Members of a Scottish blind golfers' society have been accused of cheating after players were witnessed hitting balls off the tee and holing long putts without assistance.
After a tournament at Downfield Golf Club, in Dundee, one club member spoke of what he witnessed. The golfer, who did not wish to be named, said: "I am employed in the voluntary sector so am aware of most disabilities and their consequences, but it was obvious that the majority of these 'blind' people were sighted. In the clubhouse I observed 'blind' people walking around unaided, buying refreshments and going up and down stairs with ease. Outdoors was a similar experience with many pulling their own golf trolleys and one in particular reading a scorecard."
He described watching players tee off with "little or no assistance," while several golfers "watched their own shot approach a green." He added: "Perhaps the worst of all was the number of 'blind' players who putted out without any assistance and then picked their own ball out of the cup. There are many thousands of legitimately disabled people throughout Scotland, but this group clearly take advantage and abuse the goodwill of others."
George Derby, captain of Tayside Blind Golf Society, described the claims as "a lot of rubbish." He said all of its members are registered blind although they have different degrees of visual acuity. One Tayside player dismissed the claims as "mischiefmaking" and insisted that all those who took part in the tournament were registered blind. Robin Clayden, Secretary of the Scottish Blind Golf Society, said: "If the spineless person who accused these golfers can't come forward and identify himself then we can't educate him on the various aspects of sight loss. "To remain anonymous highlights a greater disability within that person's mind and soul." See the article for more details.
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