WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.186 --> 00:00:04.110 (upbeat music) 2 00:00:04.110 --> 00:00:06.120 Welcome to Hadley Presents. 3 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:08.070 I'm your host, Ricky Enger, 4 00:00:08.070 --> 00:00:10.710 inviting you to sit back, relax, 5 00:00:10.710 --> 00:00:13.500 and enjoy a conversation with the experts. 6 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:16.050 In this episode, we discuss enjoying 7 00:00:16.050 --> 00:00:19.050 the game of golf with little or no vision. 8 00:00:19.050 --> 00:00:21.330 And joining us are Hadley's Director 9 00:00:21.330 --> 00:00:23.280 of Community, Mark Arneson, 10 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:26.880 interviewing champion blind golfer, Chad NeSmith. 11 00:00:26.880 --> 00:00:28.327 Welcome to the show, both of you. 12 00:00:28.327 --> 00:00:30.000 Thank you very much. 13 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:30.840 Thanks Ricky. 14 00:00:30.840 --> 00:00:32.580 So great to have you both. 15 00:00:32.580 --> 00:00:34.740 Now, Marc, we'll start with you 16 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:36.660 because people already know you, 17 00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:39.600 but for those who don't, just give a brief intro 18 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.690 and talk about who you are and what you do at Hadley. 19 00:00:42.690 --> 00:00:43.560 So, as you mentioned, 20 00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:45.090 my title is director of community, 21 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:48.660 but really what I get to do is just meet amazing 22 00:00:48.660 --> 00:00:51.360 and fascinating people, hear their stories, 23 00:00:51.360 --> 00:00:52.950 hear some of their challenges, 24 00:00:52.950 --> 00:00:54.270 kind of bring that back to Hadley 25 00:00:54.270 --> 00:00:57.540 and find out if there's ways that we can help. 26 00:00:57.540 --> 00:00:59.190 And once we figure out something that 27 00:00:59.190 --> 00:01:02.038 we think is helpful, part of my other job is 28 00:01:02.038 --> 00:01:03.690 to go tell the whole world about it. 29 00:01:03.690 --> 00:01:05.100 And Chad, how about you? 30 00:01:05.100 --> 00:01:06.930 I'm so looking forward to hearing 31 00:01:06.930 --> 00:01:08.880 more about your story. 32 00:01:08.880 --> 00:01:10.680 And before we jump into that, 33 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:12.390 how about just a brief intro. 34 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:16.440 I introduced you as a blind champion golfer, 35 00:01:16.440 --> 00:01:18.120 which is really, really cool. 36 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:20.310 So tell us a bit about yourself. 37 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:21.450 Well, my name again is, 38 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:23.880 Chad NeSmith, I'm 53 years old. 39 00:01:23.880 --> 00:01:27.000 I was raised in a small rural part of Alabama, 40 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:30.960 Coleman, Alabama, graduated in 1986 from high school 41 00:01:30.960 --> 00:01:34.770 and I earned two masters and a doctorate 42 00:01:34.770 --> 00:01:36.630 by the time I was 26 from The University 43 00:01:36.630 --> 00:01:41.220 of Alabama in psychology and counselor education. 44 00:01:41.220 --> 00:01:44.130 And worked with my wife, who also has her doctorate. 45 00:01:44.130 --> 00:01:45.930 We've been married 27 years. 46 00:01:45.930 --> 00:01:48.030 So we ran a center for 20 years 47 00:01:48.030 --> 00:01:49.890 for children with special needs. 48 00:01:49.890 --> 00:01:52.110 After that, we moved to Nashville to work 49 00:01:52.110 --> 00:01:53.370 with a healthcare company now. 50 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:54.750 And that's what we're doing. 51 00:01:54.750 --> 00:01:56.340 Fantastic. 52 00:01:56.340 --> 00:01:58.290 I'm looking forward to learning a bit more 53 00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:00.000 about golf and I know that there are other 54 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.000 people who are wanting to get back 55 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:05.400 into the swing of things when it comes to golf. 56 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:07.560 And that's the last word play I'm gonna do. 57 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:11.940 So no worries that I'm gonna come up 58 00:02:11.940 --> 00:02:14.730 with more puns and to keep that from happening, 59 00:02:14.730 --> 00:02:17.370 I think I'm gonna just turn it over to Marc 60 00:02:17.370 --> 00:02:21.240 who has a really great list of questions for Chad. 61 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:22.890 Chad, I have been so excited 62 00:02:22.890 --> 00:02:25.050 just about this time that we get to spend together 63 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:26.790 and just hearing your story. 64 00:02:26.790 --> 00:02:28.530 And I'd love to just hear, you know, 65 00:02:28.530 --> 00:02:29.910 a little bit about your journey, you know, 66 00:02:29.910 --> 00:02:31.260 your journey with vision loss 67 00:02:31.260 --> 00:02:34.050 and what that's been like for you? 68 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:35.040 Looking back on it, 69 00:02:35.040 --> 00:02:37.590 I was pretty much considered to be, 70 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:39.780 by the time I hit 11 or 12, 71 00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:42.270 one of the star athletes in Alabama, 72 00:02:42.270 --> 00:02:45.330 major sports, football, basketball, baseball, 73 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:47.700 everything seemed to be clicking for me athletically. 74 00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:50.610 And saw myself doing is going, you know, 75 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:52.950 playing college football was what I was hoping 76 00:02:52.950 --> 00:02:55.350 to do as quarterback because I wanted to be, 77 00:02:55.350 --> 00:02:58.710 you know, in the NFL and play NFL football. 78 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:01.980 If not, I wanted to coach college or NFL football. 79 00:03:01.980 --> 00:03:05.010 That was going great until about age 12 or 13. 80 00:03:05.010 --> 00:03:07.140 I took a hit during a football game 81 00:03:07.140 --> 00:03:09.930 that pretty much knocked me unconscious. 82 00:03:09.930 --> 00:03:11.640 Everybody was like, "How did you not see him? 83 00:03:11.640 --> 00:03:12.870 He was right in front of you. 84 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:15.000 I mean, you were running right at him full speed. 85 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:16.380 How did you not see him?" 86 00:03:16.380 --> 00:03:18.150 And of course I thought, "Well, that's not true. 87 00:03:18.150 --> 00:03:19.830 I got blindsided or something." 88 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:21.450 Well, back then, I don't know if, you know, 89 00:03:21.450 --> 00:03:24.450 some of our listeners may remember the eight millimeter. 90 00:03:24.450 --> 00:03:26.610 That's what we had back then to review stuff. 91 00:03:26.610 --> 00:03:28.890 And you know, they showed it to me 92 00:03:28.890 --> 00:03:30.600 and I couldn't believe it. 93 00:03:30.600 --> 00:03:32.280 I mean, the guy was just sitting there squatting, 94 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:33.420 waiting to make a tackle. 95 00:03:33.420 --> 00:03:35.460 And I mean, he made a legal hit, 96 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:37.440 but he was squatted down. 97 00:03:37.440 --> 00:03:38.910 And what I didn't know at the time, 98 00:03:38.910 --> 00:03:41.130 I was already lost a lot of my peripheral vision. 