John Eakin: “Golf for the visually impaired is a team game…”
John Eakin understands the value of teamwork, saying: “Golf for the visually impaired is very much a team game, I couldn’t do this without my ‘guide’, Christopher Vaughan, who has guided me around the course for 13 years.”
John also cites family members, and friends at Royal Ashdown Forest GC in East Sussex, who have been his guides for regular rounds of golf in order that he can continue to play the game he has enjoyed since boyhood.
“I was about seven years old when I first tried golf, taught by my father in Malaysia where we lived. Father worked there after the war,” John tells us. “I was born in Malacca. I can remember one Christmas there he let me swing a club on a course and I’ve loved the game ever since.”
This warm-hearted and articulate Englishman was later schooled in Somerset before embarking on a career as a reinsurance broker in London.
John’s problems with his eyesight started to arrive suddenly around 20 years ago, in a form of Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). However, John was determined to adapt and carry on with life, to live well in fact, and importantly, strive to keep playing the game.
This he has done through a relaxed focus on appreciating every facet of golf, not least its eternal challenges. The safe haven of Royal Ashdown Forest GC is important, as a welcoming club can be a major boost for a person with visual impairment, where the trust of familiar members and staff creates a comfortable environment in which to concentrate on golf and enjoying life.
Informal matches with friends are a favourite, while trusting a loyal guide in Christopher has enabled John to play many club and regional competitions in recent years, and John still plays to a high standard with a Handicap Index of 10.5 at the time of writing.
The 66-year-old adds: “The game is about enjoyment, health and great friendships. Golf, I feel, has always helped with stress. I mainly play foursomes at Royal Ashdown, which is ideal for those with poor sight. It is a very friendly club.”
When we spoke with John he was preparing to play in his third G4D Open at Woburn (May 15-17, 2025), a leading championship for golfers with a disability, staged by The R&A in partnership with the DP World Tour, supported by EDGA.
The prestigious championship this year would feature 80 men and women from 20 countries who have all strived to qualify via the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).
John was about to take his place in the much-awaited contest across nine sport classes on the Duchess Course, as golfers with physical, neurological, sensorial and intellectual impairments were to be welcomed from as far afield as Canada, USA, Australia and Japan. The East Sussex representative was returning to defend his title in sport class ‘Visual 2’ from 2024, although he had been typically modest about this achievement.
John did concede however that The G4D Open has helped keep him playing to his best standard. He sums up his experiences in the championships so far: “They are great fun, a very challenging course. My challenge in the run-up this time has been time to practise well, and when I’m at Woburn the key will be maintaining my concentration on the course, which can be an issue.
“Last year it was very evident that Woburn and neighbouring clubs put in massive support with their offer of volunteers, making this a very special event.”
Wishing John well for this championship and the rest of the season, we closed by asking him what he loves about golf?
“That would definitely be the friendships,” he replies, “and playing on some wonderful courses worldwide.”
John knew he would be experiencing a wonderful course at Woburn. Many friends have been made through golf, he says, and among the highs and lows of this championship, lasting friendships are par for the course.
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