Handicaps were merely a golfing term related to a player’s scorecard at yesterday’s 28th Annual Ken Venturi Guiding Eyes Golf Classic.
In some ways blind golf can give a player a psychological advantage – over himself. What you can’t see won’t hurt you. While a sighted player may overcompensate to avoid a bunker or hazard, a blind golfer’s intent stays the course.
“Hit it hard, hit it straight” says Pat Browne Jr., and his son and coach, Pat Browne, III.
“I won’t usually tell him what’s out there, I may just tell him I need strong distance on certain shots, but not necessarily why,” said the younger Browne in between holes yesterday.
“Sure, it can be an advantage, less distraction,” added the elder Browne.
Blind golf is played under USGA rules with one modification, a club may be grounded in a hazard. Each player has a coach who helps out with club selection, alignment, setup and distances.
The Classic, held yesterday at the Mount Kisco Country Club, is “The Masters” of USBGA tournaments, with the players competing for the Corcoran Cup.
This year’s Classic switched to the Stableford scoring system for the first time. The Corcoran Cup winner (best score) was David Meador with 30 points. Browne received the Cribari Trophy as the runner-up with 24 points.
The McFarland Trophy (for the low net score) went to John Casolo, who was 12-over net. The Spoonster Trophy was awarded to Dick Pomo for the best improvement from the front nine to the back nine (he improved 12 points).
Of all the great triumphs every year at the tournament, no one has been more successful on the course than Browne, who was competing for the 24th time and has claimed the championship a stunning 17 times.
Browne feels strongly about playing in the Classic because it is the largest fundraiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, one of the leading guide-dog training schools in the country and has raised over $6 million for the non-profit organization located in Yorktown Heights.
“The foundation is right up our alley, it’s a natural fit for blind golfers,” says Browne, a former president of the USBGA (1976-92) who attended Tulane, where he starred on both the golf and basketball teams.
Browne also received his law degree from Tulane and became a very successful lawyer and businessman in New Orleans despite losing his sight as the result of an automobile accident in 1966.
Browne’s coach is his son, who, at 24, is an aspiring golfer himself. Like his father, Browne III was a multi-sport athlete growing up. The Brownes are friends with another multi-generational athletic family, the Mannings.
“We belong to the same club in New Orleans, and Eli and Pat [III] played basketball together,” said Sharon Browne – Pat Jr.’s wife.