New tech helps blind golfers swing into action

Blind and partially-sighted people have been practising their swing using new ball-tracking technology at a special golf clinic in Essex.

The public could test out the Toptracer software at the launch event at Garon Park Golf Complex in Southend-on-Sea on Tuesday.

The technology follows each shot and communicates the distance, direction and accuracy for players.

Andy Gilford, a former world blind golf championship winner, said the technology had been a "game changer" in his own training.

"This technology is bringing sight back to players," he said.

"It's giving people their independence back so they can enjoy the game they love once again. Nobody has to give up golf."

For blind and visually impaired players, the technology gives instant feedback, supported by verbal guidance from coaches and volunteers.

The software is on offer at Garon Park as part of a new initiative led by England & Wales Blind Golf, charity Southend in Sight and The Norman Garon Trust.

Anyone can pay the ball hire fee and try the Toptracer tech themselves at the centre.

Karl Hepple, chief executive of The Norman Garon Trust, explained that there were "numerous" cameras along the top of the driving range, tracking the balls.

Organisers hope the technology can create a pathway for golfers, taking them from the driving range, out on to the course.

It could also help tackle isolation and help people rebuild confidence through shared activities, they say.

Georgie Haynes from Southend in Sight said the sessions could help people reconnect with sports.

"This gives visually impaired people an opportunity to have a go at a sport they might have stopped because of their sight loss," she said.

More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and about 250 people begin to lose their sight every day.

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