99 00:03:41.130 --> 00:03:43.410 So when I'm looking straight ahead thinking, 100 00:03:43.410 --> 00:03:45.360 I've got a touchdown, you know, 30 yards away, 101 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.060 he was just under the bottom of my peripheral vision 102 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:49.620 and just unloaded a great hit that 103 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:50.790 I was not prepared for. 104 00:03:50.790 --> 00:03:51.960 And I mean, it just snapped 105 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:53.820 my head back and I was out. 106 00:03:53.820 --> 00:03:55.620 At that time, nobody had a clue, you know, 107 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:57.753 just, okay, maybe he needs contacts, 108 00:03:58.770 --> 00:04:00.390 and that was just starting contacts back then, 109 00:04:00.390 --> 00:04:01.740 they didn't even have soft contacts, 110 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:03.000 they had the hard. 111 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.280 We didn't have any specialists where I was growing up. 112 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:07.380 So I was sent to Birmingham, Alabama. 113 00:04:07.380 --> 00:04:08.670 They didn't know what was going on. 114 00:04:08.670 --> 00:04:11.220 So I ended up going to Houston, Texas, 115 00:04:11.220 --> 00:04:12.647 and that's where they had at that time, 116 00:04:12.647 --> 00:04:16.500 in the 80s, retinitis retinal specialist. 117 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:18.600 And I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa 118 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:20.460 and they just flat out told me that, you know, 119 00:04:20.460 --> 00:04:21.720 I was gonna be going blind 120 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:23.400 and it was gonna be a slow process. 121 00:04:23.400 --> 00:04:25.140 I wouldn't wake up one morning and be blind, 122 00:04:25.140 --> 00:04:27.870 but every year it would get worse and worse. 123 00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:29.400 And it would always close in. 124 00:04:29.400 --> 00:04:31.110 So I'd have central vision 125 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:33.030 and the outside would just keep coming in, 126 00:04:33.030 --> 00:04:34.440 like, you know, you're looking down the tube 127 00:04:34.440 --> 00:04:36.930 of a cardboard paper towel holder, 128 00:04:36.930 --> 00:04:39.540 that tunnel would get more and more narrow 129 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:40.830 and eventually, it would just completely 130 00:04:40.830 --> 00:04:41.790 close all together. 131 00:04:41.790 --> 00:04:44.497 And of course, being 13, I was like, 132 00:04:44.497 --> 00:04:45.660 "Well, if I don't talk about it, 133 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:48.930 if I don't acknowledge it, then it doesn't exist." 134 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:52.770 So they couldn't stop me from playing football 135 00:04:52.770 --> 00:04:54.750 at the time 'cause my eyesight was still good enough. 136 00:04:54.750 --> 00:04:57.630 But the fear internally that 137 00:04:57.630 --> 00:04:59.250 I didn't acknowledge it then, like I said, 138 00:04:59.250 --> 00:05:00.300 I'm 13, gonna live forever. 139 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:02.670 But looking back on it, I was in fear 140 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:04.200 every time I was on the football field 141 00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:06.210 that I was gonna take another hit like that. 142 00:05:06.210 --> 00:05:08.370 It became obvious that it was a part of me, 143 00:05:08.370 --> 00:05:09.840 but I still wouldn't talk about it. 144 00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:12.390 A year later, they wouldn't sign for me to play. 145 00:05:12.390 --> 00:05:13.830 The docs wouldn't sign for me to medically 146 00:05:13.830 --> 00:05:16.440 play football or baseball anymore. 147 00:05:16.440 --> 00:05:18.240 It was looking back on it internally 148 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:19.350 again, for me it was a relief. 149 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:20.370 But I didn't act like that. 150 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:23.430 I mean, I was angry, I was depressed, 151 00:05:23.430 --> 00:05:25.410 a lot of crying spells at night. 152 00:05:25.410 --> 00:05:27.330 I'd come to church every Sunday with my family 153 00:05:27.330 --> 00:05:29.977 and at this point I just told God, 154 00:05:29.977 --> 00:05:31.650 "Why did you do this?" 155 00:05:31.650 --> 00:05:34.020 But the thing I look back on though is that, 156 00:05:34.020 --> 00:05:37.380 I had so many great friends that didn't party 157 00:05:37.380 --> 00:05:40.680 because I was a prime candidate for drugs and alcohol. 158 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:42.990 If somebody would've got me at 14, 15 159 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:44.490 and said, "Hey, let's go to the lake, 160 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:46.710 you know, sipping the beers around the campfire." 161 00:05:46.710 --> 00:05:48.810 I mean, I'm telling you, I would've tried anything 162 00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:51.750 to feel better and just to get away from the pain. 163 00:05:51.750 --> 00:05:53.370 But I had friends who, you know, 164 00:05:53.370 --> 00:05:54.690 when we got together on Friday, Saturday nights, 165 00:05:54.690 --> 00:05:56.970 it was board games, it was watching movies, 166 00:05:56.970 --> 00:05:59.190 it was, you know, just hanging out 167 00:05:59.190 --> 00:06:02.370 and you know, I owe them so much 168 00:06:02.370 --> 00:06:04.170 and they're still great friends of mine today. 169 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:05.043 Sorry about that. 170 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:07.590 So I finally lost all my sight when I was 171 00:06:07.590 --> 00:06:12.210 about 27, but that time from 14 to 18, 172 00:06:12.210 --> 00:06:13.740 it was pretty devastating. 173 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:14.910 Thank you for sharing, Chad. 174 00:06:14.910 --> 00:06:17.190 I appreciate just your openness and your vulnerability. 175 00:06:17.190 --> 00:06:20.133 I can't imagine what a difficult time that was for you. 176 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.650 So when did you learn pick up golf, 177 00:06:22.650 --> 00:06:23.730 and when did that start? 178 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:25.770 And how did you get involved in that? 179 00:06:25.770 --> 00:06:26.640 The biggest thing was, 180 00:06:26.640 --> 00:06:30.030 when I was 27, I met my wife and we were married 181 00:06:30.030 --> 00:06:31.620 six months after we started dating. 182 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.740 And we've been now together almost 27 years. 183 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:37.290 She played tennis and was a great tennis player. 184 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:39.120 And I could still see to go hit balls 185 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.130 with her a little bit, I could like put her 186 00:06:41.130 --> 00:06:42.630 at the net, I could get a basket of balls 187 00:06:42.630 --> 00:06:44.428 and just, you know, hit some lobs for it and stuff. 188 00:06:44.428 --> 00:06:46.950 If she hit it back, I couldn't keep up 189 00:06:46.950 --> 00:06:48.510 with it enough to hit it back to her again. 