GOLETA, Calif.—Students and coaches from Santa Barbara City College stepped onto the golf course this week for a lesson that went far beyond learning the game itself.
At Glen Annie Golf Club, students participated in a hands-on adaptive golf training focused on learning how to guide athletes who are blind or visually impaired.
The event introduced students to the role of sighted guides in adaptive golf — helping golfers line up shots, navigate the course, understand distances, and build confidence during play.
“I like just seeing the world in a different way with different experiences,” said SBCC student Brenda Martinez. “And I think it’s so beautiful.”
According to SBCC Adaptive P.E. Instructor Kelly Clark, the training was designed to help students better understand accessibility and communication.
“We put it out to any of the students that want to come out and have an experience what it’s like to guide somebody,” Clark said. “It just opens up their awareness of how we all experience the world different, and we’re all capable of doing the same thing. Sometimes it’s just a little different approach.”
Organizers said sighted guides play a critical role in adaptive golf, often acting as the golfer’s eyes throughout the round.
Robert Kotowski, a PGA golf professional instructor involved in the training, said communication and repetition are key.
“Your feedback and your verbal cues are going to be enormous,” Kotowski told students during the lesson.
Throughout the training, students practiced giving detailed instructions and learning how to communicate movement clearly.
“One of the biggest things is being descriptive,” one student explained. “Instead of saying ‘turn around,’ it’s more like ‘take three steps diagonally.’”
Blind golfer Adelaide Ortega said the training also helps educate people on how to properly assist visually impaired athletes.
“A lot of people don’t know,” Ortega said. “What they do is they’ll grab us and pull us, and we don’t like to be pulled. So she will take my arm and I will walk a step behind her.”
Students rotated through different guide techniques throughout the day, learning how to build trust and create strong communication with golfers on the course.
“She’s willing to learn about my world, what my world is like not being able to see,” Ortega said. “So I think that’s a really good thing.”
Martinez said the experience also changed the way she communicates and listens.
“I have learned to listen more carefully,” she said.
Organizers hope programs like this will continue to grow adaptive golf opportunities while encouraging more students and volunteers to get involved in making sports accessible to everyone.
The program plans to continue training future volunteers and students to support visually impaired golfers across the region.
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