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After a tough few years with injury and a full knee replacement, I suppose a 6th place finish at the worlds is not too bad. The build up went well with a few good lessons and practice sessions I had high expectations. I can really feel my game improving but golf being golf, the mistakes really cost you. Still onwards and upwards, the Phoenix Cup representing Europe against the USA in Arizona is something to look forward to and work towards. I have a 100% win record to defend from my 3 games at St Andrews last year when we battered the USA 16-8, 3 weeks to go and Arizona bound. The Phoenix Cup is the biggest disabled golf team event in the world, played on a Ryder Cup format, we finish in Arizona on the Wednesday and the Ryder Cup starts in New York on the Friday, better find a Sports bar for the weekend…..

Played at the wonderful Greens at Renton, Simcoe, Ontario, the ISPS Handa Canadian Open turned out to be somewhat frustrating with a 6th place finish. Despite some good practice beforehand a few silly mistakes cost me.

Wow, does it get any better, 3 rounds of golf at the home of golf playing all 3 wonderful courses. A win in the four ball on the Jubilee course and then a win in the Better ball on yes the Old Course, I still have to pinch myself, and I won my singles match on the 18th green of the New Course. This culminated in a 16 - 8 win for Europe against the USA. A pretty special few days and we will defend the Phoenix Cup in September 2025 in Arizona. www.phoenixcup.org.uk

What a stunning year this was, The South African Blind Open, the British Blind Matchplay and winning the overall year long Order of Merit. Whilst the pros get millions for the Fed ex and the Race to Dubai, I pick up a nice trophy for our year long order of merit and finishing top British Blind Golfer for the year. A further 3 second places in the British Blind masters, the English Strokeplay and the Northern open capped off a great year.

Wow I just love the USA...... second US major after winning the US Blind in Texas a few years back. This time it was the US Disabled Open in one of my favourite cities Orlando. Really pleased with this one as there were competitors from 8 countries worldwide.

Having been selected to represent England against Scotland in the annual Auld Enemies Cup, it was off to Scotland to try and win back the trophy we lost last year at Wallasey.

Again I seemed to thrive on matchplay as in Canada earlier in the year and won both my opening matches comfortably 4 & 2 and 3 & 1. Unfortunately Scottish weather was the winner on the final day with no golf possible but we eventually won the trophy 9-3.

The ISPS Handa Vision Cup is the biggest event in blind golf with the top 12 golfers from the United States and Canada taking on the best 12 blind golfers from the Rest of the World. My first appearance took me to Creston in Canada at the base of the Rockies.
The course was simply stunning, stunning condition with stunning views of the Rockies,
throw in temperatures in the 90s and you begin to get a feel of how good this was.

I managed 2 out of 3 wins in my 3 matches taking out a World Champion and 4 time Canadian National Champion whilst playing the best golf I had played all season. My 2 points helped us retain the cup after a 12 12 tie and as holders we took the trophy back across the pond..........


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Well Japan was a pretty awesome place to play golf and what a setting for the Blind World Championships.

After a few days in Tokyo with my eldest son Ashley who was guiding for me, we arrived at Shinrinkouen Golf Club, Saitama Prefecture for the Japan Open and World Championships.
Remote control buggies, huge lockers fantastic clubhouse (despite being £9 a pint)what a place.

My buildup was not great as I had a medial ligament sprain or so my GP and physio thought (this turned out to be a sprained medial ligament, a fracture in my knee and a torn caltilage). Despite that a 6th place (gross) in the Japan Open and a third place finish in the World Championships was all in all pretty good.

A positive to build on for a busy 2017..........

What a great week in San Antonio, Texas for the US Blind national Championship/Open.
We played the Republic course in 95 degree heat everyday which was awesome. Played pretty well in winning the overall net but I was a few shots out in the gross finishing third in that, not bad on a course I had never previously played.

San Antonio Riverwalk was fantastic and I hope to be back in2017, japan awaits in 2015 and the World Championship.

A big thanks to all at American blind golf and the Lighthouse for the Blind charity.

Wow what a week, after the losing the Open by a shot. winning the Lawrence levy British Blind Masters by 7 shots certainly made up for it.

The masters is certainly the most difficult competition to win in blind golf. 4 rounds of strokeplay with a field of the best blind golfers in the world.

I thought I started well with a 69 on day one followed by a 67 on day 2 on the par 73 Tewkusbury park course. Heavy rain all day during day 3 left me with a hard fought 75 and 4th place overall some 5 shots off the lead.

The final round did not start well with a double bogey on the first but the hard work on my short game certainly paid off with some great up and downs and a superb 63, my best ever round in blind golf ans an eventual 7 shot win.

This result left me 2 nd in the Blind golf season long order of merit missing out by 7 points and this despite playing 1 event less than all the leaders of the OoM.

2 good wins 2nd in the Open and selection for the England team to play Scotland ended what was a really good 2nd season in Blind Golf. Unfortunately due to working full time I cannot take up my place in the England team but theres always next year and with a possible World Championship in Japan to come things are really good.......................

What a 3 days of golf. A shotgun competition as a practice day followed by the 2 competition strokeplay rounds.

