The 2005 Wisconsin Regional USBGA Tournament was held in Voelders On August 21. Voelders is a wonderful, small community located in the north eastern part of Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Green Bay. Unfortunately, several last minute cancellations left us with ten golfers, six B1 and four vision impaired. Coaches claimed the course was beautiful however most participants are still licking their wounds. While we do not like to talk about it, Many of the golfers can still hear the echoes of Dick Pomo’s complaint to the Lord above, asking “Why me God?”

Thanks need to go to the staff at the Autumn Ridge Golf Course and members of the Voelders Lions Club along with many other volunteers, which made the participating golfers feel welcome. The players were pleased to find refuge in the club house with good food and a little liquid refreshment after returning from the field of battle.

Another regional tournament is being planned for July 29-31, 2006, and it will be held at New Berlin Hills Golf Course in Milwaukee. Players will be staying at the Best Western - Woodsview Inn, much closer to the airport and even a shorter ride to a brewery.

The low gross winners were John Casolo in the B1 Division and Ty Thompson (B2) in the Vision Impaired Division. For complete tournament results, please refer to the following scores or go to the SCOREBOARD section on the USBGA web site at www.blindgolf.com.

WISCONSIN REGIONAL BLIND GOLF TOURNAMENT SCORES

Autumn Ridge Golf Club; August 21, 2005

Totally Blind: 6

John Casolo 72 - 71 = 143

Dick Pomo-Ernie Messinger 84 - 64 = 148

Pat Lacke 87 - 67 = 154

Bill McMahon-Brayton Cherry 82 - 81 = 163

Geoff Bull 102 - 87 = 189

Ron Murner-Pat Murner 85 WD

Vision Impaired: 4

Ty Thompson 53 - 56 = 109

Phil Hubbard 63 - 60 = 123

Joe Hojnicki-Chet Babcock 61 - 62 = 123

George Jones-Elaine Jones 77 WD

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BLIND GOLF DVD

By Bob Andrews

The long awaited promotional blind golf DVD has finally been replicated. It will be sent out to members, coaches and supporters the first week of March. After receiving the DVD, if someone needs additional copies please contact the USBGA office.

“You Don’t Have To See It To Tee It” is the title of the DVD. In just under 15 minutes, it captures numerous aspects of the organization, its activities and its members. Blind and vision impaired golfers are not only seen exhibiting their skills but are seen expressing their thoughts on what blind golf and the association has meant in their life. The partnership with Lions Clubs International in the form of a grant has helped increase tournament participation and membership, especially the number of sight impaired kids in the many junior golf clinics. All this is captured on the DVD along with the work and special role the coaches play in the ultimate team sport of blind golf.

Members are encouraged to share the DVD with potential new blind golfers or candidates for coaching. It makes a great short program for Lions Clubs meetings or any civic organization considering supporting or learning about blind golf. Schools, First Tee programs, or any organization in the business of educating and creating opportunities for young and old sight impaired people need to receive and show the USBGA DVD.

A primarily instructional DVD will be available later this year. For now, the promotional video will answer most of the questions such as: how does one play blind golf; and what is the United States Blind Golf Association all about? Contact the USBGA if you or your organization would like to learn more and receive the DVD.

USBGA - Bob Andrews - 850-893-4511

3094 Shamrock St. North

Tallahassee, FL 32309

Email: bob.andrews44@comcast.net

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LCI-USBGA BLIND GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Raleigh, North Carolina – October 2-5, 2005

By Patti and Bob Spencer

It was just a year ago at this time that Bob had thoughts of giving up golf due to the rapid decline of his eyesight. I was not going to let that happen because golf has been such a major part of his life. While surfing the net, I came across the United States Blind Golf Association and knew this was the answer. We played in our first USBGA Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Bob won that for his B2 Division.

We then made plans to go to Raleigh North Carolina for the 2005 LCI-USBGA Blind Golf Championships held at Wildwood Green Golf club on October 2-5. Due to the financial support of the International Blind Golf Association, the USBGA was able to host the 4^TH U. S. Blind Open concurrently with the 60^TH USBGA National Championship and invite 15 international players from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Canada to participate. This increased the Open field to 48 players, making it the largest competitive blind golf Championship ever held in the United States.

