Blind golfers hope to inspire next generation

Some of the top blind golfers in Ireland hope to inspire a new generation to take up their clubs and tee-off as an international competition comes to Cork for the first time.

Players from Ireland and Scotland will tee-off today in the annual Celtic Cup competition at the Lee Valley golf club.

It will be the first time in the competition’s six-year history that the two-day event has been held in Cork.

All the players, who are blind or visually impaired, will compete with guides who will describe the course layout, the lie of the ball, the angle of the club face, call the flight of the ball, and the fall of the greens to help their players line up their shots.

The competition was first held in 2009 and is played on an alternating home and away basis.

Team Ireland won the inaugural competition but currently trail two to three in matches.

It will be up to six golfers and their guides from Team Ireland to try and level the score later this month.

Paul O’Rahilly from Kilkenny, Adrian Downey and Willem Roode, from Dublin, who is married to Paralympian Catherine Walsh, northern Ireland’s Drew Cochrane and Sam Smyth, from Ballymena, and Tommy Reidy, from Newry, will play three foursomes and six singles matches against Team Scotland across the two-day event — foursomes matches on day one followed by six singles.

The competition is organised by the Irish Blind Golf Society and the Northern Ireland Blind Golf Association.

IBGS honorary secretary Paul O’Rahilly, who is visually impaired, said the relationship between players and guides is vital.

“But it’s also about the psychology. Golf is a very psychological game and it’s important for the guides to work with their player’s mood.

Sometimes, it’s better if they say nothing,” he joked.

But he said the Lee Valley course will suit the Irish team.

“We anticipate another close match at Lee Valley. With the continuing support of Vision Sports Ireland our side will be well prepared. We’ve an ongoing personal and competitive relationship with our Scottish colleagues but we are determined to stop this sequence of loses.

“We hope the staging of the event in Cork for the first time will widen awareness of golfing opportunities for blind and visually impaired golfers, not only in Cork but throughout the country.”

IBGS receives funding from Vision Sports Ireland — the national governing body for sport activities for vision impaired people in Ireland.