When you grow up with a blind parent, description becomes an art form. That’s why blind golfer Tim Nolan chose his son Chris to help him as a coach. "I’ll tell you, (Chris) knows how to line up a putt - he can’t read a green for himself but he does a great job for me," Tim said with a laugh after finishing his round at Woodside Greens Golf Park on the weekend. The Nolans, from Hamilton, were in Norfolk County to take part in the second annual Ontario Visually Impaired Golfers (OVIG) tournament. "I’ve always been good at describing things," Chris said. "I’ve had to." Chris’s father Tim has been legally blind since 1981. A lot has changed for blind people since 1981. Back then OVIG might have offered two golf events a year. There was minimal synergy between blind golf organizations around the world and an event like the Woodside tournament might not have drawn nearly 40 golfers. Organizations like OVIG send a message to people living with visual impairment. That message is that life goes on. Just because you can’t see doesn’t mean you can’t still do the things you love, and it definitely doesn’t mean you can’t stay in shape. Tim thinks that’s one of OVIG’s most important messages.

"For me it’s more about an opportunity to get out and be active," Tim said. "When you lose your eyesight it seems like the end of the world. If you’re a golfer and you lose your eyesight you think life is over, but then you find out there are other blind golfers and it gives you a new outlook." For Delhi resident Paul Rapai, the OVIG events are about the social atmosphere as much as anything else. The positive outlook and sense of humor most of the OVIG competitors have has created an encouraging environment for someone dealing with a harsh reality.
"You associate with people with the same handicaps as you and that binds you," Rapai said. "It encourages you to do other stuff too. I’d like to try downhill skiing." Rapai is currently renovating his house and admits he wouldn’t have even thought about doing that several years back.
"It might take 30 years to do," fellow blind golfer Mike Drewn of London said with a laugh while Rapai described how difficult it is to ensure your measurements are accurate when you’re blind. The event was the first for 84-year-old Waterford native Mike Storozuk. He had been intent on golfing with the same friends he’d always golfed with when he lost his site. Storozuk recently caved, though, under the prodding of Ontario Visually Impaired Golfers champion Mike Vrooman. Storozuk wasn’t disappointed. "It’s totally new but it’s a totally wonderful experience," Storozuk said, admitting he was surprised by how much fun he was having. "(And it’s) because of the camaraderie, because of the light-hearted attitude of most of these people."

Steven Noble
(519) 426-3528 ext. 121
snoble@bowesnet.com

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