Bob, being 72 years of age and surviving four heart attacks and a stroke, found the golf course to be difficult, but beautiful. Being only our second USBGA tournament, the accommodations and schedule of events exceeded our expectations. The weather was perfect for golf and the golfers and coaches were ready to play in the two-day event.

Scores were higher than expected, as the course played tough especially since nine greens had been maliciously killed six weeks earlier. The winners in our National Championship were Pat Browne and son Patrick in the B1 Division with a total of 109 106 = 215; Bob Spencer and wife Patti in the B2 Division, after shooting 90 96 = 186; and Ron Plath and coach Regi Christensen in the B3 Division with a score of 78 89 = 167. The low gross winners in the U. S. Blind Open were Brian MacLeod and coach Chico Crowe from Canada in the B1 Division with a score of 103 106 = 209; and previously mentioned USBGA winners Bob and Patti Spencer and Ron Plath-Regi Christensen in the B2 and B3 Divisions respectively.

What has impressed Bob and I the most is the support and sincere interaction between the golfers involved. Everyone is pulling together for all to do well. Friendships have been made that will last a lifetime!

Funding from the Lions Clubs International Foundation-USBGA Partnership help make the USBGA National Championship and USBlind Open a success. The USBGA would also like to thank the members of the Raleigh Host Lions Club and Lions District 31-G for their financial and volunteer help with the championships.

For a complete list of player scores for both championships, please refer to the SCOREBOARD section on the USBGA web site at blindgolf.com.

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BY THE BOOK

Tom Mirus, USBGA Rules Official

It is the start of a new year and it is always a good idea to take some time to review the rules as we head for another tournament season. I always like to start the year off by reminding all of you about your responsibility as a player in a tournament. Rule 6 covers the player’s responsibility.

We’ll focus on Rule 6-6 since we had a situation regarding this particular rule in Raleigh last year. 6-6a states that “After each hole the marker should check the score with the competitor and record it. On completion of the round the marker must sign the score card and hand it to the competitor…” This is important because if there is any doubt about a score on a hole, it can be easily settled at the time rather than trying to recall what happened on the third hole after you have played one or two more holes. It is common sense

6-6b states “After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker has signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.” This is your chance to be sure that each hole score is accurate. You should be sure because Rule 6-6c states that “No alteration may be made on a score card after the competitor has returned it to the Committee.” Once a score card has been returned to the Committee and a dispute arises, Rule 34 must be considered. Rule 6-6d informs us that “The competitor is responsible for the correctness of the score recorded for each hole on his scorecard. If he returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, he is disqualified. If he returns a score for any hole higher than actually taken, the score as returned stands.” You should note that the competitor is not responsible for adding up the total score. I have done scoring at numerous professional events where score cards are returned 18 individual hole scores, two signatures, and nothing else. That is all that Rule 6 requires is your signature, your marker’s signature and a hole score for each hole played.

At Raleigh, one of the international competitors completed his first round and signed his scorecard and returned it to the scoring area. After the scores were posted and the pairings were released for the second round, the competitor informed me that his score should be two strokes less than what was posted. Because we always keep the scorecards from our national tournaments, we retrieved his score card from the first round. We determined that the score card was valid as it had been properly signed. However, on further review the competitor realized that two hole scores were not correct. Rule 6-6c tells us that no alterations may be made to a score card after it has been returned to the Committee. Because the scores in question were higher than what he actually made on the holes, he was able to keep the higher score under 6-6d rather than be disqualified.

One final thought; if you don’t know what a “marker” or “Committee” or “competitor” is, you should proceed to the Definitions in the front of the Rules of Golf Book. It is impossible to understand any rule if you do not understand the definition of the terms being used.

And, in case anyone thought my job is easy, consider that there are over 1,200 “Decisions” on the rules of golf. Plus, every two years, changes are made. In 2006 there were 111 changes in the Decisions Book that I use at every tournament. Still, I very much enjoy my work at USBGA and other tournaments.

