TO THE uninitiated, blind golf sounds like an impossibility: how can a sport that relies on sharp eyesight be open to those who are visually impaired?
But at the World Blind Golf Championships, which ended yesterday at Belvoir Park Golf Club in Belfast, more than 50 international competitors - including current world champions Jenny McCallum from Australia and Simon Cookson from England, as well as the world's oldest blind golfer, Jim Watt from Scotland, aged 92 - proved the doubters wrong.
And they don't demand any special treatment either. Blind golfers pride themselves that they play almost entirely within the traditional "Royal and Ancient Rules of Golf".
The only major difference is that they are assisted by a sighted guide who provides the necessary information about the characteristics of each hole and, most importantly, positions the club for the shot. After that, the golfer is on his or her own.
Blind golfers are divided into three categories: B3 players have the most vision; B2 players occupy the middle ground; while the B1 category includes players who are entirely blind.
Jan Dinsdale, from Comber in Co Down, is one of the most colourful figures in the sport, and she is widely acknowledged as a key influence in bringing the championships to Northern Ireland.
Currently ranked third in the world, top European lady and US Open champion, Jan is matter-of-fact about her disability - and her talent.
"I see myself as able-bodied with no sight; a golfer, not a blind golfer," she says. "It's simple: just point me towards a hole and position the club head - that's all you need to do. I'm using your eyes, but it's not painful!"
During the Canadian Open Tournament in 2004, Dinsdale scored the first hole-in-one recorded by a blind golfer, on the 115-yard second hole at Shannon Lake Golf Club in British Columbia.
Competitor Bob Andrews, from the US, who lost his sight while serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam in 1967, has been playing blind golf since 1970.
"It takes some practice, but it's actually one of the better sports for the blind, because the ball is not in motion. You really just take a swing and the ball gets in the way," he says.
Not surprisingly, the relationship with their guide is paramount for blind golfers. "It takes time to build that partnership, and the main ingredient is trust," says Dinsdale.
Several competitors are caddied by their spouses: ladies world champion Jenny McCallum's guide is her husband Ian ("It's a good test of your marriage," she laughs) while Pieta le Roux, from South Africa, is guided by his wife Elmarie.
Meanwhile Jimmy Murray, a member of the Irish Blind Golf Society, is guided by his friend Fergus Sealy. "We drink the same drink - Beamish - and that helps."
Keith Harper, captain of Belvoir Park Golf Club, says he has tremendous admiration for the blind golfers. "As part of a fun day last Sunday, I was offered the chance to put on a blindfold and hit a golf ball. Let's just say it was a humbling experience."