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Blind and visually impaired golfers arrive in Columbus

By Katherine Kington -  bio | email

COLUMBUS, GA (WXTX) - Blind and visually impaired golfers from all around the world are in Columbus this week for country bar-be-cue's midnight express week.

 It was a bright and early morning for 48 golfers as they took part in the pro-am tournament and practiced.

Jeremy Poincenot won a World Blind Golf Championship just last year in England.

Never visiting Georgia before, he says it's important to travel and play golf, "it's nice to be able to do it all over the world we've had tournaments in GA, CA, TX, England, they're all over the world and to raise awareness is just fantastic.'

There are three classes of blind golfers based on their level of impairment..B1, B2 and B3..some golfers are led by their coaches, and shown where the ball is; a general direction of the green, and then swing away as if they could see 20/20.

Others can see enough to walk to the tee with little assistance.

Poincenot, a golfer since a child, had no idea such things could be done as a blind adult, "I went legally blind after turning 19, So I've know how to play golf fully sighted and then it was houw to learn how to play golf visually impaired."

Some golfers, learned to play golf after losing their vision.

"I never played golf when I was sighted I only started playing after I went blind at the age of 36, so if I could do it, anybody could do it." Said Shelia Drummond

The golfers laugh, and enjoy themselves as they ride, play golf, all here to raise money and awareness for blind and legally impaired golf.

Scott Ressmeyer, a co-founder of the tournament says, "that's probably the most overwhelming thing to me, just to see their "can do attitude." I don't have vision but I still want to play golf, I don't have vision but I still want to play baseball, I don't have vision but I still want to be working and be productive in my community."

The PRO-AM tournament began this morning. The tournament is for blind and visually impaired golfers but sponsors could play too, and they got the surprise of a lifetime when they were given goggles to play with that made them visually impaired.

"you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it, just sometimes people need a little encouragement." Said Drummond.

The week of events to raise awareness for the blind and visually impaired pro golfers will end on Saturday with the midnight express run beginning at midnight

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