We should always play by the Rules when we play golf. It is most important that we do so at our national tournament. There are many people watching at our tournaments, such as spectators, media, scorekeepers and other volunteers. We have seen in the past that scorekeepers do not always know the rules (nor is it their responsibility). The integrity of the USBGA along with your personal reputation is always on display at our tournaments. The Rules are there to help us all and I am committed to keeping our tournaments the showcase for blind golf that they are. Let’s have another good year!

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2006 USBGA SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

May 3-5 - Heather Farr-Leader Dogs Classic

Starfire Country Club, Scottsdale, Arizona

Contact Person: Joe Nessinger - 480-443-3217

June 24-26 - Guiding Eyes Classic (Invitational)

Mt. Kisco Country Club, Mt. Kisco, New York

July 29-31 - Wisconsin Regional Blind Golf Tournament

New Berlin Hills Golf Course, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Contact Person: Dick Pomo 608-233-5737

October 1-4 - LCI-USBGA National Championship

Stone Creek Golf Club, Portland, Oregon

Contact Person: Jim Baker 615-885-2952

NOTE: If you are interested in participating in any USBGA tournaments this year, contact either the tournament chairman or Jim Baker to reserve a spot. Some tournaments may have an entry fee, so check when you sign up to play. For those interested in playing in the national championship in Portland, please let Jim Baker know as soon as possible. If you are a new player or need to re-qualify to play in the national championship, you will need to mail the three qualifying scorecards to the USBGA office by August 1, 2006.

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2006 IBGA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

April 9-17 - IBGA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Five Hundred Club, Shizuoka, Japan

Invitational championship, full field at this time

September 6-8 - BRITISH BLIND OPEN

Ratho Park Golf Club, Edinburgh, Scotland

September 17-21 - CANADIAN BLIND OPEN

Esterel Golf Club, Quebec, Canada

Late October - AUSTRALIAN BLIND GOLF OPEN

(Information to be announced)

NOTE: IBGA Open tournaments are open to all active USBGA members. Contact Bob Andrews or Jim Baker for information.

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SKUTTLE-PUTTS

By Jim Baker

NOTE: A reminder to all USBGA members, if you have not paid your 2006 annual dues, they are past due and need to be paid ASAP. Send the money ($25 for totally blind members and $15 for vision impaired associate members) to Tina Andrews in Florida. Dues must be current to vote in the ongoing By-Law proposal or if you are planning to compete in any USBGA or IBGA tournaments this year.

HOLE-IN-ONE: Art Beauregard and his wife/coach Sue, USBGA B3 member, accomplished this rare feat in August, 2005 on hole #8 at Midland Valley Country Club in Aiken, South Carolina. He used a 5-iron on the 185 yard, par-3 hole. This is his second Hole-in-one, but the first as a vision impaired golfer.

ANOTHER SURGERY FOR BILL MCMAHON: As many of you know, Bill McMahon fell down a flight of stairs in his condo on October 7, breaking his left humorus at the shoulder joint, fracturing his right wrist in five places, and receiving partial fractures in two vertebrae of his back. After months of recuperation and rehab, Bill is getting better, although the health of his back to play golf is still in question. Later this spring, he will be having surgery to fix the carpel tunnel in his right wrist, a complication to the healing from the fractures. This surgery is being delayed at this time because of a flair-up of shingles in his lower back again. Recovery from the surgery should be about six weeks.

BIRTH FOR EDWARDS FAMILY: Kevin and Anna Edwards from Paris, Tennessee announced the birth of their second daughter, Maggie, on December 28, 2005 at 7:44 AM. She weighed 4 pounds 11 ounces and was 19 inches long. Both daughter and mother are doing well.

CANCER DIAGNOSIS FOR DENNIS SMITH: On January 20, Dennis Smith was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma, a malignant colon cancer, after a January 11 colonoscopy had revealed a four centimeter lesion. A CT scan indicated the cancer was contained in the colon and that a surgical procedure was needed. He will be meeting with surgeons on February 17 to decide on a complete treatment plan. Dennis and Linda are optimistic considering there appears to be a lack of urgency on the part of the doctors.