190 00:06:48.510 --> 00:06:50.250 So, you know, tried that. 191 00:06:50.250 --> 00:06:53.040 But then it got to the time I reached 30, 32, 192 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.050 I mean, there just really wasn't, you know, 193 00:06:55.050 --> 00:06:56.820 anything I could do athletically. 194 00:06:56.820 --> 00:06:59.010 I was lifting weights, you know, I wasn't gonna 195 00:06:59.010 --> 00:07:00.840 become a competitive bodybuilder or anything. 196 00:07:00.840 --> 00:07:03.240 So it was like, you know, this is okay. 197 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.720 When I got to be about 37, 36, my wife came 198 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:08.670 in and she said, "Look, I love you, 199 00:07:08.670 --> 00:07:11.250 but I got things I wanna do on the weekends 200 00:07:11.250 --> 00:07:12.870 and I'm tired of being your entertainment 201 00:07:12.870 --> 00:07:14.940 coordinator, so you gotta find something 202 00:07:14.940 --> 00:07:16.110 to do and get outta the house." 203 00:07:16.110 --> 00:07:18.180 I say, "Well, what do you want me to do?" 204 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:19.950 I say, "Look, a lot of my friends go hunting, 205 00:07:19.950 --> 00:07:21.210 but they've already told me they're not gonna 206 00:07:21.210 --> 00:07:23.910 let me sit in a blind with a gun and you know, 207 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:25.650 shoot at movement that I hear." 208 00:07:25.650 --> 00:07:27.300 So you know, they're not gonna allow 209 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:28.740 that to happen at all. 210 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:30.810 So I don't wanna go fishing because I don't 211 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:33.240 wanna water moccasin to jump in a boat. 212 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.037 So she said, "You're gonna learn to play golf." 213 00:07:35.037 --> 00:07:37.080 And I said, "I'm gonna learn to do what?" 214 00:07:37.080 --> 00:07:38.460 My wife said, "You're gonna learn to play golf." 215 00:07:38.460 --> 00:07:39.810 And I said, "Okay, I'll tell you what, 216 00:07:39.810 --> 00:07:41.730 I'll give it one hour with somebody 217 00:07:41.730 --> 00:07:44.040 at the public golf course there in Tuscaloosa. 218 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:45.540 And if they can teach me in one hour, 219 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:48.030 one of the instructors that I got a chance 220 00:07:48.030 --> 00:07:50.460 to hit this ball, then I'll do it." 221 00:07:50.460 --> 00:07:52.243 And about 30 minutes into it, 222 00:07:52.243 --> 00:07:54.360 I hit a little pitching wave with a bump and run. 223 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:55.260 That's all he wanted me to do was 224 00:07:55.260 --> 00:07:56.370 those chip shots and stuff. 225 00:07:56.370 --> 00:07:57.990 And I hit it, I mean, I didn't even feel 226 00:07:57.990 --> 00:07:59.700 the ball come off the club. 227 00:07:59.700 --> 00:08:02.700 And I was like, "Oh, that's what it feels like." 228 00:08:02.700 --> 00:08:03.930 He goes, "That's what it feels like." 229 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:06.450 And from then on, I was hooked. 230 00:08:06.450 --> 00:08:08.040 You know, I played and hit balls. 231 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:08.990 My wife was the one that would take me 232 00:08:08.990 --> 00:08:11.850 to the driving range and then she started playing. 233 00:08:11.850 --> 00:08:13.620 About three or four years into it, we found out 234 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:15.180 that you could play blind golf tournaments. 235 00:08:15.180 --> 00:08:17.520 So then I said, "Okay, the next two years, 236 00:08:17.520 --> 00:08:18.930 I'm gonna work as hard as I can now." 237 00:08:18.930 --> 00:08:20.370 I mean, I was working hard to play 238 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.110 on the weekends with friends that could see, 239 00:08:22.110 --> 00:08:24.510 but now that I said, "I gotta way to compete 240 00:08:24.510 --> 00:08:26.400 and I wanna see how good I can be." 241 00:08:26.400 --> 00:08:28.590 That's when we started really getting after it 242 00:08:28.590 --> 00:08:31.260 and really getting some great instruction, 243 00:08:31.260 --> 00:08:33.630 getting better players to help me go practice. 244 00:08:33.630 --> 00:08:35.640 Because my wife again, you know, she got to a point 245 00:08:35.640 --> 00:08:37.500 where she goes, "Look, when they're talking about 246 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:39.450 how to hit a fade and set up to hit a draw." 247 00:08:39.450 --> 00:08:41.700 And she said, "I don't know what all this is." 248 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:44.010 So, you know, at that time got volunteers 249 00:08:44.010 --> 00:08:45.540 and people to work with me 250 00:08:45.540 --> 00:08:48.060 and that became something I wanted to do. 251 00:08:48.060 --> 00:08:50.790 I wanted to get to where, see how good I could be. 252 00:08:50.790 --> 00:08:52.260 You've gotten very good. 253 00:08:52.260 --> 00:08:54.460 How good you can be is very good apparently. 254 00:08:55.560 --> 00:08:56.760 Chad, I wanna go back just a little bit. 255 00:08:56.760 --> 00:08:59.910 So I think you mentioned your friends 256 00:08:59.910 --> 00:09:01.590 that go hunting and they've invited you along 257 00:09:01.590 --> 00:09:02.760 with and some of the buddies that 258 00:09:02.760 --> 00:09:03.810 you're playing golf with now. 259 00:09:03.810 --> 00:09:05.370 Are those some of the same friends that you had 260 00:09:05.370 --> 00:09:07.440 in high school when you kind of learned 261 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:09.390 that you were no longer able to play football? 262 00:09:09.390 --> 00:09:11.970 Yes, three of the four 263 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:14.880 had started playing golf in their 20s. 264 00:09:14.880 --> 00:09:16.410 Had asked me, "You wanna go out 265 00:09:16.410 --> 00:09:17.880 and you can put on the greens and stuff 266 00:09:17.880 --> 00:09:19.110 or whatever and go out and just ride with us?" 267 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:20.970 And I was like, "No, I don't think so." 268 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:22.680 But then when I did the chipping thing 269 00:09:22.680 --> 00:09:23.887 and I called and I said, 270 00:09:23.887 --> 00:09:26.970 "Hey, I'm starting to play golf." 271 00:09:26.970 --> 00:09:29.130 And they were like, "Oh man." 272 00:09:29.130 --> 00:09:31.200 And you know, then when I played my first round 273 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.297 with 'em six months later where I felt like, 274 00:09:33.297 --> 00:09:34.500 you know, I could hit a few shots, 275 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:36.390 pick up a ball after I'd hit five or six, 276 00:09:36.390 --> 00:09:37.590 I wouldn't hold up the whole course. 277 00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:40.440 And all of a sudden, it became a passion for me. 278 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.080 I found joy in doing it and I couldn't wait 279 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:45.000 to do it again, I wanted to learn about the game. 280 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:46.980 I wanted to learn about club selection and why 281 00:09:46.980 --> 00:09:49.410 you wanted to learn about the physics of golf. 282 00:09:49.410 --> 00:09:51.360 But yes, three of the four people 283 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:52.830 that were my best friends in high school, 284 00:09:52.830 --> 00:09:54.330 we still play golf today. 