Imagine, standing on the tee at 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass… possibly the most daunting shot in golf, but being blindfolded. That was the prospect facing Billy McAllister, except Billy couldn’t have a sneaky peak at what lay before him, since he was struck down with total blindness overnight, at the age of 39. But not only did Billy do what so many pros fail to do, and navigate the swirling winds and expansive lake to hit that island green, barely 25 yards in diameter, he landed his ball 20 feet from the pin and parred the hole.
Sunday Slicers caught up with Billy, following a fascinating afternoon ball spotting for him at the England Blind Strokeplay Championships, to unpack one of the world’s most inspirational stories.
For 39 years, Billy lived a pleasant but unremarkable life. He had a well paid accountancy career, a nice house and a happy marriage. Then one day, he woke up, completely blind. Diabetes had claimed both his retinas without warning, overnight. Sound like a living nightmare? It gets worse. Within 3 months, Billy had lost his job, his marriage and his home. He slept rough for 11 weeks, taking shelter in a sculptured miniature village outside a leisure centre.
Despite his tough Belfast upbringing, he was on the brink of suicide. But he dug deep, and found the resolve to have one more try. Billy had always loved sports, and mercifully, decided to pursue a new hobby in golf… albeit naively on the premise that ‘the ball doesn’t move, so it must be easy!’
This myth was of course swiftly dispelled, but Billy persevered. Rounds regularly took 160+ shots, and there was no shortage of wooden spoons to cook with in his newly secured bungalow. But resilience is clearly not in short supply with Mr McAllister, and Billy went on to win the blind golfing versions of The Masters, Strokeplay, Matchplay, Spanish Open and many more, finishing top 3 in the World Championship and is currently #5 in the world.
For all Billy’s astounding resilience and tenacity, he couldn’t have done it alone – blind golf is very much a team sport. The guides – inevitably – are much more than caddies, with responsibility for describing each hole, distances, hazards and ball lie… and then lining up the ball with the chosen club. It’s clear that Billy’s relationship with his guide, Tony, himself a very handy golfer, plays a vital role in their success.
They say ‘attitude is latitude’, and there can scarcely be a better example than Billy McAllister. Despite all the adversity he’s faced, he’s happy to point out the advantages he has over sighted golfers, claiming he can read a green better with his feet, than someone sighted can with their eyes!
He also highlights, that given the huge psychological factors to the game, sometimes it’s better not to see the danger before you. ‘Don’t tell me’, he’ll say to Tony ’I don’t want to know about the hazards, just tell me the distance’… and therein was his secret to hitting that green at Sawgrass, when so many fail – he turned his weakness into a strength.
Now, Billy’s remarried, and proudly part of the 1% of blind people in employment, whilst trying to support blind, disability and diabetes causes. Golf has brought him back from the brink, given him the chance to travel the world, and he says that ‘life has never been better’.
Billy McAllister – we salute you!
Image descriptions:
Top – Billy lines up for a drive off the tee
2nd – Billy and Danny, and their respective guides Tony and Di weigh up their putts
3rd – Tony helps Billy chip onto the green
4th – Billy with his guide Tony, leaning on the course clock
5th – Tony helps Billy line up his tee shot.
