Blind golfer sees faith on the fairway
WINNIPEG, MB—For champion blind golfer Victor Goetz, the parallels between the Christian faith and golf are obvious. In golf, just as in life, there are hazards. If you go into the hazards, you pay a price.
But unlike golf, God can step into our lives and rescue us from the hazards and take our penalties away with His grace.
"There is no penalty," Goetz says. "God puts us back on the fairway."
In spite of the fact that he was born with only five per cent of his vision, Goetz is a nationally-ranked blind golfer whose participation in tournaments has taken him to each Canadian province five or six times.
In 2011, he finished first in his division in Manitoba, second in Western Canada and seventh in Canada. This summer, Goetz will participate in four competitions, including the World Blind Golf Championship in Truro, Nova Scotia.
"It's something I like to do," says the 62-year-old, who attends North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church. "I like getting out, meeting different people, enjoying the fellowship and enjoying nature."
Doctors have never been able to determine the exact cause of Goetz's visual impairment, but it hasn't stopped him from pursuing his passions. He represented Canada in the 1976 Paralympic Games, which holds events for blind, wheelchair and amputee athletes. He brought home gold in lawn bowling and silver in the 1,500-metre walk.
Goetz began golfing in his early 20s and competed in his first tournament in 1988. He has a handicap of 31 and typically finishes a game in 105 strokes.
Over the past year, he has been working with a coach, Juergen Werner, to help improve his game. Werner used to coach golf at the high school level and has known Goetz for a number of years.
Werner says he appreciates Goetz's sense of humour, and recalls what Goetz said at a tournament last year when an opponent made a bad shot. Goetz good-naturedly asked the man, "What's the matter—are you blind?" Everyone laughed.
"He's a very easy-going and fun-loving guy, and he's passionate about golf," Werner says of Goetz. "We love to have fun together. It's not only serious golf, it's not only practice, practice, practice, it's about having fun together and joking around with each other."
Goetz is looking forward to competing in tournaments this summer, and is currently looking for sponsors to help cover his costs. There is no prize money at the tournaments, and participants need to pay their own way.
Goetz likes to joke around but he is serious about his faith. He says being visually impaired gives him a unique perspective on Bible verses like "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness," from John 12:46. While he can get around fairly easily during the daytime when it's light out, he needs help getting around at night.
"Being a Christian, that's how I see God's love for all of us," he says. "If you're in the dark, you need help to get out of the darkness."
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