285 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:55.163 You know, I've heard 286 00:09:55.163 --> 00:09:56.550 from people in similar situations 287 00:09:56.550 --> 00:09:58.710 who have said, it is really kind of tough 288 00:09:58.710 --> 00:10:00.900 to talk to your friends, to talk to their friends, 289 00:10:00.900 --> 00:10:02.250 you know, about their vision loss. 290 00:10:02.250 --> 00:10:04.830 And even times when you felt like, you know, 291 00:10:04.830 --> 00:10:06.518 you weren't able to continue to do 292 00:10:06.518 --> 00:10:09.060 same things that you would do with your friends 293 00:10:09.060 --> 00:10:10.410 'cause they became more challenging. 294 00:10:10.410 --> 00:10:13.740 Was that ever something you experienced with those guys? 295 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:15.067 Yeah, that's a great question. 296 00:10:15.067 --> 00:10:17.790 You know, my four friends and me, so five of us 297 00:10:17.790 --> 00:10:20.760 and being, you know, 14, 15, 16 years old, 298 00:10:20.760 --> 00:10:22.380 talking about feelings was really not 299 00:10:22.380 --> 00:10:24.150 anything you wanted to talk about. 300 00:10:24.150 --> 00:10:25.387 But like, we'd get together and we'd play, 301 00:10:25.387 --> 00:10:27.960 you know, poker, we'd all put in $10 302 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:29.550 and play some kind of poker tournament. 303 00:10:29.550 --> 00:10:31.140 But they saw as I started getting to where 304 00:10:31.140 --> 00:10:32.940 I couldn't even read my cards that I had 305 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:34.770 in my hand and we showed up one night to play poker 306 00:10:34.770 --> 00:10:37.020 and Scott, who's still one of my best friends 307 00:10:37.020 --> 00:10:40.170 of all the group there, he had big print cards, 308 00:10:40.170 --> 00:10:42.540 without even asking, we were playing that next night 309 00:10:42.540 --> 00:10:44.910 with those large print cards where I could see it better. 310 00:10:44.910 --> 00:10:47.280 Then as we continued to play, my wife, 311 00:10:47.280 --> 00:10:49.170 we were having everybody over to play cards 312 00:10:49.170 --> 00:10:54.170 when I was 27 or 28 and I had braille cards. 313 00:10:54.270 --> 00:10:56.520 My wife had ordered them, they looked like regular cards 314 00:10:56.520 --> 00:10:58.500 for everybody else, but the braille is in the corners. 315 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:01.530 And I was like, "Wow, okay, I can still play poker 316 00:11:01.530 --> 00:11:03.000 and I don't need somebody sitting beside me 317 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:04.371 to tell you what my cards are." 318 00:11:04.371 --> 00:11:06.630 So again, we didn't talk about it much, 319 00:11:06.630 --> 00:11:09.630 my friends and I, 'cause again, we're teenage boys, 320 00:11:09.630 --> 00:11:11.820 but they knew and they still, you know, 321 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:13.740 never said anything about coming to pick me up. 322 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:15.930 They never said, "Hey, you owe us gas money." 323 00:11:15.930 --> 00:11:17.867 I had said, "Well, if y'all want me to go," 324 00:11:18.990 --> 00:11:20.820 it was never had to be discussed. 325 00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:23.670 That's again why, you know, I had some great friends 326 00:11:23.670 --> 00:11:26.250 and they were then and they still are now. 327 00:11:26.250 --> 00:11:27.210 I know that you spend some 328 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:29.220 time helping people learn golf as well, 329 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:30.780 and I think that you and your wife 330 00:11:30.780 --> 00:11:32.040 have an organization where 331 00:11:32.040 --> 00:11:34.500 you're helping those with the visual impairment, 332 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:36.210 learn golf, is that right, Chad? 333 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:37.043 What happened was, 334 00:11:37.043 --> 00:11:39.360 I was very fortunate when I started and I told 335 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:40.830 you I found out about there were blind golf 336 00:11:40.830 --> 00:11:42.360 tournaments around the world. 337 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.120 I qualified for the 2016 nationals. 338 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.420 I had to shoot qualifying scores at other tournaments. 339 00:11:48.420 --> 00:11:51.120 In 2016, my first blind golf tournament, 340 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:52.230 I won that one. 341 00:11:52.230 --> 00:11:56.010 And then I repeated in 2017 and 2018 342 00:11:56.010 --> 00:11:58.680 and also, won the Irish Open and I won, 343 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:01.110 the Guiding Eyes Classic in New York twice. 344 00:12:01.110 --> 00:12:03.990 The way we got into helping others is after 2016 345 00:12:03.990 --> 00:12:07.230 and winning that, you know, it was all about, 346 00:12:07.230 --> 00:12:08.640 I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it. 347 00:12:08.640 --> 00:12:10.020 I knew I could do it with hard work, 348 00:12:10.020 --> 00:12:11.430 I did it, I did it, I did it. 349 00:12:11.430 --> 00:12:14.550 The feeling lasted a long time, lasted for months. 350 00:12:14.550 --> 00:12:16.380 You know, I just felt like I was on cloud nine, 351 00:12:16.380 --> 00:12:18.210 you know, every time I went to the golf course, 352 00:12:18.210 --> 00:12:19.989 people would say, "Way to go doc, way to go, 353 00:12:19.989 --> 00:12:21.720 you know, you national champ," blah, blah. 354 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:24.180 And it was just, it was all about me. 355 00:12:24.180 --> 00:12:26.130 I guess that was making up for what I thought 356 00:12:26.130 --> 00:12:27.870 I got cheated in my opinion, you know, 357 00:12:27.870 --> 00:12:30.180 from when I was a teenager, not being able 358 00:12:30.180 --> 00:12:32.550 to reach that pinnacle in the sports I wanted to. 359 00:12:32.550 --> 00:12:36.420 And after winning it in 2017 though, 360 00:12:36.420 --> 00:12:38.520 that feeling lasted about a week. 361 00:12:38.520 --> 00:12:39.810 And I told my wife, I said, "I can't believe 362 00:12:39.810 --> 00:12:44.040 this is over, I don't feel happy anymore." 363 00:12:44.040 --> 00:12:46.470 And you know, my wife's very spiritual, 364 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:47.557 always has been, as she said, 365 00:12:47.557 --> 00:12:50.100 "It's because you didn't do it for the right reason." 366 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:52.230 And I said, "What are you talking about?" 367 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:53.670 Because when it comes to the two of us, 368 00:12:53.670 --> 00:12:55.260 I'm not the brightest one of the two. 369 00:12:55.260 --> 00:12:57.210 She's definitely smarter than I am. 370 00:12:57.210 --> 00:13:00.060 She said, "Last year, you talked about winning it 371 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:01.830 and every time it was I." 372 00:13:01.830 --> 00:13:04.680 She said, "You had a coach that was with you 373 00:13:04.680 --> 00:13:07.140 all year helping you that went to it voluntarily. 374 00:13:07.140 --> 00:13:08.797 You didn't say, "We want it," you said, 375 00:13:08.797 --> 00:13:11.160 "I want it," without your coach setting you up 376 00:13:11.160 --> 00:13:13.980 behind the ball, like all the other blind golfers." 