SURGERY FOR BOB ANDREWS: On March 14, Bob Andrews will be having knee replacement surgery on his left leg. His leg was repaired 38 years ago after he sustained his Vietnam War injuries. Unfortunately, the range of motion in that knee has lessened in recent years, predicating the need for the surgery. Bob will have a long rehab, but we look forward to seeing him again on the course later this year.

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2005 USBGA JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM

By Jim Baker

The 2005 USBGA Junior Golf Program experienced tremendous growth again, as it has over the previous three years. In 2005, we helped host 16 one-day clinics and three multiple-session programs which introduced and instructed 486 blind and vision impaired golfers, a 37% increase from the 354 in 2004. The expansion of the program into new parts of the country and the greater exposure of blind golf in existing areas show our golf program is working. In all, the participating blind golfers came from seventeen different states and were associated with ten state blind schools, three private centers for the blind, four county vision programs and two summer camps.

With the ever-increasing scope of our golf program in 2005, there are many high points to discuss, here are just a few. Two new multiple-session programs opened the golf season. First, the San Antonio Blind Golf Program, which started in January and met monthly throughout the year, was organized by Bruce Hooper. Secondly, the Portland Blind Golf Program, set up by Ron Plath, began in April and ran each Friday afternoon through June.

The sixteen junior golf clinics began in May with the Perkins Blind Golf Clinic involving 32 students from the Perkins School for the Blind participating in a three hour event at the MGA Golf Links in Norton, Massachusetts. There were two or three clinics during May, June, August and September. July and October were the junior program’s busiest months with four events occurring in each. The third multiple-session program took place in Spartanburg during October, a 12-day program with 38 students from the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind.

The largest of our one-day clinics was held in Raleigh, in conjunction with the LCIF-USBGA Blind Golf Championships. There were 45 students from the Governor Morehead School for the Blind and the Wake County Visually Impaired Program that attended. Two other clinics attracted over 40 participants, the Camp Dogwood Youth Clinic in Mooresville, North Carolina on July 18 and the Oregon Lions Blind Golf Clinic in Portland on October 10.

The USBGA would like to thank all members and coaches, as well as the many PGA golf professionals and volunteers that gave of their time to coordinate and participate in all of the clinics and programs. In particular, Bill McMahon and Ron Plath helped organize and participate in five junior golf events each.

If any USBGA members or coaches are aware of a blind organization, association, or center interested in having a blind golf clinic in 2006, please contact Jim Baker at 615-885-2952. For the dates, times, and locations for all junior golf program events this year, please refer to the schedule at the end of this newsletter or go to the USBGA web site.

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RENOWNED GOLFER HELPS

This is An edited excerpt from the December 7, 2005 article in The Tribune Times.

Former United States Blind Golf Association National Champion Phil Blackwell, helped the Greenville Lions Club and Christian Blind Mission International raise about $15,000 to Improve the eyesight of people in Greenville county and around the world. The Mauldin resident played with everyone who participated in the Golf Tournament on November 21at Thornblade Club.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to be part of that with the money they raised,” Blackwell said. Tournament organizer Holland Webb, president of the Greenville Lions Club and assistant to the president of CBMI, said the large number of people living without eyesight makes the cause worthwhile. “There are 37 million blind people in the world, 145 million visually-impaired, and it’s something people don’t hear about a lot,” Webb Said. “It’s not something that stands out as so crucial in our minds.”

The Lions Club is working to change that. The Greenville Lions have raised money to help pay for eye care for the needy with benefit golf tournaments each of the past 11 years, and the club teamed up with CBMI this year to expand the effort. Golfers played the ninth hole at Thornblade last month with eye glasses that simulated what it’s like to have cataracts, the leading cause of blindness in the developing world. They could buy a mulligan for $35, the cost of cataract surgery in the developing world.

