Blind golfers from around Australia will be competing at the Emerald Lakes Golf Club on the Gold Coast this weekend.
There for the 2024 ISPS HANDA Blind Golf Australian Open, the top golfers will play over 36 holes of stroke play.
Darren Solly, Vice President of Blind Golf Australia, said it is the first time in many years the event has attracted such a high number of players.
There will be 30 players in this event, along with their caddies.
It will be a weekend of firsts, as it is the first time the ISPS HANDA Blind Golf Australian Open has held an event in Queensland, and it will also be the first time the event will be conducted alongside an All Abilities championship.
The All Abilities event garnered so much interest that it had to be capped at 50 players.
To achieve this, Blind Golf Australia partnered with Empower Golf, an all-inclusive disability golf provider. The aim is to empower blind players to play against those who they ordinarily wouldn’t play against.
This event highlights how accessible and welcoming the game is, and with players ranging in age from 16 to 90, organisers are thrilled with the diversity in competitors.
“The beauty of golf is you can play it all your life, and believe it or not it’s the easiest sport for blind people to play because the ball’s stationary when you hit it!,” said Solly.
Video and audio content will be posted to the Blind Golf Australia Facebook page throughout the event.