377 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:15.240 I said, "You couldn't hit a shot 378 00:13:15.240 --> 00:13:17.400 and you just kept saying, "I want it, I want it." 379 00:13:17.400 --> 00:13:19.890 And she goes, "Also, you didn't do anything 380 00:13:19.890 --> 00:13:22.200 with it afterwards, you didn't help anybody else. 381 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:24.390 You didn't improve anybody else's life." 382 00:13:24.390 --> 00:13:27.030 And she goes, "Now, if you want it in 2017, 383 00:13:27.030 --> 00:13:29.220 you don't have anything else to hang your hat on." 384 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:33.136 And she said, "We need to do something 385 00:13:33.136 --> 00:13:34.620 to make a change." 386 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:37.290 And so she and I sat down along with my parents 387 00:13:37.290 --> 00:13:39.867 and my mom and stepdad and we said, 388 00:13:39.867 --> 00:13:40.700 "You know, what would that be?" 389 00:13:40.700 --> 00:13:42.360 And they said, "Well, wouldn't you loved 390 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:43.740 to have had a golf club in your hand 391 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:46.680 at age 14 when you couldn't play the other sports?" 392 00:13:46.680 --> 00:13:49.290 And I said, "Oh God, yes, I'd loved to have had one." 393 00:13:49.290 --> 00:13:50.190 And they said, "Well, why don't we 394 00:13:50.190 --> 00:13:51.420 do that for kids now?" 395 00:13:51.420 --> 00:13:53.310 We sat down and set up a 501(c)(3), 396 00:13:53.310 --> 00:13:55.470 it's called, AVID, A Vision in Darkness. 397 00:13:55.470 --> 00:13:58.140 Every state has a blind school, state funded. 398 00:13:58.140 --> 00:14:00.270 And I called here's one for Tennessee, 399 00:14:00.270 --> 00:14:01.410 is in Nashville. 400 00:14:01.410 --> 00:14:02.970 I called the Tennessee School for the Blind 401 00:14:02.970 --> 00:14:04.350 and said, "I'd like to help with your golf team." 402 00:14:04.350 --> 00:14:06.450 And they said, "We don't have a golf team." 403 00:14:06.450 --> 00:14:07.650 And I said, "You gotta be kidding me." 404 00:14:07.650 --> 00:14:08.910 You know, because to me it's like 405 00:14:08.910 --> 00:14:12.420 the most obvious sport for visually impaired 406 00:14:12.420 --> 00:14:14.190 and blind people to play because the ball 407 00:14:14.190 --> 00:14:16.920 doesn't move, the target doesn't move, 408 00:14:16.920 --> 00:14:18.780 you don't have to run or jump. 409 00:14:18.780 --> 00:14:20.820 I mean, it just seems so obvious 410 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:21.660 that they would've had golf. 411 00:14:21.660 --> 00:14:23.640 I mean, this is how naive I was, 412 00:14:23.640 --> 00:14:25.500 even though I was blind. 413 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:28.260 We started the first golf team in the United States. 414 00:14:28.260 --> 00:14:30.390 No other state school has golf 415 00:14:30.390 --> 00:14:32.250 as a golf team and a golf practice. 416 00:14:32.250 --> 00:14:34.440 So we started the first golf team, 417 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:36.720 blind golf team, and we got up to 14 kids, 418 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.310 right before AVID that were between 419 00:14:38.310 --> 00:14:40.350 the ages of eight and 16. 420 00:14:40.350 --> 00:14:41.610 These kids were hitting the ball. 421 00:14:41.610 --> 00:14:43.170 It's not just a clinic we would do, 422 00:14:43.170 --> 00:14:46.230 we got 'em clubs, we got golf shirts that matched. 423 00:14:46.230 --> 00:14:47.700 We made it a practice on Monday, 424 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:49.800 Wednesday afternoons after school. 425 00:14:49.800 --> 00:14:52.140 Our goal is to add one a year, 426 00:14:52.140 --> 00:14:54.240 starting this year as we want to add 427 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:57.120 a different state blind school, a golf team, 428 00:14:57.120 --> 00:14:58.890 and teach 'em how to get it started. 429 00:14:58.890 --> 00:15:00.030 I'd like to see, in five years, 430 00:15:00.030 --> 00:15:02.940 I'd like to see Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, 431 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:04.740 South Carolina, North Carolina, 432 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:06.480 all the kids get together in a central location 433 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:08.190 and play against each other in a golf tournament, 434 00:15:08.190 --> 00:15:10.230 for the first one that's ever been done. 435 00:15:10.230 --> 00:15:12.330 It's now not me winning it, 436 00:15:12.330 --> 00:15:15.480 it's about me doing well to have a platform. 437 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:16.740 But it's like now then, you know, 438 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:18.960 if I don't win, it's okay 439 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:20.280 because these kids don't care. 440 00:15:20.280 --> 00:15:21.780 But it gives me a purpose of, 441 00:15:21.780 --> 00:15:23.850 I wanna keep trying to be better. 442 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:26.820 But it's more like life lessons now for the kids. 443 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:28.530 Golf is important, but the lessons 444 00:15:28.530 --> 00:15:30.960 you learn from any sport, but especially golf, 445 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.000 you know, that's what we're trying to accomplish. 446 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:34.200 Give confidence. 447 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:35.550 You don't have to compete in tournaments. 448 00:15:35.550 --> 00:15:37.380 That's not what it is, but it's about patience. 449 00:15:37.380 --> 00:15:40.380 It's about respect, respecting the game. 450 00:15:40.380 --> 00:15:42.540 It's a tough sport, but we're trying 451 00:15:42.540 --> 00:15:44.580 to teach all the right aspects and life skills 452 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:46.680 that go along with golf to the kids as well. 453 00:15:46.680 --> 00:15:49.080 So Chad, have you spent time with, 454 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:51.128 I mean, I know that there's, you know, 455 00:15:51.128 --> 00:15:53.520 a lot of folks out there who 456 00:15:53.520 --> 00:15:55.500 are new to vision loss and you know, 457 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:56.640 maybe similar to you when you were 458 00:15:56.640 --> 00:15:58.890 in high school, felt like there, you know, 459 00:15:58.890 --> 00:16:00.630 were things they could no longer do. 460 00:16:00.630 --> 00:16:02.367 They kind of had to give up some different things. 461 00:16:02.367 --> 00:16:05.490 And I imagine golf might be that for many people. 462 00:16:05.490 --> 00:16:07.500 Have you spent any time with those 463 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:09.750 who later in life enjoyed golf, 464 00:16:09.750 --> 00:16:11.310 but now, with their vision loss have had 465 00:16:11.310 --> 00:16:12.930 a challenge being able to do that? 466 00:16:12.930 --> 00:16:14.820 That's what we've actually 467 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:17.460 are changing this year, we're adding veterans 468 00:16:17.460 --> 00:16:19.560 and any other adults to the list 469 00:16:19.560 --> 00:16:22.410 who have lost their vision or losing their vision 470 00:16:22.410 --> 00:16:24.030 and have not played golf. 471 00:16:24.030 --> 00:16:25.410 They're invited and we're gonna get... 472 00:16:25.410 --> 00:16:27.300 And again, when I say this, we do it at 473 00:16:27.300 --> 00:16:28.410 no expense to them. 474 00:16:28.410 --> 00:16:30.120 It's not because my wife and I are wealthy, 475 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:32.850 but we've had great donations from people locally. 