Grove City camp teaching sports to visually impaired
GROVE CITY, Pa. - Driving, chipping, putting.
The sport of golf is already hard enough to learn, but now imagine learning the sport all while removing the ability to see.
"So really, in any sport as well, you just need to add sound because if you can't see typically you may be able to hear where the ball is," says Mary Holmes, Camp Director for Camp VIP Sports.
72 visually-impaired campers from Camp VIP sports out of Grove City College spent the week learning a variety of different sports.
Monday Afternoon, Grove City Country Club hosted the group to teach them all about the sport of golf.
There isn't a big difference between how those that are visually impaired and those that learn a sport, but one of the biggest hurdles those that are visually impaired have to deal with is understanding their surroundings.
"The muscle memory is the same, the swing is the same, but understanding what a club does and what it looks like, the ball, and trying to visualize is tough for them. So you try and put them in the right position, let them feel what that feels like and let them do it by themselves," says Brian Myers, a volunteer with the camp.
Once someone that is visually-impaired learns their surroundings there isn't more to it from there.
"There aren't any modifications that are made, the coach will just stand closer to the golfer and they'll orient them and they'll let them know which direction they need to face. Golfers typically know how far away the whole is and how far away they need to hit the ball," adds Holmes.
