Video Transcript
0:02 hello we’re joined today by Jerry Nelson
0:02
and Chris Villeneuve here up in Meadow
0:04
Lake at the Kingdom where Jerry
0:06
practices every Friday uh Jerry is a
0:08
blind golfer and a very good one been to
0:10
many World Championships um representing
0:13
Saskatchewan on many stages I guess
0:15
Jerry um you know you’re getting ready
0:17
for the U.S blind golf championships
0:18
which is a big event not the biggest
0:20
you’ve ever been in I guess for you you
0:22
know take us back I mean I guess with
0:23
the eyesight and kind of what led you
0:25
into into this great sport well I lost
0:28
my eyesight in 1988 and uh somebody saw
0:33
me swing a golf club at a blind Sports
0:35
Symposium and uh thought that I would do
0:39
good on the blind golf tour if you will
0:41
and I got in touch with a former coach
0:46
of another blind golfer in Saskatoon and
0:49
we actually started hitting balls in the
0:51
summer of 1990 but I felt at that time I
0:55
just wasn’t quite ready to start
0:57
competitive tournament golf yet so we
1:00
started in 91 and my first tournament I
1:03
finished second and it’s just kind of
1:06
gone from there many many years and a
1:10
lot of tournaments later but always
1:12
striving to get better
1:15
um was golf part of your past time of
1:17
your life before the eyesight uh yes and
1:20
no I would kind of off and on
1:22
sporadically I’d pick it up for a while
1:25
then I’d find something else to do and
1:27
then I’d go back to it but I think uh
1:31
having had sight Once Upon a Time and
1:33
played some golf
1:35
uh definitely helped me out after I lost
1:38
my eyesight I knew what a good swing
1:40
should look like I didn’t always make
1:42
one but I I understand the concept and
1:45
and the fundamentals how it’s supposed
1:48
to be so I guess you know probably a
1:50
stupid question the biggest hurdle
1:52
obviously you can’t see the ball so I
1:53
guess you know how did it get how did
1:55
you get involved with Chris and and how
1:57
did you get so good at this you
1:59
mentioned that you had a good swing
2:00
prior so I mean obviously it just it
2:03
seems so difficult how did you become so
2:05
good at it well it it started out with
2:09
Chris I needed a a guide at uh a
2:14
tournament we provincial tournament we
2:16
had in Weyburn and I asked Chris if he
2:19
would coach another blind golfer and as
2:23
it turned out she was an old girlfriend
2:26
we broke up right before the tournament
2:28
so I needed a coach so I got Chris to
2:32
coach me and I found somebody else for
2:33
the other golfer and uh I can tell you
2:37
we’ve come a long way together and when
2:40
Chris first started he didn’t know the
2:43
difference between a six or a nine iron
2:45
or a wedge or a driver but I got to give
2:48
him a lot of credit he’s one of the best
2:50
in the world at at doing this and uh
2:54
really he’s he’s helped me get better
2:56
and us get better over the years and I
2:59
had to pull him out of retirement once
3:02
already so I’m not letting them go this
3:04
time how difficult was it especially
3:06
when you first started maybe there’s
3:07
more options now maybe there isn’t but
3:09
you know to just to find events for you
3:11
to play in
3:12
it’s I we’d like to think uh it’s it’s
3:16
getting better now it’s easier we’ve got
3:19
blind golf at the provincial level the
3:22
regional level in our Western Canadian
3:25
Association we have blind Gulf Canada
3:28
and we’ve got the international blind
3:31
Golf Association so you can play
3:33
basically blind golf at whatever
3:37
recreational or competitive level you
3:39
want to play at so we are going to get
3:42
to talk about some of the places you
3:43
guys have both been I wanted to bring
3:44
Chris in now just so you know as Jerry
3:46
was just kind of telling us the history
3:48
about you guys what do you you obviously
3:50
have a passion for this and a passion
3:52
you know with Jerry to help him get
3:53
better achieve his goals but what is it
3:55
about you know this tandem for you that
3:57
it brings you to you know the kingdom
3:58
every Friday it’s the competitiveness of
4:01
the sport
4:02
in order for Jerry to do well I have to
4:05
be perfect so I have to give a hundred
4:07
percent every single time I put his club
4:10
