Man who only took up golf after he was registered blind hits his first hole-in-one – after 36 years of trying
Gerry Kelly, 75, also competes in tournaments guided by his loyal wife Mary who helps him set up every shot
A MAN who only took up golf after he was registered blind has hit his first hole-in-one - after 36 years of trying.
A high-flying laboratory manager with petrochemicals giant ICI, Gerry Kelly had his future mapped out and never imagined he would lose his sight.
But rather than let his blindness overcome him, inspirational Gerry decided to throw himself into the game of golf - even though he'd never picked up a club before.
And now, after 36 years of trying and at the age of 75, Gerry has notched up a hole-in-one.
It's an achievement for which the odds are an estimated 12,500 to 1 even for a fully-sighted golfer - so for a blind man to manage it is quite staggering.
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Yet modest Gerry - who achieved the feat on the 12th hole at Montrose Links in Angus with a trusty six iron club, shrugs off praise - and insists it's his loyal wife Mary who should take the credit.
For it's Mary, 70, who takes him to play, directs his aim on each shot, and spots where each ball lands on the course.
Gerry, from Troon, Ayrshire, explained: "We walk on to the tee and I have the club across my chest.
"Mary takes hold of the club and then directs me where to hit the ball.
"She then puts the club behind the ball and then gives me a rough idea of the distance of the shot I'm attempting.
"Once I hit the shot, Mary will watch its flight through the air and spots where it lands for me.
"If I'm in a hazard such as a bunker, her help is really valuable to me as obviously I can't tell where I am aiming.
"When we get on to the green, Mary will tell me the rough distance to the hole and will judge the line I should putt.
"She then places my putter behind the ball again and I take the shot.
"Then we just repeat this process for all 18 holes."
Gerry, a member of the Troon Welbeck club, finally realised his dream of getting a hole-in-one while playing in the Grampian Blind Golf Classic at Montrose course on August 2.
He teed off on the 12th hole - a par three hole that sits around 150 yards from the tee - to make the shot.
He said: "It had been overcast and windy in the morning up to when we teed off just before lunchtime.
"By the time we got around to the 12th hole, the wind had abated thankfully, and I was able to hit a clear shot.
"I used my six iron for the shot and I just got the perfect strike when I hit it.
"I could feel the ball compress around the club and I knew straight away that it was a great shot.
"I asked Mary to tell me what was happening. She told me I had cleared the four bunkers in front of the green, and that the ball must have landed on the green itself.
"As the green was up a slope, Mary couldn't actually see the ball on the green so obviously we walked up for the putt.
"Mary couldn't find the ball when we got there and so I thought I'd actually hit it so well that it must have gone through the back of the green and into the rough.
"She checked the hole just in case, and there it was. I couldn't believe that I had actually managed a hole-in-one.
"Looking back on it, obviously I'm very happy with the hole-in-one, but it was just a bonus to what was a great shot.
"You don't often hit a shot like that and I was pleased with myself that I managed to do it.
"When I finished my round, I got a standing ovation in the clubhouse. I was really happy - it's only taken me 36 years to hit a hole-in-one."
Gerry's blindness is caused by Stargards disease - a progressive disease of the retina - which he was initially diagnosed with in 1971.
He said: "I was diagnosed as having Stargards disease in 1971, and was told by my doctor that my vision would get progressively worse as time went on.
"The disease affects my retina and effectively scars it. That's what makes the vision worse over time.
"After being registered blind in 1980, I had to medically retire from my job.
"It was a great job. I was responsible for overseeing the research and testing of products in nine different labs before the products were sold on,
"Obviously, it just wasn't possible to carry on in that role.
"Now, I am not completely blind but I only have a little peripheral vision.
"I am not able to read anymore and I rely on Mary, not just on the course, but in nearly every aspect of my life.
"She is my eyes and without her I would be helpless."
In recent years, Gerry has suffered from spinal cancer and while he is now in remission, it has forced him to restrict the time he spends playing the sport he loves.
He added: "I don't play as much anymore but I used to practise two or three times a week.
"If I had a big tournament coming up then Mary, who is a really keen golfer herself, would have me down at the course almost every day.
"I don't play nearly as much as that now.
"I am currently in remission after suffering from spinal cancer. I lost some vertebrae and as a result, I have to be very careful whenever I do play."
It was shortly after being registered blind and retiring from his job that Gerry knew he had to find something to focus on and put his heart into.
He was inspired by an article he'd read in his local paper in 1979 about American blind golfer Pat Browne Jr.
Pat, who lost his sight in a car accident in 1966, is the most successful blind golfer ever and was the first to record a hole-in-one.
Gerry said: "Pat ended up being my inspiration.
"I had never played golf before, even before I lost my sight, but his story just grabbed me.
"As a challenge to myself, not only did I then take up the sport, but I also tried to establish a blind golf association here."
After early struggles to be taken seriously and attract other blind people to the sport, Gerry eventually established the Scottish Blind Golf Society in 1986.
Regarded as a pioneer of blind golf, Gerry went on to set up the British Blind Open tournament before helping blind golfers in England, Australia and Japan to establish their own associations.
He has won several tournaments of his own, including the Scottish matchplay and strokeplay competitions.
Gerry said: "It was eventually very successful and I went on to help blind golfers in England, Australia and Japan to set up their own associations.
"I am so proud that we have been able to help so many visually impaired golfers realise their dream of playing the sport.
"I couldn't be happier with what we have achieved."
His loyal wife Mary says she could not be more proud of what Gerry has achieved.
She said: "I have been guiding my husband for around 30 years and it has been really rewarding.
"A friend of his from work guided him on the course for a short time until I had an understanding of what was required.
"Thanks to Gerry, I now play myself and have several rounds of golf at my local course every week."
"I am very proud of him, so are our four children and six grandchildren.
“Very few people would realise how difficult it was to do what Gerry has done.
"Golf gave Gerry something to put his heart and soul into after he retired, and it has been an amazing journey for him - and me as well.
"I only hope there are more visually impaired people who want to take up the sport and keep going with what Gerry originally envisioned.
"To see him get a hole-in-one after all these years... Well, I have to say, that was a little bit special."
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