Thank You For Visiting The Summary Page Of The

Inaugural Competition Featuring Players from the United States & Canada 

The 2005 North American Match Play Championships

Of Blind & Visually Impaired Golf

In July of 2005 the Rittman Lions Club sponsored their first ever "Blind Golf" event.  Words cannot express the gratitude to President Dave Simpson, Treasurer Jim Breece, Lion Jerry Corp, and all the members of the club.  Through their efforts and dedication, the tournament funds were raised and Adaptive Scholarships were granted to Austin Erne from Rittman and Mary Krumwiede of Wadsworth.  In all, over $3,500 was raised for charitable causes.  They demonstrated their commitment to the Lions Club International Motto, "We Serve!"  Because of their involvement, the tournament has grown and bigger and better things are anticipated for future Championships.  Thanks men, "WE GOTTER DONE!"

Major Contributors

The 2005 tournament would never have taken place without the initial support from several organizations, companies, and specific individuals.  Although the event had numerous sponsors, I would be remiss if several  people were not given special recognition.  Thank you all again for supporting our cause.

Tournament Results 

The Real Winners

Pictured below are the winners of the Adaptive Technology Scholarships that were established as the major charity for the tournament.  Mary Krumwiede is pictured on the left and Austin Erne is pictured on the right.

Congratulations!

Mary Krumwiede graduated from Wadsworth High School in 2005 with honors and will be attending Wright State University.  Austin Erne will be entering fourth grade at Rittman City Schools.  Both students received $1,000 grants to purchase adaptive technology such as brail note takers and computer screen-readers.  Special thanks to Dessie Page from Universal Low Vision for contributing a 10% discount on the vouchers.

Bill Arnold Memorial Coach's Award

Since the inception of the Ohio tournament, a coach is honored each year in recognition of their dedication to the player they coach and to their contributions to the sport of blind & visually impaired golf.  At the 2005 awards banquet Judy Hooper, the winner of the 2004 award, announced the 2005 recipient, Linda Smith from Alabama.  Linda has been coaching her husband Dennis Smith for the past decade and is a true veteran of the blind golf tour.  She exemplifies all the qualities that make up a coach/guide: dedication, knowledge of the game, and most of all, true sportsmanship.  She is a true ambassador of the game!

Pictured below from left to right are: Michael Schmock, the 2003 recipient, Linda Smith, the 2005 award winner, and Judy Hooper, the 2004 recipient.  Congratulations to all three for their dedication to the game!

Kids Instructional Clinic

Each year the tournament puts on an instructional golf clinic for area visually impaired children and young adults.  This year's clinic was held following the tournament at Lawndale Elementary School in Akron.  The clinic was conducted in September in order to reach more students.  Ron Tristano and his son brought equipment from the Challenge Golf Center to work with Mark Arnold and the students.  This year's clinic was particularly successful as the visually impaired students had their normally sighted classmates assist as coaches.  Several of the students were eager to learn and plan to continue lessons at the Challenge Golf Center.  Our sincere appreciation to Ron and his son for co-hosting the demonstration.  Pictured below are a few photos of the kids and the instructors.

Mark speaking to the kids

Sighted kids do the coaching

Ron lining up a putt

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2023 Match Play Championships

Page Posted

Monday, January 16, 2023