Behind the ball and then when he hits a
4:12
good shot I get a rush out of it so the
4:16
competitiveness and and he’s a very
4:18
competitive person uh we’re best friends
4:21
he uh you know we’ve never had an
4:23
argument or a disagreement on the course
4:26
or anywhere else for that matter we just
4:29
relish our friendship and we’re both
4:31
competitive both similar that way
4:33
and uh yeah I just love doing it I mean
4:36
was golf a big part of your life do you
4:39
know did you play it growing up do you
4:40
know a lot about the gamer was he just
4:41
joking when he was fibbing there about
4:43
the six and the nine iron no he’s not
4:45
kidding
4:46
uh the first year I started coaching we
4:49
went to wayburn and then uh a western
4:51
tournament uh and then we went to Japan
4:53
and that was quite an eye-opener but the
4:56
level of uh of competitiveness at a
5:01
blind golf tournament I really got a
5:02
good appreciation for
5:05
well they’re inspiring yeah yeah you
5:07
know I you know to see a blind person go
5:10
out there and do something that most
5:11
sighted people can’t do uh regularly
5:15
it’s inspiring and I love that part of
5:18
it uh I’ll keep doing this as long as he
5:20
needs me to uh I just love the sport
5:22
love the competitiveness and it travels
5:26
nice yeah I saw some amazing places so
5:29
just you know walk us through I do have
5:30
some video of you know you guys um
5:32
practicing here at the Kingdom but kind
5:33
of you know just walk through I guess a
5:35
hole on at an event
5:37
well at an event it starts with getting
5:39
ready for the tournament uh I have to be
5:41
his his eyes if you will his guide I
5:44
mean he’s on my arm from the time he
5:46
wakes up in the morning till the time he
5:47
goes to bed so I have to
5:50
be there for him the whole time it’s not
5:52
just going to the golf course for three
5:53
hours you know it’s it’s everything it’s
5:57
eating getting in a vehicle
6:00
traveling but when we do get to the golf
6:03
course we go to the driving range and
6:05
then I we go to The First Tee Box and uh
6:08
I have to make sure that he’s Square
6:10
he’s lined up
6:12
and the ball position is perfect or he
6:16
doesn’t have a chance of getting the
6:17
ball to go where he wants it to go and
6:19
so far we’ve hit some pretty good
6:21
numbers so it’s working out yeah it
6:24
obviously has worked out Jerry many
6:26
great finishes at a lot of events across
6:28
North America across the world
6:30
um did you ever think that when you
6:32
first you know started this that it was
6:34
going to get to take you to places uh
6:35
you know on unheard of almost
6:39
idea class the fella that
6:42
got his name is Dick Aiken and he’s
6:45
since passed now but we started at the
6:48
regional or the Western level and went
6:52
to tournaments in the four Western
6:54
provinces and as we began to play more
6:58
and I was getting steadily better than
7:02
dick started letting me know about
7:04
certain tournaments that were we went to
7:07
England a couple times and we went to
7:09
Scotland and down into the states and it
7:12
was only after Chris came on board that
7:14
we started going other places like Japan
7:17
and other places in in the UK down in
7:22
the states
7:24
um I haven’t been to South Africa or
7:26
Australia yet I’m not real wild about
7:29
going either place actually just because
7:32
of the travel and the amount of time it
7:35
takes to get there and be away and Chris
7:39
has a wife and kids at home I’m retired
7:42
but it’s still a long time to be on an
7:45
airplane and uh don’t get me wrong I’m
7:47
not complaining when I could see I never
7:51
went anywhere and blind golf has taken
7:54
me places in the world that I never
7:56
thought I would have ever been as a
7:58
governing Organization for amateur golf
8:00
in Saskatchewan we promote the game as
8:02
the greatest social game on earth and
8:04
the health benefits it provides whether
8:06
you walk whether you ride I mean walking
8:08
off it’s a little bit better on for your
8:09
body and whatnot but what has golf done
8:11
for you and the value of your life oh uh
8:15
I can’t even begin to tell you what it’s
8:18
done for me Clark when I lost my
8:20
eyesight you know I was struggling and
8:23
trying to cope and it was actually the
