Inaugural golf meet to mark International White Cane Day

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Visually impaired golfers from Hong Kong turned up in full force for the National Council for the Blind Malaysia (NCBM) blind golf tournament at the Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Resort recently.

The visitors came with a strong contingent of 13 participants and three officials for the inaugural meet held in conjunction with International White Cane Day to celebrate the freedom of the blind achieving mobility to lead a normal life.

Promoting blind golf: Seasoned campaigner Ron Anderson (front) from Australia in action at the one-day meet.

Hong Kong Blind Sports Association chief executive officer Grace Chen said participation in sports has been a great platform for the blind to regain their self confidence through interaction with others.

“They have changed from passive individuals to become more positive towards life. The blind are also contributing to society and they have been hosting regular talks to motivate youngsters in Hong Kong.

“Despite their predicament, they are helping others to face challenges when they share their experiences in the life education programme. The initiative has been producing good results,” she added.

A total of 32 competitors including sighted participants featured in eight flights at the inaugural meet.

For each flight, the organisers teamed up two visually impaired golfers with two sighted participants as they went on the greens for a round of nine holes in the afternoon.

Earlier in the morning, they were given the chance to gauge their skills in driving and putting.

Teeing off: Hong Kong’s Charles Chan Cham Chuen (left) adjusting the grip for Mok Kim Wing.

For the putting contest, the duo of Ron Anderson of Australia and Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Lun sunk a putt each in their second and third attempts respectively.

Each participant was given three chances to make their shots count.

NCBM president Datuk S. Kulasegaran and National Social Welfare Department deputy director Lai Poh Guat were also present.

During the lunch break, two golfers Mok Kim Wing from Hong Kong and Anderson also enlightened the guests with their thrilling encounters on the golf course.

Mok said safety was the most important aspect for the visually impaired on the course.

“We need to collaborate and communicate with our guide to tackle the course,” he added.

A coach assists the visually impaired golfer to describe the distance, direction and the difficulty for each hole with different characteristics.

The coach also aligns the club head behind the ball before the golfer takes a shot.

The International Blind Golf Association (IBGA) was set up in 1997 in Perth, Australia. Besides Australia, among the four active countries are United States, England, Canada and Japan.

Anderson, who has 30 years experience in promoting blind golf, said he was delighted with Malaysia joining the fray to develop the game.

“It was also a good indication that players from the fairer sex are also showing keen interest to take up golf at the recent tournament,” he added.