The South African Blind Golf Association is hosting the 2023 World Blind Golf Championship, the first since the pandemic and a first for Africa!
Milnerton, South Africa (24 March 2023) – The South African Blind Golf Association (SABGA) is excited to host the upcoming 2023 World Blind Golf Championship, a first for the African continent.
Golfers and their guides will start arriving in South Africa on the 25th of March 2023 in the lead-up to the championship which tees off on the 30th of March 2023.
The local association was formed in the mid-2000s by a handful of vision-impaired golfers to assist blind and visually-impaired golfers in South Africa. The local association is affiliated with the International Blind Golf Association (IBGA). There are 17 counties that are members of the international association and a further five associated with it.
The 2023 World Championship will see participants from Australia, Austria, Canada, England & Wales, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Northern Ireland, USA, and the Netherlands. There are around 40 players taking part this year.
There are three sight categories for players, B1 (no vision), B2 (less than 5% acuity) and B3 (less than 10% acuity). Each of the players taking part will have a guide to assist them with alignment, reading greens and finding their ball, amongst other things.
The local association encourages the public to come out and support. The event will be open to the public for free.
“We would be happy for anyone wishing to see the top blind golfers in action to come down to Milnerton. We are always on the lookout for more ball spotters on the course or scorers to walk with each group. It might sound intimidating to the uninitiated, but it’s a fun group of people who would welcome the interest and support from the public.” – Professor Garrett Slattery, Honorary Secretary/Treasurer, SABGA
The last championship was hosted in Rome, Italy in 2018. Let’s show the international association that South Africans are great spectators. You can join on the day at the Milnerton Golf Club on the 30th and 31st of March 2023.
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