8:25
game of golf that got me back up and no
8:28
pun intended but back into the swing of
8:30
things and you know after hitting golf
8:33
balls out on the driving range at the
8:36
Old Greenbrier golf course I felt 10
8:39
feet tall like I could do anything and
8:42
golf has continued to feed that
8:45
adrenaline to me
8:47
I’ve been able to do so much because of
8:51
golf it blind golf to me is the greatest
8:54
peer support group going out there and
8:58
it just empowers a person and you just
9:02
start to believe that there’s nothing
9:03
that you can’t do it’s it’s really
9:05
changed my life it has been my life
9:08
since I lost my sight in 88 and I always
9:12
said just before I retired that I had to
9:15
work to pay my golf bills so it’s it’s
9:19
done all that you could imagine and more
9:21
do you do you Echo those thoughts
9:23
yourself you know of course you have the
9:24
family back home and now you mentioned
9:26
the travel but to the things that you’ve
9:27
got to you know accomplish and see as
9:30
well through this great game oh for sure
9:32
like I never thought I’d go to you know
9:34
Ireland or Rome or any place like that
9:36
but we don’t do a lot of sightseeing
9:39
when we go to these tournaments it’s
9:40
just on the golf course but it’s just
9:42
knowing that you’re there is nice and
9:43
meeting the new people and uh yeah as
9:47
far as uh putting meaning in my life I’m
9:49
not sure it’s nice just to hang out with
9:51
my best friend and go to these events
9:54
that are extremely competitive and the
9:56
other golfers they’re just amazing
9:58
people you know everyone out there
10:01
they’re all winners they’re all
10:02
competitors they don’t ever complain
10:05
about their loss of vision you know
10:08
they’re talking about the 400 yard drive
10:11
or the the eight foot pot that or 20
10:13
eight foot path that they sunk that day
10:15
they’re just regular golfers and it’s
10:17
amazing to be part of it yeah a guy like
10:19
me we’d all dream of hitting it that far
10:21
sinking a 28 foot putt for sure later in
10:24
March you guys are going down to to
10:25
Georgia not Augusta but you’re going to
10:28
be down to Georgia to play in the U.S
10:30
blind open blind Golf Open Championship
10:32
I believe it as you said it’s not the
10:34
biggest event you’ve played in but you
10:35
got to be looking forward to this one
10:36
hey oh very much so uh I I’ve never won
10:39
the U.S open and that’s a trophy I would
10:42
like to bring home I wish we were going
10:45
to Augusta but uh this tournament is
10:48
going to be held in Columbus Georgia
10:50
which is about an hour out of Atlanta
10:52
and um I was at a tournament down there
10:56
before and it was just one of those
10:57
places Clark that I said if they ever
11:00
have a tournament here again I’m coming
11:02
it’s just a beautiful part of Georgia
11:05
the hospitality is Second To None the
11:09
golf course is just a diamond it’s a
11:12
great place to go and start the season
11:15
off a little bit early for sure so
11:17
you’ve been working here a lot over the
11:19
winter at the kingdom is his game ready
11:21
to go can can Jerry win it this year
11:23
with your help oh yeah Jerry’s uh
11:25
extremely competitive this year more so
11:27
than even last year and and well I don’t
11:30
think we lost a tournament in the last
11:31
few years but he’s uh he’s more than
11:34
ready uh we had some help from a good
11:37
friend of ours uh helped us change our
11:39
clubs
11:40
so we’re improving every day I’ve
11:43
changed the ball
11:44
to match our swing speed I mean just
11:46
lots of little things and uh yeah and we
11:50
never get tired of working on the game I
11:52
mean that’s every golfer’s aspiration I
11:55
think yeah even Tiger Woods has a coach
11:57
uh guys thanks for uh doing this sitting
11:59
down today was great to learn more about
12:01
you coming up and meeting in person and
12:03
from golf Saskatchewan congratulations
12:05
on all the success probably Hall of Fame
12:07
career eventually down the line and even
12:09
in you know in the golf Saskatchewan
12:11
Hall of Fame I think your name will come
12:12
up eventually good luck down in Columbus
12:14
Georgia to both of you thanks for coming
12:15
up Clark we appreciate it thank you