became very scared.
“I felt like I would be a burden on my family and I didn’t know what I would do with my life.
“But I have to be honest, now that I have taken up the sport I have a fulfilling life and I have met such amazing people that I have met through blind sport.”
He added: “Golf is wonderful – it gives me a sense of freedom. I don’t have to use my white stick when I go out on the pitch.”
“I can just walk there and get some fresh air. It’s great for mental health and really good physically too.”
Mandy only has five per cent vision left in her right eye and only senses light and dark in her left eye – and unfortunately she will become totally blind in the future.
And surprisingly, despite studying medicine at the University of St Andrews just a short distance from the home of golf, he had never picked up a golf club before losing his sight.
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But with the support of her family and best friend Jane, she is guided around the course and helped to hit shots just as well as anyone else – or better than anyone else, as SunSport quickly found out when we went out on the course with Mandy.
“When I look down to set the ball, I can only partially see it, and as I make the back swing, most of it disappears,” Mandy said.
“As a visually impaired person golf cannot be played without a guide, and I am very fortunate to have a very good friend and my husband and children are all willing to help me.”
Mandy and all other blind golfers follow the same rules as everyone else on the field.
The only difference is that players are allowed a guide, who acts as a more active caddie, and may store their clubs in the bunker.
Mandy explained: “When a visually impaired golfer has a mark in front of them to aim at, the guide actually sets me up and keeps the club face in line.
“And I trust them and then move forward.”
Watch golfer at the Open quit mid-round after making a bad shot, then explain why‘Just keep moving forward’ is Mandi’s mantra, as that is what she has been doing since losing her sight.
Nothing has stopped him from enjoying life and sports, and that’s not just limited to golf.
Apart from being the British Blind Open champion and the Spanish Blind Open champion, Mandi has also triumphed in two other sports.
She is a three-time blind tennis world champion and is currently the world number one player in her vision category.
He has also represented England at international level in blind cricket.
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And if it weren’t for the injuries she suffered in those games, she might never have noticed the peace of the fairway.
“I had some injuries while playing cricket, I actually fractured my fingers, and I was fed up with getting fractured fingers, so I started playing tennis,” she said.
“I had some injuries during tennis, due to which I had to undergo elbow surgery, but I still play tennis.”
“But golf has taken over my life and so I don’t have time to play tennis. Golf is my new passion.”
Mandy doesn’t want to stop here, she hopes to become World Champion in blind golf in the near future, having already achieved the European number one title.
He has already been called up to represent the Rest of the World against the US in the Vision Cup, blind golf’s version of the Ryder Cup.
But Mandy isn’t just concerned about her own personal goals, getting everyone involved in golf is another of her passions.
As one of American golf’s leading game changers, he is eager to pave the way for more people to break through the barriers of the traditional golfer.
Gone are the days when a members club would ignore new members, now golf is fast becoming an inclusive sport for all.
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Mandi is a perfect example of breaking the conventional mold in the sport and he wants others to follow him.
She said: “I play golf through England and Wales Blind Golf, which is a charity, and we are fortunate to have a company like American Golf supporting us and promoting the fact that playing golf is available.”
He added: “There are some players who used to play golf at a very high level but then they lose their vision and never play golf again.
“It would be great if they could find out about this and pick up their clubs and get back on the field.”
Mandy wants not just blind golfers to be inspired by her work, but everyone.
“Golf is changing, it’s not what it used to be. It’s for everybody,” he urged.
“It doesn’t matter what your background is, whether you’re a woman or from a minority group.
“I think this is an opportunity for me to say you can now come and join the golf club. You can play. It’s for everybody.”
American Golf’s goal is to promote the game of golf – and the only way to do that is to get more people to play.
Read more at The Scottish Sun
Many people think they won’t fit in on the course and he wants to change that perception by encouraging people from all walks of life to see that golf is a sport that is fun and for everyone.
To read more about the Game Changers campaign, click here Here,
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