Legally Blind Lance Clay Aces Golf Course
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
WINONA LAKE -ÊMany golfers wish to have a single hole-in-one in a lifetime, but Lance Clay has had four. However, Clay's hole-in-one on the sixth hole at Raccoon Run last Tuesday is a bit out of the ordinary.
Since 1990, Clay, 43, has been completely blind in his left eye and has 20/200 vision in his right, due to complications from diabetes. He takes more than 15 pills per day to keep his body from rejecting the kidney he received in a transplant in 1994.
After he went blind, Clay lived on his own for a year and a half in Fort Wayne until his doctor told him he needed to begin kidney dialysis.
"I did not want to be a burden to my dad or my sister," said Clay. "They offered to help take care of me, but I decided to go to a nursing home instead."
Clay moved into Miller's Merry Manor, where he lived for five years until Medicaid told him he was doing too well. In 1996, Clay moved into his own apartment in Warsaw, where he now lives independently.
While in Miller's Merry Manor, Clay underwent dialysis three days a week until August 1994, when he learned he would receive a transplant.
"On Wednesday, August 17, I had just come back from dialysis when a person from the IU Med Center called to tell me that they had a kidney for me," said Clay. "I cried like a baby because I knew I was going to be able to get off dialysis and get out of the nursing home."
Although Clay had played golf for 20 years, he stopped playing in 1989 when he started to lose his sight. He never played while he was in the nursing home, and he never planned to play golf again.
"I knew I'd never be able to play at the level I had once been," said Clay.
But in the summer of 1997, Clay's friend Denny Hepler, the owner of Raccoon Run Golf Course, persuaded him to play again.
"Denny had always encouraged me to start playing again," said Clay, "but I had reservations. I didn't want to play if I couldn't play well. I have to give a lot of credit to Denny. He has always been a great source of encouragement for me."
But the question remains: How can Clay play golf if he is blind?
"If the flag is moving in the wind, I can see it and hit toward it," said Clay. "But once I hit the ball, it's gone. I can't play by myself because I can't find my ball. I have played enough to know what direction to hit the ball, but I can't see it after it leaves the tee.
"That's why I get holes-in-one. Then I don't have to mess with putting."
Now Clay plays 18 holes of golf per day at Raccoon Run Golf Course, and occasionally plays other courses. He usually sticks to Raccoon Run because he knows the course, and the longest hole is 348 yards.
"I can't hit the ball like I used to," said Clay. "I can reach the green in two strokes here (Raccoon Run) and have a chance to birdie every hole. Once the holes get closer to 400 yards, I don't do as well." [[In-content Ad]]
WINONA LAKE -ÊMany golfers wish to have a single hole-in-one in a lifetime, but Lance Clay has had four. However, Clay's hole-in-one on the sixth hole at Raccoon Run last Tuesday is a bit out of the ordinary.
Since 1990, Clay, 43, has been completely blind in his left eye and has 20/200 vision in his right, due to complications from diabetes. He takes more than 15 pills per day to keep his body from rejecting the kidney he received in a transplant in 1994.
After he went blind, Clay lived on his own for a year and a half in Fort Wayne until his doctor told him he needed to begin kidney dialysis.
"I did not want to be a burden to my dad or my sister," said Clay. "They offered to help take care of me, but I decided to go to a nursing home instead."
Clay moved into Miller's Merry Manor, where he lived for five years until Medicaid told him he was doing too well. In 1996, Clay moved into his own apartment in Warsaw, where he now lives independently.
While in Miller's Merry Manor, Clay underwent dialysis three days a week until August 1994, when he learned he would receive a transplant.
"On Wednesday, August 17, I had just come back from dialysis when a person from the IU Med Center called to tell me that they had a kidney for me," said Clay. "I cried like a baby because I knew I was going to be able to get off dialysis and get out of the nursing home."
Although Clay had played golf for 20 years, he stopped playing in 1989 when he started to lose his sight. He never played while he was in the nursing home, and he never planned to play golf again.
"I knew I'd never be able to play at the level I had once been," said Clay.
But in the summer of 1997, Clay's friend Denny Hepler, the owner of Raccoon Run Golf Course, persuaded him to play again.
"Denny had always encouraged me to start playing again," said Clay, "but I had reservations. I didn't want to play if I couldn't play well. I have to give a lot of credit to Denny. He has always been a great source of encouragement for me."
But the question remains: How can Clay play golf if he is blind?
"If the flag is moving in the wind, I can see it and hit toward it," said Clay. "But once I hit the ball, it's gone. I can't play by myself because I can't find my ball. I have played enough to know what direction to hit the ball, but I can't see it after it leaves the tee.
"That's why I get holes-in-one. Then I don't have to mess with putting."
Now Clay plays 18 holes of golf per day at Raccoon Run Golf Course, and occasionally plays other courses. He usually sticks to Raccoon Run because he knows the course, and the longest hole is 348 yards.
"I can't hit the ball like I used to," said Clay. "I can reach the green in two strokes here (Raccoon Run) and have a chance to birdie every hole. Once the holes get closer to 400 yards, I don't do as well." [[In-content Ad]]