Ohio Golf Journal August 2019

Championship that will be held in September, they also host ISPS Handa sponsored, U.S. Open and Vision Cup. A full slate of Regional, as well as, International tournaments are held, as well. In June, fourteen of the best USBGA blind and vision impaired golfers gathered at Mt. Kisco Country Club for the 42nd ‘Guiding Eyes’ Blind Golf Classic. The tournament known as “The Masters” of blind golf has been renamed the Pat W. Browne, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament. In honor of Browne, who won this event 21 times. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and The R&A took note of the growth of blind golf and asked the USBGA to help write The Rules of Golf for Golfers with Disabilities. Two small exceptions to the rules were made: (1) grounding a club in a hazard was allowed (2) a coach is allowed to stand on the line of play, as well as, the line of a putt. The USBGA grew to include ‘vision impaired,’ plus the BlindGolf.com website was developed. The Midnight Golfer, a quarterly newsletter is circulated to alert members about opportunities to compete, plus record tournament results. The USBGA has even established a Hall of Fame to recognize players, coaches and the friends of blind golf. USBGA members are serious in the belief, “You Don’t Have To See It, To Tee It,” and look forward to future Blind Golf events. To become involved or find more information visit: https://usblindgolf.com/about.htm Note about the Author: Bob Andrews was the President of the USBGA for ten years. During his tenure, the USGA and Ohio Blind Golf Association The Ohio Blind Golf Association conducts an annual tournament with the mission: “To Motivate, Inspire & Serve all those who deal with the loss of sight.” They are officially sanctioned by The American Blind Golf. To learn more, or become involved visit their website: http://www.ohioblindgolf.com/ Side Bar: the R&A created “A Modification of the Rules of Golf for Golfers with Disabilities”, which now allows disabled golfers to compete in tournament play. Through his leadership, the International Blind Golf Association was organized. A history of the USBGA can be found at the website: https:// usblindgolf.com/history.htm. Ohio Golf Journal Blind G lf