476 00:16:32.850 --> 00:16:34.230 And so we get 'em the clubs, 477 00:16:34.230 --> 00:16:36.000 we get 'em everything that they need. 478 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.460 But yes, we're also trying to reach out 479 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:41.130 to the optometrists and ophthalmologists 480 00:16:41.130 --> 00:16:42.420 and stuff in the area. 481 00:16:42.420 --> 00:16:44.280 And what we wanna do is people that used 482 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:45.930 to play 10 years ago, but then they had 483 00:16:45.930 --> 00:16:48.480 something cataract surgery that went bad 484 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:49.920 and they couldn't follow their own golf ball 485 00:16:49.920 --> 00:16:51.780 anymore, so they quit. 486 00:16:51.780 --> 00:16:53.070 You know, they can maybe still even see 487 00:16:53.070 --> 00:16:54.330 the ball sitting on the ground 488 00:16:54.330 --> 00:16:56.040 that as soon as they hit it, they can't follow it, 489 00:16:56.040 --> 00:16:57.720 so they just quit. 490 00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:59.040 And there's just no reason for that. 491 00:16:59.040 --> 00:17:01.020 I mean, there are coaches out there, 492 00:17:01.020 --> 00:17:02.880 people that want to do this. 493 00:17:02.880 --> 00:17:04.410 There's even been times that, you know, 494 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:05.880 I've actually hired a college student 495 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.430 who plays on the college golf team here locally 496 00:17:08.430 --> 00:17:10.560 and say, "Hey, you know, I'll pay 10 bucks an hour. 497 00:17:10.560 --> 00:17:12.900 I wanna go out and hit balls for five hours." 498 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:15.390 And they're like, "You're gonna pay me to go hit ball?" 499 00:17:15.390 --> 00:17:17.915 So, you know, I'll hit 10 balls, they'll hit 10, 500 00:17:17.915 --> 00:17:18.897 you know, I'll hit 20, they hit 20 501 00:17:18.897 --> 00:17:20.820 and they get paid 10 bucks an hour 502 00:17:20.820 --> 00:17:22.530 when I wanna have a real heavy practice day. 503 00:17:22.530 --> 00:17:25.500 So, you know, there's a way to do it depending 504 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:27.960 on what you want, is you wanna just get 505 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:29.220 practice and hit some balls. 506 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.470 You wanna compete in tournaments, do you just 507 00:17:31.470 --> 00:17:33.360 wanna play on the Saturdays with your buddies? 508 00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:35.310 There's ways to get people to coach you 509 00:17:35.310 --> 00:17:36.630 and that's what we call 'em, are coaches, 510 00:17:36.630 --> 00:17:39.480 not caddies, because caddies on television, 511 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:40.950 they just get the player, you know, 512 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:42.720 the yardage and stuff like that. 513 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:44.700 Keep the clubs clean, carry the bag. 514 00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:46.290 Well, we call 'em, coaches, not because 515 00:17:46.290 --> 00:17:48.510 they're all PGA teaching professionals, 516 00:17:48.510 --> 00:17:50.640 but they gotta get us to the cart safely. 517 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:52.320 That's the number one, get us to the cart, 518 00:17:52.320 --> 00:17:54.930 get us to the ball, get us up to the tee box, 519 00:17:54.930 --> 00:17:57.030 get us around water hazards and bunkers 520 00:17:57.030 --> 00:17:59.940 and don't let us step on rakes and sprinkler heads. 521 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:01.410 The number one thing in blind golf 522 00:18:01.410 --> 00:18:03.240 is that if you finish the round and you've 523 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:06.240 not had any blood drawn, you've had a good day. 524 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:07.830 You know, and then the score is just, 525 00:18:07.830 --> 00:18:09.570 that's just a second thing what your score was. 526 00:18:09.570 --> 00:18:12.540 But the coaches have so much on them 527 00:18:12.540 --> 00:18:13.500 that they have to do. 528 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:15.570 And that's why we call 'em, coaches 529 00:18:15.570 --> 00:18:16.590 instead of caddies. 530 00:18:16.590 --> 00:18:19.110 On the blind golf tour, it's all amateur, 531 00:18:19.110 --> 00:18:21.120 we don't make any money for winning, it's trophies 532 00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:23.250 and you know, the thrill of competition. 533 00:18:23.250 --> 00:18:25.170 But some, it's their wives are coaches, 534 00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:27.840 some, it's their sons, some, it's their fathers. 535 00:18:27.840 --> 00:18:30.060 Some have PJ teaching professionals, 536 00:18:30.060 --> 00:18:31.410 coaches can be anybody. 537 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:33.330 And so anybody that wants to play this game 538 00:18:33.330 --> 00:18:35.220 or has played this game, there's no reason 539 00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:36.570 why we can't help you get to where 540 00:18:36.570 --> 00:18:38.220 you need to go to play the game. 541 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:40.133 So tell me about your golf game. 542 00:18:42.052 --> 00:18:44.070 Like what's the best round you've ever shot? 543 00:18:44.070 --> 00:18:46.680 My best tournament round is 81. 544 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:47.670 When I say tournament round, 545 00:18:47.670 --> 00:18:48.843 the thing I like to tell folks, because when 546 00:18:48.843 --> 00:18:50.407 they hear about blind golf, they're thinking, 547 00:18:50.407 --> 00:18:52.470 "Okay, y'all play it differently 548 00:18:52.470 --> 00:18:54.000 than the guys we watch on television." 549 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:56.280 And the answer is, there's only two rule 550 00:18:56.280 --> 00:18:58.740 differences with two rules that are different. 551 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.710 Number one, we can ground the club in the bunker. 552 00:19:01.710 --> 00:19:04.770 So in other words, the PGA guys and the college 553 00:19:04.770 --> 00:19:06.690 players, when you get in the sand trap, 554 00:19:06.690 --> 00:19:08.580 you can't put your club behind the ball 555 00:19:08.580 --> 00:19:11.550 and touch the sand, you have to hover it. 556 00:19:11.550 --> 00:19:13.650 Well, if we don't know where the ground is, 557 00:19:13.650 --> 00:19:15.840 we don't stand a chance to returning the club 558 00:19:15.840 --> 00:19:16.680 'cause that's what we learn. 