Blind on the golf course

“I can hear whether my shot was perfect”

Karin Becker with her son Jakob as her guide.(Bild: GEPA)

The Ryder Cup is coming to Vienna! And the one for blind and visually impaired golfers. Since Wednesday, Team North America (USA/Canada) and the rest of the world have been battling it out at the Vision Cup in the Vienna-Süßenbrunn Golf Park. With local participation.

Karin Becker, who is also President of the International Blind Golf Association, is playing in the latter team. The Tyrolean lost almost all of her sight within three months at the beginning of the 1990s while studying architecture due to a genetic defect. She continued to ski despite this and then also learned to play golf. "It's a sport you can do all your life, you can be part of the social life in your region, meet new friends, have fun and find out how much joy you get from trying to make friends with this little white ball," she says enthusiastically.

Son there as a guide
The same rules apply as for regular golf - with a few exceptions. As in all other blind sports, the guide (Becker's son Jakob plays this role in Vienna) is an essential part of the team. He indicates the direction of the next hole and directs the golfer towards the target.

Karin Becker uses her feet and ears to find her way around the golf course.(Bild: GEPA)

Becker can read the condition of the green with her feet, she feels every break. She also has excellent hearing: "When I've hit the ball, I can immediately hear whether it was perfect or whether the ball is going left or right."