BLIND AMBITION: HOW GOLF REDEFINED LIFE AFTER STARGARDT’s

A Blind Man’s Journey to International Golf Glory

This blog looks at a definition of ‘SUCCESS’ that isn’t always apparent, success over adversity. It also refers quite aptly to what we would best describe as ‘DRIVEN’ too, the ability to motivate yourself to achieve what many would consider impossible which however was achieved through determination, persistence and effort. Please read this blog and consider the journey, we are bringing this issue to the fore because it is through stories like this that hope and inspiration are found by those with similar conditions. We are also looking to supports Stuart’s wonderful journey and in doing so hopefully assisting be it large or small to help and support this remarkable man fulfill his dreams and ambitions. We at AHGGOLF.COM are delighted to help spread the word about this journey and the power of golf to give people a new lease of life.

Introducing Stuart Hutcheson – Husband, Father, Blind Man and now The British Open & Irish Open Blind Golf Champion.

Stuart was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease in his mid-twenties. (Stargardt’s Disease or Stargardt’s Macular Degeneration is a genetic eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss. This disorder affects the retina but specifically it affects a small area near the centre of the retina called the macula. The macula is responsible for sharp central vision, which is needed for detailed tasks such as reading, driving, and recognising faces). The disease doesn’t take away all sight—people can still see things on the side—but it makes everyday tasks almost impossible. Imagine trying to look straight ahead but only seeing clearly around the edges. Stargards sufferers normally have the central area blurred dark but Stuart his central area is blurred white which again can also affect the quality of his peripheral vision.

Stuart is an extraordinary individual and talented blind golfer who has recently achieved remarkable treble success in his first season on the England & Wales Blind Golf Tour. Stuart’s extraordinary accomplishments have caught the attention of the Worldwide blind golfing community.

Stuart was originally diagnosed while working for the NHS in the UK. Although he always said he never had the best eyesight in school he had no idea this was due to the ever worsening life changing condition. His career in the NHS was varied but it was only when he applied for a new job, that of an ambulance driver that his condition was picked up. For the application process Stuart had to undergo a medical, the eye test he duly failed but this then prompted further investigation. At the age of 25 he was diagnosed with the then little known Stargardts disease.

The NHS were very good employers and over the years as his condition worsened they accomodated him in different roles and eventually moved him into administrative roles in office environments. Stuart required guide dogs and his employers always welcomed these into the office environment even when the last, Spencer, tended to wander the office trying to eat peoples packed lunch and sweets from their bags.

As per the Equality Act 2010 all employers are to make suitable adjustments for staff with disabilities, Stuart had a computer which could verbalise letters and emails whilst also having voice recognition software so that he could write himself. However as the years went on Stuart found himself being able to do less and less and when more cuts were required it was only a matter of time before Stuart was called into the bosses office for a discussion on medical retirement. He was 51.

New Beginnings

Shortly after he retired Stuart was talking with his guide dog trainer Jim and it was in this conversation that he was asked ‘okay what are going to do with yourself now you’ve retired’. Up till that point Stuart admits that he really given it much thought, ‘the one thing I would like to do one day’ he found himself saying ‘was to be able to have a round of golf again’. ‘Well’, said Jim you know there is an England & Wales Blind Golf Tour. Stuart had no idea such a thing existed.

It had been over 27 years since Stuart had last have a game of golf, in his own words ‘I gave up because I couldn’t see where I was hitting it’. As a junior Stuart had been a 12 handicapper at Chester Golf Club. So the basics were there, the problem was last time he swung a club he could see, now golf is hard enough for people with 20:20 vision how hard must it be when you can’t see the ball?

His mind was made and with a goal in mind the first call he made was to his Brother-in-Law John a keen golfer himself, Stuart asked John firstly to help him get ‘swinging’ again and then with a goal in mind to join him as his guide onto the England & Wales blind Golf Tour.

So the journey began, having old clubs in his garden shed John was able to make a set up for Stuart and they headed off to the range. Throughout the early months of 2022 the pair worked tirelessly, firstly getting Stuart just swinging and connecting with the ball and then once that became more often than not develop a repeatable swing.

By mid-2022 Stuart was able to play 3 rounds of golf on his local course and get his first handicap (44) and he rejoined the Golf Club of his youth Chester Golf Club. An indication of how the plan was working took place in September 2022. John who was that time Captain of his Golf Club the beautiful Northop Golf Club in North Wales invited Stuart to partner him in an invitation day. This would be the first real occassion that John was able to compete with Stuart in a competitive situation. The format was Four Ball better Ball which means both players play their ball and whoever has the best score in the pair that score goes on the card. On the first tee a daunting par 5, Stuart stood over the ball and promptly hit 2 shots out of bounds right. Other partners might have been dismayed but John was delighted, in his words ‘he absolutely nailed both shots and they were pushes straight right from that moment on I lined him up down the left hand side of every hole and he never missed another fairway’.

For John the ball striking was the most important. The pair ended up scoring 50 stableford points and for those who don’t know about golf this is a remarkable score with Stuart scoring on 13th of the 18 holes. needless to say they won the whole event. By December 2022 Stuart’s consistency had improved again and he applied to join the England & Wales Blind Golf Tour.