After round 1 and a 1 under par 70 on the tricky Montgomery course at Kinross GC I found myself 4 shots back in joint 3rd. I still fancied it with a good round on day 2 but fell 1 shot short shooting a level par 71 which included an 8 as I decided to ignore the advice of my guide and 12 year old son Josh.140 beat my 141 by one and a nice silver salver for second place was dissapointing but in my first Blind open a very good achievement.

Special thanks to my guide and 12 year old son Josh who was amazing.....

Well after one of my best ever rounds and very few mistakes, I managed a massive 46 stableford points to win by just one shot at the Chairmans Cup at Kilnworth Springs GC.

Winning blind events is especially difficult as there are some really high handicaps meaning I have to play really well and hope for mistakes from others, fortunately it happened today, my first win in blind golf and a huge cup......

After 2 windswepped rounds at the Scottish Disabled Open I managed to secure 3rd place. Despite leading after the first round I could not keep pace with the high handicappers who really took advantage of the wide open Silverknowles GC.

Still not a bad return.

Well the first event of the year was an SDGP event at Swanston GC in Edinburgh. In windy conditions I managed 38 points stableford of a 12 handicap and won by 2 points.

This was a really satisfying win as the late Jim MacLeod was a friend and dedicated a great deal of his time guiding and helping less able people around the golf course.

RIP Jim.

After a first European win I did not think it could get any better, it did. A win at the Virgin Money and Walking with the Wounded charity day at the fabulous Slaley Hall resort and a win at the Scottish National Championship capped a really great year. The win atthe Scottish Championships was especially rewarding as I played alongside my 11 year old son who guides for me.

More work over the winter to try and get near the achievements of 2014.

I would especially like to thank my two biggest supporters who really made this year happen, Chromax Golf and Specsavers, many thanks.....

Yes what a great run, 4th win this year and this is a big one, my first European title after winning the Czech Disabled Masters 2014.

What a great place, three 9 holes courses played in a different order each day. A driving range, a bar/restaurant and not much else, throw in some amazing weather and a fantastic 5 days capped with the win.I started pretty well in the practice round which was a gross stableford competition finishing 7th in a field which contained 4 professionals and some of Europes best disabled golfers. I finishing joint 7th with one of professionals. Two decent strokeplay rounds and that was my first win.

Bring on the rest of the season, can it get any better........

Well I arrived at the Gleneagles resort for the Weir Family Foundation event as part of the 4 man SDGP team. What a place its huge and stunning. Some breakfast and off to the PGA Centennial course where the Ryder Cup will be played in a few months. Those involved are in for a treat, the course is brutal, 6 inch rough which the ball sinks to the bottom of.

Despite all that I managed to win the individual competition beating around a 100 able bodied corporate golfers and my SDGP team also won the team event. We received our prizes at a gala dinner that evening. What a few days, many thanks to the Weir Family Foundation.

After an indifferent round at the first blind golf event of the year and a 13 place finish, I redeemed myself with a win on my second outing at the Northern Disabled Open held at Morecambe GC on the 22nd April. Strong winds and rain made it more of a fight than a pleasure but a win is a win. A 4th place finish at the South Lakes Masters was a little dissapointing but after 3 events a win and a top 5 is a fairly decent start to the season.

June promises to be busy with The Blind British matchPlay, a trip to Gleneagles for a round on the Centenary Ryder Cup course as part of a charity event and then The Czech Disabled Masters, cant wait.......

After a great few days a place in the quarter finals loomed at the second blind event of the season. Up against a 39 handicapper I was giving away 30 shots. A little tricky when your opponent hits the green on a par 3 where he has 2 shots...... no I didnt make an ace for a half. I just couldnt live with the amount of shots I was giving away needing constant birdies for halves, out I went, still not a bad few days.

Well I have to say I would have liked to have played more comps this year however family, kids mortgage and lack of sponsorship limited my starts.

A win 3 second places 3 third places and 4 top fives out of 16 starts helped me to second place overall in the Buy it For Golf Order of Merit, my best finish ever. This is really satisfying given I am giving a lot of shots away having one of the lowest handicaps in the organisation, I shot a lifetime best 68 gross amassing 50 stableford points only to lose by a car playoff to a 32 handicapper. Such is life.....

Fairly consistent at the World Cup with my team finishing in the top 8 of the biggest disabled team competition ever staged, I finished as the top scoring blind golfer in the competition, small consolation.

Being chair of the sDGP I was honoured to captain team Scotland against my home country England, a rather strange one and unfortunately we lost in a close match, no grief from my team mates.

Probably the highlight of the golfing year was playing in the British Seniors Championship Pro Am at Mottram Hall. An amazing day playing alongside my old mate Andy Skinner, Billy McAllister, one of the best B1 category bind golfers in the world and our pro Bill Longmuir.

Bill was absolutely brilliant, what a great guy, having a playing pro taking the time to line up puts for us and offer any help he could, an absolute credit to his profession.

All in all not a bad year, two years to my 50th birthday, and the holy grail, a big push at being the first bind golfer to attempt qualifying for the Seniors Tour.

Please help me make it happen, sponsor me and offset iit against your ttax returns.....