GOLF is hard enough when you can see what you’re doing, so it must be almost impossible to play blind?
That’s what I though until I met Blind British Open champion Mandi Large – who showed me just how good she is on her local course.
Mandi makes playing with just five per cent vision look like Tiger Woods playing on your local pitch and putt.
Mandi, 51, is a former GP whose life was turned upside down when she began to lose her eyesight back in 2003.
A genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa saw her gradually lose her vision to the point where she was forced to medically retire as a GP, something that she claims saw her “lose my purpose”.
But thankfully for Mandi, golf was there to help her get through the hardship – picking up a club for the first time and learning how to play the world’s hardest sport without being able to see what she was doing.
Just two years after teeing up for the first time and Mandi became the British Blind Open champion – that’s one of many inspiring reasons that she’s been chosen as one of American Golf’s Game Changers.
Although a meteoric rise to the top might sound like an easy journey, Mandi has been through the wringer to earn her place as one of the country’s best blind golfers.
She told SunSport just how hard it was to pick herself up after losing her sight in her 30’s.
Mandi recalled: “Initially I didn’t have any awareness of sight loss. I actually pulled out in front of another car and crashed into it.
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“So I went [to check out my eyesight] because I thought I needed glasses and that’s when the visual field test picked up signals.
“It was a weird shock, and although I was a medic when I was diagnosed, I was devastated.”
Mandi went on to explain the mental toll that losing her eyesight took on her life, after being forced into retirement.
“When I started losing my eyesight it had a huge impact on my mental health, I was terrified.
“I did feel like I might become a burden on my family and that I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life.
“But I have to be honest, now that I’ve taken up this sport I’ve got such a fulfilled life and I have amazing people that I have met through blind sport.”
Adding: “Golf is amazing – It gives me a sense of freedom. I don’t need to use my white stick when I go out there.
“I can just walk out there and get fresh air. It’s brilliant for mental health and fantastic physically.”
Mandi has been left with just five per cent vision in her right eye and only has light and dark perception in her left eye – and unfortunately will be completely blind in the future.
And remarkably, despite studying medicine just a stones-throw from The Home of Golf at St Andrews University, she had never picked up a golf club before she lost her vision.
But thanks to the support of her family, and her best friend Jane, she is guided around the course and aided with her shots to play just like anyone else – or better than most, as SunSport quickly learned when we headed out on the course with Mandi.
Mandi explained: “When I look down at the ball to set up, I can partially see it and as soon as I do my back swing, a lot of it disappears.
“Golf cannot be played without having a guide as a visually impaired person, and I’ve been exceptionally lucky that I’ve got a very good friend and my husband and children who all offer to help.”
Mandi and all other blind golfers adhere to the same rules as everyone else on the course.
The only differences being players are allowed a guide, who acts as a more hands-on caddie, and are able to ground their club in a bunker.
Mandi explained: “So when a sighted golfer would have a mark in front of them that they may aim towards, the guide actually sets me up and lines up the club face.
“And I just trust them and then go for it.”
Just ‘going for it’ is essentially Mandi’s mantra, because that’s what she has done since losing her sight.
Nothing has stopped her from enjoying life and enjoying sport, and that’s not exclusive to golf either.
On top of being British Blind Open champion and the Spanish Blind Open champ, Mandi has conquered two other sports.
She is a three-time blind tennis world champion and is currently the world number one in her sight category.
While she has also represented England on an international level in blind cricket.
And if it wasn’t for injuries in those sports she may have never turned her attention to the tranquillity of the fairways.
She explained: “I did suffer a couple of injuries while playing cricket, fractured fingers actually, and I’d had enough of fracturing fingers so that’s when I took up tennis.
“With tennis I also had some injuries where I needed surgery on an elbow, but I still play tennis now.
“But golf has taken over my life and so I don’t have time to play tennis. Golf is my new passion.”
Mandi doesn’t want to stop there either with her hopes set on becoming world champion in blind golf in the near future, after already securing the title of European number one.
While she has already been called up to represent the Rest of the World against The Americas in the Vision Cup, blind golf’s version of the Ryder Cup.
But it’s not just her own personal goals that Mandi cares about, with getting everyone into golf one of her other passions.
As one of American Golf’s trailblazing Game Changers, she is keen to pave the way for more people to break the barriers of what is thought to be a traditional golfer.
Gone are the days of a stuffy members club that would turn its nose up to new members, golf is quickly becoming an inclusive sport for everyone.
Mandi is the perfect example of breaking the mould in sport and wants others to follow suit.
She said: “I play golf through England and Wales Blind golf, which is a charity, and we’re lucky enough to have a company like American Golf supporting us and promoting the fact that playing golf is available.”
Adding: “There’s some players out there that used to play golf to a high level, lose their sight and then don’t ever play golf again.
“It would be great if they could find out about this and pick their clubs up and get back out on the course.”
Mandi doesn’t just want blind golfers to take inspiration from what she’s doing, but everyone.
She urged: “Golf is changing, it’s not like it traditionally used to be. It’s for everyone.
“It doesn’t matter what your background is, whether you’re a woman or any minority groups.
“I think it’s an opportunity for me to say you can come and join golf clubs now. You can play. It’s for everyone.”
American Golf are on a mission to grow the game of golf – and the only way they can achieve this is by inspiring more people to play.
Too many people think they won’t fit in on the course and they want to change that perception by encouraging everyone from all walks of life that golf is a sport that is fun and for everyone.
To read more about the Game Changers campaign, click here.
