Poincenot is an inspirational speaker and lives in Carlsbad.
As I was growing up, I was an athlete. I loved sports. My favorite sport was golf.
My dad and I played golf every Sunday from when I was 12 until I left home in Carlsbad for college. Golf was our bonding time. It’s how we became close. If I beat my dad on a Sunday, I’d give him a hard time the whole next week. If he beat me, I wouldn’t stop hearing about it from him.
During my sophomore year at SDSU, I suddenly became legally blind due to a rare genetic disorder I had no idea I had, called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Unfortunately, I quickly learned that LHON has no treatment and no cure.
I now have a large central blur in my visual field. I’m no longer able to read, drive, or distinguish faces.
Suddenly I went from crossing items off my to-do list to being petrified to cross the street on my own. Life became extremely difficult, and I went through a grieving process over losing my sight and the life I once knew.
I was sure that I would never play the game of golf ever again. Golf is such a visual sport. There’s a beauty to watching a well-struck golf shot soar in the sky towards its intended target. Add it to the list of things I felt like I would no longer be able to do.
One day my mom said, “Jeremy, I discovered there’s something called the USBGA – the United States Blind Golf Association, and these golfers play in tournaments all over the world!” I smiled and thought, “Mom, that’s cute, but how do blind people play golf?”
I learned that every blind golfer has a guide, someone who helps them on each and every shot. And that was an easy choice. My dad. My dad is my guide in every competitive round of blind golf. While golf is an individual sport, blind golf is more of a team sport. He’s essentially my eyes on the course. He tells me what the hole is, I ask some questions, and he lines me up to hit the shot. It’s like playing a video game in real life.
In 2010, less than two years after I lost my sight, my dad and I competed in the World Blind Golf Championship in England. After the two-day tournament we tied for the lead and went into a playoff against a player from England. We both had short chip shots to the hole. With chip shots, my dad will stand in between me and the hole on the line we want to chip it on. I line up to him, I tell him he’s good, he moves out of the way, and I hit the shot.
The chip felt great, the ball rolled out and I heard it make a noise. It hit the pin and went in!
Everything after that was a blur. Pun intended.
My dad and I won the World Blind Golf Championship!
I went from feeling like I was living a nightmare after I lost my sight, to feeling like I was living a dream.
My dad and I have gone on to win two more world championships and nine national championships. And the best part is that we get to share these experiences together.
There’s no one I would rather have as my guide than my dad. There is no one I would rather have by my side on the golf course than my dad. And there is no one I would rather have as my teammate than my dad.
I realize I’m lucky to have such a great dad, who is ive and cares so much about me and my well-being. And now, as a father of two young boys myself, I hope to be as ive to them as my dad has been with me.
Thank you, Dad, for all you’ve done for me. I love being your teammate and I’m grateful we get to share such unforgettable moments and memories together.
