Yes. The subject line says it. I was at a fitting event a few weeks ago, and my last appointment was with a young man who was legally blind. He was 95% blind. College Senior. Lost his eyesight to a degenerative eye disease that left him blind.

As a fitter, this was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. For me, this is above the kid who touched 198mph ball speed with the driver, or the ex-tour player who never hit a shot outside the oak tree at the end of the range in 2 hours, or the countless aspiring tour players who hit it like a robot. What about the ex-Tour player who hit putts on my putting board and every spec was 0*? Nope. They don’t compare to this one – at least not for me. This one was special.

Rewind a couple years ago. I had an appointment to fit another young man who lost his left arm and left leg in a farming accident when a tractor rolled over on him at 8 years old. I was a fish out of water. I didn’t know what to do. He coached me. He was great about the process and the experience, but I vowed to never again be in a situation where I didn’t know how to handle things.

The following spring, I had the opportunity to go through the PGA Hope training. This training deals with how to work with military vets who can have any of a host of disabilities. It’s more than how to teach golf – it’s how to interact with people who are somehow impaired. This was a life lesson for me. I would encourage EVERY PGA Member to go through this training. It crosses over to civilians as we’ll see in a minute, but if you have a member at your club who has an impairment – waiting until after that person is there is too late to do the training. Prepare yourself BEFORE you need it, because you’ll never know when that might happen.

I tell the story of my PGA Hope training often. At that training, I had to take a lesson from a fellow PGA Professional (and give one in return) in a variety of situations. Lost a leg, or both of them. Lost an arm? In a wheelchair? Deaf? Blind? PTSD? Yes, yes, and yes. Yes to all of it. When my first lesson was taken while I was attempting to hit balls while seated, with my feet off the floor, left-handed, I knew I was over my head. When I was handed a LH 7-iron and a blindfold, I knew I was in for an experience I would never forget. And I didn’t.

That day, I learned that golf is hard. After playing for 50 some odd years, I forgot how hard it was to start out. I have respect for anyone who is dedicated enough to learning how to play. Learning to play with an impairment?? How can I help? I’ll drop what I’m doing. You have my full attention and respect.

As I mentioned, this fitting appointment was with a young man who lost his eyesight. He played as a junior player, but he wasn’t a good player. He did have a decent grasp of the fundamentals. He found his clubs by the side of the road a year or so ago. I let my mind wander as I imagined him throwing his clubs in the trash can in frustration as he learned to adapt to life without eyesight. He now loves golf. He plays with a guide, and it is one of the few places where he can be free. On the golf course, He is a golfer – not someone who lost his eyesight. He is independent. This fitting was very important to him.

I found out he was blind about 10 minutes in. I could tell he had trouble seeing, but did not know he was 95% blind. He doesn’t use a cane or need someone to hold his arm and guide him while he is walking, but, to see the results of a shot, his face is literally 6″ from the screen to see the shot tracer of the shot he just hit. Working with a visually impaired player, I would have him set up – adjusting as necessary, then I would set the ball in front of the club and tap it on the clubface so he could feel it. He didn’t want that. He wanted to set the club, place the ball so he could feel it, then stand up & set up without moving the club, and hit it – all on his own. He’d ask “Am I OK?” before each shot. His independence was admirable.

How do you work with a player like this? First, you ask him what he wants to do, and how can I help you? He’ll tell you what he wants. “Do you want me to place the ball for you?” “No, I can do it myself. Can you please tell me if I’m aimed correctly?” Of course. Second, eliminate language that references sight. My job was to talk to him. You are set up square. Perfect. Give me another good one. Try to tell someone how they are set up without saying “You look good”, or “I see”. Try to do that when evaluating a shot. It’s difficult.

With this player, I learned two things. First, because he can’t see, his sense of feel is heightened. I learned that Align grips are an absolute must have. If he can’t see the clubface to know if it’s square or not, and he can’t feel it because the grip is round, he can’t do it on his own. Align grips put him in the correct position every time. No muss, no fuss, just right. I also learned that the deeper the sole of the club (longer from front to back), the easier it is to have the club face be square – because it squares itself. FW Woods just sit flat and square – they square themselves if we let them. FW Woods are an A+ at this, hybrids are an A-. For this player, the deeper the sole the better. Looks were unimportant to him for obvious reasons. A 7 wood vs. a 3 hybrid? Who cares? It’s easier to set up with a FW Wood. I wanted him to go as high as we could with FW Woods (7 wood was it because he is Left Handed). Then, continue the trend with hybrids as high as we could (6 hybrid was it due the the LH Player).

In the end, we did a FW wood and a hybrid. That was enough. Ultimately, I told him to add as many high lofted hybrids as he can find, and ALIGN Grips on everything – even his putter (we did a Jumbo).

The rewarding part? Was it selling 2 golf clubs? Absolutely not. I was able to help this young man enjoy a sense of freedom through golf that he will not be able to find anywhere else. Nowhere else? Yes, nowhere. He can do this on his own – with a playing companion – but on his own. To someone who is legally blind, that is a life altering experience. Will the ex-tour player really care 6 months after the fitting – probably not, but this player? He’ll remember what allowed him to play golf. To be a part of that, and help this young man find some independence – that is rewarding to me.

This one challenged me, but I was ready for it. Are you? Use the off season to your advantage. You never know when you’ll need it.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA