Blind Golf Rules

(with effect from January 2025)

Blind Golf is played strictly to the Rules of Golf produced by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and United States Golf Association (USGA). These Rules include Rule 25 - Modifications for Players with Disabilities. Rule 25.1 gives an overview, with Rule 25.2 setting out the modifications for players who are blind.

Each blind golfer (which includes certain levels of vision impairment) is assisted by a sighted aide (called a guide or coach) who describes the hole, helps with club selection, aligns the golfer and ensures that the club head is directly behind the ball. From then on, it's down to the blind golfers' swing. Under the Rules of Golf an aide has the same status as a caddie.

Rule 25.2 allows a blind player to be assisted by both an aide and a caddie at the same time (if the aide cannot perform the duties of a caddie). It also allows the aide to help the player with lifting, dropping, placing and replacing a ball, and allows the aide to stand on the line of the shot (without penalty) while the shot is played.

Rule 25.2 also allows blind golfers to ground their club in a bunker prior to playing a shot.

There are three categories of blind golfer determined by the individual's level of sight, namely B1 (totally blind), B2 and B3 (vision impaired).

For sight classification purposes, players will have their eyesight tested by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The IBGA sight classification form can be downloaded from this site.