Out of the dark days and onto the Fairways

For any type of competitive blind sport there are Classification categories. Classification categories are B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, with B1 being the greatest level of sight loss. B1, B2, and B3 sight categories are recognised by most sports for UK recreational competitions, as well as for International or Paralympic training pathways.

Breakdown of Categories:

B1: Athletes will have no light perception, or some light perception and the ability to perceive some movement, but an inability to recognise shapes.

B2: Athletes will have significantly limited vision, either in how far or how wide can be seen. This category includes being able to count fingers, or being able to recognise/read something at a very short distance. It also includes athletes whose visual field is significantly reduced, even if visual acuity is higher.

B3: Athletes will have greatly limited visual acuity and/or limited visual field. B3 is the highest category used for most international and Paralympic sports.

Only the British Blind Sport recreational (non-competitive) classification system includes B4 and B5 sight categories. This allows more athletes to participate on a level playing field for local and national sports. To ensure fairness and consistency, British Blind Sport follows the sight classification guidelines set by the International Blind Sports Federation.

Stuart is categorized as a B2 golfer, he has less than 5% vision in both eyes and no central vision at all, within the competitive framework of the England & Wales Blind Golf Tour B1, B2 & B3 competitors only compete.

The season began in April but was punctuated by the need to have a hernia operation in May which put Stuart out of action for 6 weeks. Such is his character that he would not let this lose his focus and he underwent a rigorous 6-week training regime on those elements of his game he could physically undertake (putting, chipping).

Upon his return to action Stuart was given a huge boost as he received an invite to compete in the British Open in Belton Woods, Lincolnshire. As Stuart had joined the Blind Golf Tour in December, he had missed the closing date for the British Open which had closed in October. He placed himself on the reserve list so was delighted when one of the overseas competitors dropped out. He had less than 5 weeks to get his game into shape before the Open.

The British Open – Belton Woods, Lincolnshire

With a field of two current World Champions and four former World Champions and over 50 current and past Internationals from 12 countries it could be safe to say that Stuart could have felt out of his depth. This was Stuarts first International Blind Golf event too and to rub shoulders with competitors from all over the world was really special. The format for the Open is that after enrolment on the Sunday there is a practice day on the Monday followed by competition on the Tuesday & Wednesday.

Practice went well and in John words his ball striking was really good that day but the biggest challenge was navigating around the course. There are two courses at Belton Woods and the Open was played on the ‘Lakes’ Course as the name suggests a lot of water with at least 13 holes with lakes in front of the green.

On day one Stuart played well but left a number of approach shots 115 – 135 yards from the green and on every occasion when asked by John which option he wanted to take he went for the green with mixed success. He hit a 4 over par and was particularly disappointed to hit a 9 on the 18th par 5 having hit 2 balls in the water. To Stuart and Johns surprise even though they were disappointed Stuart lay 3^rd trailing by 4 shots. That evening John describes as ‘what won us the Open’. Stuart was so relaxed and enjoying the company of all his friends on the tour ‘I just sat in a corner and dissected every hole on the course and put together a plan’.

In round 2 before they walked to the first tee John turned to Stuart and said ‘I’ve got a plan, just do what I say today, there are times you might not agree but trust me’. Stuart agreed. Stuart on that second day at Belton Woods played beautifully and started Eagle (2 Under par), Birdie (1 under Par), Birdie (1 under par) and in Johns eyes ‘we were then level before the leaders had even teed off’. John’s plan was simple, Stuart would take different clubs than in previous days and rather than leave himself 115-130 yards to the green he would leave 60- 80 yards even if this meant taking an extra shot to get into this area. His thinking was clear ‘Stuarts most reliable club was his lob wedge which he could comfortably hit 65-80 yards consistently, basically we took all the water out of play. He executed John’s plan perfectly and produced the round of his life hitting a 4 under par (net 68) to win the British Open by 4 clear shots a turnaround of 8 shots!.

There was was one main problem left due to the fact that Stuart and John had not expected to win they turned up with a change of clothes for the evening with a pair of what could best be described as Hawaiian shirts. John explains ‘well you cant have your picture taken in hawaiian shirts, so we had to beg and borrow a pair of ties and I had to drive to the nearest Asda 20 minutes before the evening meal to buy a couple of shirts. He got back with 3 minutes to spare!

The Dream Continues

In his acceptance speech Stuart described winning The British Open a Dream, well the dream continued during the rest of the Summer. In August he finished tied 1^st in the British Masters (but unfortunately lost on a countback), if he had won this, he would have been the first British Blind Golfer in the 40-year history of the Sport to win the Open and Masters in the same year. By having such a strong finish in the Master’s this meant Stuart finished the end of year Order of Merit in 6^th place, remarkable having missed two events due to his operation earlier in the season. Finishing 6^th meant an automatic selection in the England & Wales Team to play Scotland in the end of season ‘Auld Enemy’ International match in Cardrona, Peebles. An International Player, representing his Country at the age of 52.