559 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.230 We learn where the ball is in relation 560 00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:20.667 to our feet and where the ground is. 561 00:19:20.667 --> 00:19:22.590 And so we get to ground the club in the bunker, 562 00:19:22.590 --> 00:19:24.180 no practice wings, but we get to at least, 563 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:26.580 set the club down behind the ball. 564 00:19:26.580 --> 00:19:28.560 And the only other rule change that's different 565 00:19:28.560 --> 00:19:30.330 from everybody else that plays it 566 00:19:30.330 --> 00:19:33.270 by the rules of golf is that when our coaches 567 00:19:33.270 --> 00:19:35.400 line the club up and hold the club behind 568 00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:37.230 the ball, they take two steps back. 569 00:19:37.230 --> 00:19:40.650 So they're staying in the straight line with me, 570 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:42.420 the line I wanna hit it on, and the target 571 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:43.253 we're trying to hit to. 572 00:19:43.253 --> 00:19:45.690 In real golf, the coach can't be in that line. 573 00:19:45.690 --> 00:19:48.090 They have to get out from behind you, 574 00:19:48.090 --> 00:19:50.160 but they have to stay behind us 'cause like, 575 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:51.600 as they step back a couple of steps 576 00:19:51.600 --> 00:19:52.860 and say, "All right, go ahead and swing 577 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:54.960 and hit it," the club could have moved a little bit 578 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:57.510 to the heel, club could have moved to the toe. 579 00:19:57.510 --> 00:19:59.610 My feet could be aimed too far to the right 580 00:19:59.610 --> 00:20:01.830 and that's where the ball's gonna go. 581 00:20:01.830 --> 00:20:03.540 So they can see that, but if they can't 582 00:20:03.540 --> 00:20:05.190 stay behind us, they won't be able to see 583 00:20:05.190 --> 00:20:06.570 that and stop us and reset us. 584 00:20:06.570 --> 00:20:09.810 So other than that, we play by the exact same rules. 585 00:20:09.810 --> 00:20:12.060 No mulligans, we have to put everything in the hole. 586 00:20:12.060 --> 00:20:13.470 There's no gimmes. 587 00:20:13.470 --> 00:20:14.580 The pros play anywhere from 588 00:20:14.580 --> 00:20:16.920 6,800 to about 7,200 yards. 589 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:18.240 Just to give you a reference, 590 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.000 we play about 6,100 to 6,200 yards. 591 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:22.590 I gotta ask, have you ever 592 00:20:22.590 --> 00:20:23.760 hit a hole in one? 593 00:20:23.760 --> 00:20:25.560 I have been so close, 594 00:20:25.560 --> 00:20:28.200 but no, I've had so many chances where 595 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:29.910 we thought it was going in or we get up there 596 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:33.180 and it's six inches or a foot, but not yet. 597 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:37.380 But I sure am hoping, quick funny story. 598 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:39.870 Coach Moody was the women's basketball coach 599 00:20:39.870 --> 00:20:42.240 at The University of Alabama back when I was 600 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:43.710 playing early, but I hadn't started playing 601 00:20:43.710 --> 00:20:44.700 tournament golf yet. 602 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:46.110 I was still just trying to learn to play. 603 00:20:46.110 --> 00:20:47.700 And we had a scramble for charity 604 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:49.710 for The University of Alabama and they had 605 00:20:49.710 --> 00:20:51.060 some of the coaches out there on the tees 606 00:20:51.060 --> 00:20:52.980 with us, you know, just saying, "Hi, coach Moody, 607 00:20:52.980 --> 00:20:55.080 thanks for coming out," that kind of thing. 608 00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:56.677 I was on a par three and they said, 609 00:20:56.677 --> 00:21:00.151 "Okay doc, if you, you know, 610 00:21:00.151 --> 00:21:01.830 make a hole in one here on this 155 yards, 611 00:21:01.830 --> 00:21:02.663 you win this truck." 612 00:21:02.663 --> 00:21:03.630 And they said, "That's gonna be funny 613 00:21:03.630 --> 00:21:05.190 watching you drive this outta here." 614 00:21:05.190 --> 00:21:06.540 And I said, "Yeah, that'd be hilarious." 615 00:21:06.540 --> 00:21:09.390 You know, blind guy driving a big old Ford F-150. 616 00:21:09.390 --> 00:21:11.377 So anyway, I hit the shot and everybody says, 617 00:21:11.377 --> 00:21:13.590 "Dear Lord, that may be going in," 618 00:21:13.590 --> 00:21:17.490 the flag was over a ridge on the back level. 619 00:21:17.490 --> 00:21:19.680 And so we couldn't see the bottom foot of the flag 620 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:21.480 and the ball never reappeared. 621 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:23.850 And they had a spotter up at the green 622 00:21:23.850 --> 00:21:25.350 who was off to the side and he went 623 00:21:25.350 --> 00:21:27.930 and motioned finger down like it went in. 624 00:21:27.930 --> 00:21:30.240 So we started jumping around the tee box 625 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:32.160 and everything, coach Moody had 626 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:33.690 forgot that I couldn't see. 627 00:21:33.690 --> 00:21:35.700 He came running in to gimme a high five 628 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:37.560 and I was giving it those tiger fist pump 629 00:21:37.560 --> 00:21:38.880 and caught him right under the chin 630 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:40.410 and knocked him unconscious. 631 00:21:40.410 --> 00:21:42.450 So I mean, I hit him perfect, 632 00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:44.970 right on the jaw with an upper cut. 633 00:21:44.970 --> 00:21:47.790 And so he was knocked out and then, 634 00:21:47.790 --> 00:21:49.380 I found out the ball wasn't in the hole, 635 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:50.820 it was on the other side, so the spotter 636 00:21:50.820 --> 00:21:52.620 couldn't see it, it didn't go in, 637 00:21:52.620 --> 00:21:53.453 it was three inches. 638 00:21:53.453 --> 00:21:55.210 So I didn't win the truck. 639 00:21:55.210 --> 00:21:57.190 Coach Moody had to go to the ER, you know, 640 00:21:57.190 --> 00:21:58.800 I was the one that knocked him unconscious. 641 00:21:58.800 --> 00:22:01.233 So it was eventful. 642 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:03.750 Okay, Chad, so 643 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:05.340 amazing things that you and your wife 644 00:22:05.340 --> 00:22:07.020 are doing in the world of golf. 645 00:22:07.020 --> 00:22:10.290 If somebody wanted to, like, what advice would 646 00:22:10.290 --> 00:22:12.870 you give to somebody who, again, maybe new 647 00:22:12.870 --> 00:22:15.510 to vision loss is maybe thinking about the idea 648 00:22:15.510 --> 00:22:16.590 of getting back into this, 649 00:22:16.590 --> 00:22:18.510 never thought maybe it was possible. 650 00:22:18.510 --> 00:22:20.670 What kind of advice would you give 'em? 651 00:22:20.670 --> 00:22:23.010 I would tell you the first thing is, 652 00:22:23.010 --> 00:22:25.800 that you just gotta believe that you wanna do it. 653 00:22:25.800 --> 00:22:27.000 I mean, 'cause if you're not gonna do it 654 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.470 for the right reason, meaning that you wanna 655 00:22:28.470 --> 00:22:30.390 have something that you can get outside, 656 00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:32.610 something you can do and have camaraderie 657 00:22:32.610 --> 00:22:35.430 with some folks, you don't even need to try. 658 00:22:35.430 --> 00:22:38.280 I mean, and that's with anything, not just golf, 659 00:22:38.280 --> 00:22:40.980 but golf is the most difficult sport I've ever played. 660 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:43.200 The room for error is so minute, 661 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:44.850 a couple of millimeters makes a difference 662 00:22:44.850 --> 00:22:46.920 in a ball going straight or in the water. 663 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:48.420 And you have to have patience 664 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.980 and you gotta really have a passion 665 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:51.720 and enjoy what you're doing. 