BLIND GOLF CATEGORIES & RULES

Blind Golf Australia employs four sight categories for particpants. B1 For players who are totally blind. B2 Players are able to recognise objects up to a distance of two metres. They see what a person with 20/20 vision would see 60 metres away. B3 These players are able to recognise objects between two and six metres away. Again, this is comparable to what a person with 20/20 vision would see 60 metres away. B4 Players are able to recognise objects between six and 10 metres away. Blind Golf is played in the same way as sighted golf, with two major exceptions.

Blind Golfers require a caddy (or guide) to assist them around a golf course. The golfer and their caddy form a ’team’ with the caddy acting as the blind golfer’s ‘eyes’.

A major difference between blind/sighted golf is that blind golfers can ground their club in a hazard, usually a bunker but in some circumstances a water hazard. Another major difference is that the caddy may stand behind the flag as the blind golfer putts.

Blind golf has a standard handicapping system worldwide unlike sighted golf where different countries have different systems – this enables blind golfers to play in any blind golf event anywhere on a consistent basis.