The ‘Auld’ Enemy

The annual Blind Golf International Match between Scotland v England & Wales is played for the ‘Auld Enemy’ Cup. It is played in alternative venues each year and the 2023 match was hosted by the Beautiful Cardrona Golf Club in Peebles. The format is similar to a Ryder Cup Type event with Foursomes on Day 1 (alternate shots), Fourballs on Day 2 and Singles on Day 3. At this International match Stuart won all 3 of his matches (7&5 Foresomes, 4&2 Fourballs & 6&5 Singles) a simply fantastic performance.

No Time to Rest On Laurels

After arriving home late on the Friday evening from the International match Stuart and John Smith boarded a plane to Dublin early Sunday Morning to attend the Irish Open in Tullow, County Carlow. The invite to compete came from the Secretary Of Irish Blind Golf who was able to obtain a special sponsors pass for Stuart. The Irish Blind Golf contingent was with Stuart and John on the evening of their success at the British Open. As this would be the first Irish Open to be held since before covid they specifically wanted the British Open Winner in attendance. The field contained over 30 competitors from all over the World including the current US Open Champion.

The Mount Wolseley Spa & Golf Resort was a fantastic venue and the course itself was an extreme test of golf, the format was similar to the British Open a practice day followed by two competition days.

Stuart started the week in pain as he had tweaked a back muscle in Scotland the week before and could hardly move in the mornings. John said this is probably helped us as his ball striking was good but he couldn’t ‘overswing’ and we made another plan to plot our way around. However for some reason Stuart really struggled on the first day and after 9 holes lay 7 over par. ‘His ball striking was dreadful that first morning far worse than it had been on the practice day’, John explains ‘so we had a chat on the 10th tee. After that chat he never hit a bad shot again for two days’. The recovery on the back nine was remarkable with Stuart ending day one only 3 over but he lay in 5th place 6 shots off the lead. ‘We knew we had the plan to win’ John explained ‘but what we needed was perhaps a little help as the first day had been played in beautiful conditions, the course was difficult but conditions were benign we needed the wind to blow or the rain to fall to make it tougher’.

They got their wish that night the heavens opened and a torrential storm made the course very wet which meant no run on the ball and the length of the course increased dramatically. ‘That second round of the Irish was Stuart’s best round of golf all year’, John explains ‘he never put a foot wrong, he was in pain still but we plotted our way round perfectly’. On day two Stuart hit a 3 under par 69 but such was the difficulty of the course he won the event by 7 clear shots a turnaround of 13 shots to pick up his second International Event of the Season in only his second start.

In winning the Irish Open Stuart became the first blind golfer ever to win the British and Irish Open’s in the same year.

Of the global events played this year Stuart is the only person to win more than one International event in 2023 and has propelled himself to now being the most talked about and widely known figure in the World of blind golf.

What else could he achieve in 2023? – A Hole In One!

The ultimate for any golfer is the Holy Grail, a hole in one. In 2023 to this authors knowledge only one other blind golfer achieved this feat in the World. In a social match in October Stuart was playing with some friends where he achieved this. The cap to a truly memorable year and remarkable person.

Stuart’s achievements and growing influence make him an exceptional ambassador for sport, he has been called upon regularly to ‘meet the press’ as his is the story of anyone who dedicates themselves to a course of action, with will comes the reward. His dedication to promoting inclusivity and accessibility within the sport of golf has made him a respected figure among players and followers of blind golf alike. 

As a consequence of winning the British and Irish Open’s Stuart will now have the opportunity to play in all 9 International Blind Golf Events across the globe from Australia to Canada and from Japan to Scandinavia, Stuart and John hope that by sharing their story they can encourage and inspire others to join them in the Blind golfing world. (Please click on the England &Wales Blind Golf Image below).

Who would have thought that when retiring he could have had the opportunity to travel the World and play sport.

WITB (What’s In The Bag)

To show you how remarkable Stuart’s success was you only have to look in the bag, unbelievable.

• Driver Ping G400 – 2017
• 2 Wood Calloway Great Big Bertha – 1995 (cut down shaft)
• 3 Wood TaylorMade Burner – 2008
• 3 Hybrid Ping Rapture – 2006
• 5 Hybrid Mizuno CLK – 2018
• Irons 6-pw Cobra King Tour Irons – 2019
• 54 Wedge Cobra MIM Wedge – 2019
• 58 Wedge Calloway Sure Out – 2017
• Chipper McGregor Mactec – 2010
• Putter Yes! Milly – 2014
• Golf Ball Prefers Titleist (but plays with any they have available)

England & Wales Blind Golf (EWBG) is a registered charity formed in 1989. It provides a lifeline to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, offering them opportunities to socialize, exercise, learn new skills, and conquer new challenges through the sport of golf. Whether someone is a beginner or a seasoned golfer, EWBG welcomes men and women of all ages and abilities.

If you would like to find out more, to support or like to donate to the charity please click on the image below, this will forward you to the charities website.

This article was written by James Douglas

James is a freelance writer and has contributed to many publications and blogs in both the UK and the US. James is a keen golfer and plays of a very competitive 10 handicap.