More than 40 participants braved rainy conditions to play. Blackwell spent a hole with each foursome. He came within two feet of sinking his first hole-in-one on the back nine. The 59-year-old has been totally blind since 1972, due to optic nerve atrophy. He’s a two-time USBGA National Champion and four-time winner of the “Masters For The Blind.” He placed second this year at the USBGA National Championship and third in the Open division with golfers from around the world. To add to Blackwell's many accomplishments, he is not only a successful musician/song writer, but has also shown some of his amazing hand made pottery this past year to help in raising money for a number of charities and bring awareness to the public about abilities of not only the vision impaired, but all disabled people.

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2006 LCI-USBGA JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM SCHEDULE

January through December - San Antonio Blind Golf Program

This program will meet once monthly for two hours for the entire year

First Tee-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

May-September - Portland Blind Golf Program

This program will meet weekly on Fridays for a total of sixteen sessions

The Children’s Course, Gladstone, Oregon – from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM

With the Columbia Regional Vision Program

Tuesday, May 10 - Perkins Blind Golf Clinic

MGA Golf Links, Norton, Massachusetts - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Perkins School for the Blind

Tuesday, May 30 - Wisconsin Blind Golf Clinic

Riverside Municiple Golf Course, Janesville, Wisconsin - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

With the wisconsin Center and School for the visually handicapped

Tuesday and Thursday, June 21 and 23 - Oregon Blind Golf Clinic

Salem Golf Club, Salem, Oregon - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Oregon School for the Blind

Monday, June - Florida Blind golf Clinic

Country Club of Miami, Miami, Florida - 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

With the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind

Saturday, July 15 - Golf Clinic for the Junior Blind

Navy Golf Course, Cypress, California - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

With the Foundation for the Junior Blind Summer camp

Monday, July 17 - Camp Dogwood Youth Golf Clinic

Mooresville Golf Course, Mooresville, North Carolina - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

With the North Carolina Lions’ Camp Dogwood

Tuesday, July 18 - Carroll Center Blind Golf Clinic

MGA Golf Links, Norton, Massachusetts - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Carroll Center for the Blind

Wednesday-Thursday, July 19-20 - Vancouver USABA Golf Clinic

Club Green Meadows, Vancouver, Washington - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Vancouver USABA Sports Camp

Thursday, August 3 or 10 - Camp Mauchatea Blind Golf Clinic

Button Hole Golf Course, Providence, Rhode Island - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With Camp Mauchatea blind youth campers

Tuesday, August 8 - Carroll Center International Blind Golf Clinic

MGA Golf Links, Norton, Massachusetts - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Carroll Center for the Blind

Monday & Tuesday, August 21-22 - Clackamas Blind Golf Clinic

Stone Creek Golf Club, Oregon City, Oregon - 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Willamette Regional Vision Program

September - Iowa Blind Golf Clinic

Airport National Golf Course, Cedar Rapids, Iowa - 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

With the Iowa Braille School

Monday -Thursday, September 11-28 SCSDB Blind Golf Program

First Tee of Spartanburg, Spartanburg, South Carolina

This is a 12-Day, One Hour Per Day Program

for Five South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind Classes

Wednesday, September 20 - Nashville Blind Golf Clinic

Vinnie Links at Shelby Park, Nashville, Tennessee - 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

With the Tennessee School for the Blind

Monday, September 25 - Raleigh Blind Golf Clinic

Wildwood Green Golf Club, Raleigh, North Carolina - 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

With the Governor Morehead School for the Blind

Monday, October 2 - Oregon Lions Blind Golf Clinic

The Reserve Golf Club Portland, Oregon - 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

With the Oregon and Washington State Schools for the Blind

Thursday, October 19 - Austin Blind Golf Clinic

Clay/Kizer Golf Courses, Austin, Texas - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

With the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

NOTE: If you know any blind or vision impaired students or adults that might be interested in participating in any of the above clinics or programs, please contact Jim Baker, acting USBGA Junior Golf Director, for more information at 615-885-2952 or by E-mail at bjamesv@bellsouth.net.

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