666 00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:52.707 And so if you're ready for that 667 00:22:52.707 --> 00:22:54.330 and you wanna try something difficult 668 00:22:54.330 --> 00:22:56.130 and you understand it's gonna be difficult, 669 00:22:56.130 --> 00:22:57.900 and that's for a sighted person, 670 00:22:57.900 --> 00:22:59.730 it's gonna be difficult, and for a blind person, 671 00:22:59.730 --> 00:23:01.560 it's gonna be just as difficult. 672 00:23:01.560 --> 00:23:02.880 And there's some things that are harder 673 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:03.867 because you gotta have somebody with you. 674 00:23:03.867 --> 00:23:05.490 You can't go out and just hit a bucket of balls 675 00:23:05.490 --> 00:23:07.820 by yourself, but the thing I would tell people 676 00:23:07.820 --> 00:23:11.070 to do is, check out the United States Blind Golf 677 00:23:11.070 --> 00:23:14.280 Association website, that's usbga.org. 678 00:23:14.280 --> 00:23:17.100 We have all kind of clinics listed across the country. 679 00:23:17.100 --> 00:23:19.650 I'm the vice president of the USBGA. 680 00:23:19.650 --> 00:23:21.960 We've got all kind of stuff there on the website, 681 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:24.000 clinics and videos and people you can 682 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.590 contact in your area. 683 00:23:25.590 --> 00:23:28.170 The other option is AVID, go to avid.gov, 684 00:23:28.170 --> 00:23:30.900 A-V-I-D.gov and that's the one that Pat 685 00:23:30.900 --> 00:23:33.300 and I, that's our website for kids. 686 00:23:33.300 --> 00:23:35.760 But like I said, we're expanding that now to adults. 687 00:23:35.760 --> 00:23:38.190 We still can get you in contact with people, 688 00:23:38.190 --> 00:23:41.160 we can get you golf clubs, if you can't afford those. 689 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:42.600 We can get you set up with a teacher 690 00:23:42.600 --> 00:23:44.520 who can help you as a beginner. 691 00:23:44.520 --> 00:23:46.500 If you were an advanced player, but you haven't 692 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:48.540 played in 10 years, then we'll get somebody 693 00:23:48.540 --> 00:23:50.460 to check you out and see where you're at 694 00:23:50.460 --> 00:23:52.830 in terms of your game and then, how much 695 00:23:52.830 --> 00:23:54.300 instruction you need to get back to it. 696 00:23:54.300 --> 00:23:55.380 We'll set you up with coaches 697 00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:56.550 and you can interview the coaches, 698 00:23:56.550 --> 00:23:57.690 see if you like 'em. 699 00:23:57.690 --> 00:23:59.280 Just a lot of options we can give you. 700 00:23:59.280 --> 00:24:03.150 So I would say, the usbga.org 701 00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:04.950 is the national website. 702 00:24:04.950 --> 00:24:06.900 And then our website, if you wanna check 703 00:24:06.900 --> 00:24:08.850 it out is, avid.gov, and either one 704 00:24:08.850 --> 00:24:11.550 of those websites will be a great starting point. 705 00:24:11.550 --> 00:24:12.420 That's excellent. 706 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:14.100 Yeah, we'll have both of those things 707 00:24:14.100 --> 00:24:16.110 in our show notes for those of you who 708 00:24:16.110 --> 00:24:18.660 are listening and didn't manage to write 709 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:22.020 it down, no worries, it's all on the website, 710 00:24:22.020 --> 00:24:24.300 along with this episode. 711 00:24:24.300 --> 00:24:25.860 Any other final thoughts that you'd 712 00:24:25.860 --> 00:24:27.840 like to leave our listeners with 713 00:24:27.840 --> 00:24:29.130 before we wrap it up? 714 00:24:29.130 --> 00:24:30.330 The thing that turned my life 715 00:24:30.330 --> 00:24:32.730 around about golf and getting off the couch 716 00:24:32.730 --> 00:24:34.620 and beat the depression, because there's a lot 717 00:24:34.620 --> 00:24:36.420 of people that are losing their sight 718 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:38.010 or have lost their sight, and the number one 719 00:24:38.010 --> 00:24:39.900 thing they're dealing with is depression. 720 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:42.180 Because again, if you're born blind, 721 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:44.430 you don't know anything else, but if you've been 722 00:24:44.430 --> 00:24:46.470 able to see and been able to drive 723 00:24:46.470 --> 00:24:50.010 and been able to snow ski and been able to go out 724 00:24:50.010 --> 00:24:53.280 and on your own, go hunting or work your farm 725 00:24:53.280 --> 00:24:54.390 and then you lose your eyesight 726 00:24:54.390 --> 00:24:55.500 where you can't do those things, 727 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:57.000 I mean, it's devastating. 728 00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.220 Make sure you keep searching for, you know, 729 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.100 a way to come to peace with what's happening. 730 00:25:02.100 --> 00:25:04.500 It may be talking to somebody, it may be talking 731 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:06.300 to your spouse, it may be talking to a parent, 732 00:25:06.300 --> 00:25:08.910 it may be talking to your pastor at church. 733 00:25:08.910 --> 00:25:10.500 It may be going to something and somebody 734 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:12.540 says something and you hear something. 735 00:25:12.540 --> 00:25:14.220 So don't stay on the couch. 736 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:15.870 You know, get out, do things, 737 00:25:15.870 --> 00:25:17.580 you know, try different things. 738 00:25:17.580 --> 00:25:19.530 Find what gives you joy, 739 00:25:19.530 --> 00:25:22.020 and you can beat depression, you can beat this. 740 00:25:22.020 --> 00:25:24.180 So would I take my eyesight back today? 741 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:25.230 The answer's, yes. 742 00:25:25.230 --> 00:25:26.063 I mean, everybody says, 743 00:25:26.063 --> 00:25:27.247 "Oh, you wouldn't take your sight back." 744 00:25:27.247 --> 00:25:29.054 "Well, yeah, I would." 745 00:25:29.054 --> 00:25:31.110 It's just not gonna keep me from living my life 746 00:25:31.110 --> 00:25:33.840 anymore since, if I don't have it. 747 00:25:33.840 --> 00:25:35.760 So I just thought I'd just tell 748 00:25:35.760 --> 00:25:37.530 encourage everybody, you gotta keep trying. 749 00:25:37.530 --> 00:25:39.120 You can't give up. 750 00:25:39.120 --> 00:25:41.343 Giving up is, it's the easy thing to do. 751 00:25:42.870 --> 00:25:44.460 Absolutely, I love that. 752 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:47.490 Thank you so much for sharing your story 753 00:25:47.490 --> 00:25:50.400 and just sharing your journey with us. 754 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:52.590 Thank you very much for having me. 755 00:25:52.590 --> 00:25:54.270 Got something to say, 756 00:25:54.270 --> 00:25:56.460 share your thoughts about this episode 757 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:59.280 of Hadley Presents, or make suggestions 758 00:25:59.280 --> 00:26:00.840 for future episodes. 759 00:26:00.840 --> 00:26:02.610 We'd love to hear from you. 760 00:26:02.610 --> 00:26:07.050 Send us an email@podcastathadley.edu. 761 00:26:07.050 --> 00:26:12.050 That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T@hadley.edu. 762 00:26:12.120 --> 00:26:16.830 Or leave us a message at 847-784-2870. 763 00:26:18.930 --> 00:26:20.738 Thanks for listening. 764 00:26:20.738 --> 00:26:23.321 (gentle music)