Welcome to the Ohio Blind Golf Site
Home of the 2023 Memorial
The Match play Championships of American Blind Golf
Posted Thursday, August 10, 2023
The Memorial Matchplay Championship has concluded and it was an incredible success. Four champions were crowned and thousands of dollars were raised in support of the tournament's charities! A detailed summary will be posted soon. For now, we have posted media links from the tournament, photos from the charity scramble and a few photos from the Award's Dinner.
Media Links from the 2023 Tournament
Wadsworth Radio June 22 WTAM 1100 Radio June 26 WCTV Pine Valley GC June 27 Wadsworth Radio June 30 |
Photos from the Award's Dinner
The picture on the left honors Bill Saathoff who was instrumental in bringing the first Blind Golf Championship to Wadsworth in 2003. Mayor Laubaugh presented Bill with a formal proclamation from the City in recognition of his dedication to the charities of American Blind Golf. The picture on the right features Nate Cline as he receives the 2023 American Blind Golf Coach of the Year Award. Jason Hogan, the 2022 winner, along with Brian Oglesbee presented the trophy.
The link below will take you to a video of Jamie Steiner, Mark Arnold's daughter, who sang the Canadian National Anthem before dinner. Jamie sang the anthem back in 2008 when the tournament took place at Westfield Country Club. The video may take a couple minutes to load...
Saluting our Champions
In the finals of the B1 Sight Category, Brian Oglesbee and his coach Jason Hogan defeated Jack Hansen and his coach Russ Hansen 3 & 1.
In the finals of the B2 Sight Category, Bruce Hooper and his coach Judy Hooper defeated Britton Munoz and his coach John Ambrose 7 & 6.
In the finals of the B3 Sight Category, JoJo McCarron and his coach Steph Forrer defeated Kevin McBride and his coach Liz Tibando 2 & 1.
The Memorial Matchplay Committee would like to express their sincere appreciation to Tom Stugmyer for taking the photos of our 2023Champions. The Committee would also like to thank Mayor Robin Laubaugh for taking the time to attend the Award's Dinner.
Photos from the "Fore" the Warrior Blind Golf Charity Scramble
During the scramble, teams had the opportunity to hit from the short tees on hole #8. Each player had to wear an antique dress during the shot. The links below will take you to the team photo for each player/coach & sponsor. Photos are still being submitted and will be added soon Enjoy...
Mark Arnold Team Nutter Family
David Burnett Team Fox Construction
Jerry de Wever Team Lubecore LLC
Kevin McBride Team Premier GMC
JoJo McCarron Team B&K Construction
Britton Munoz Team Wadsworth VFW
John Naples Team Fox Construction
Team Wadsworth American Legion
Special Thanks to all our Loyal Sponsors in 2023!
Galaxy Restaurant Comfort Inn & Suites Wadsworth Premier GMC House of LaRose C.J. Dannemiller Company Wadsworth Sons of American Legion |
Blue Heron Wadsworth American Legion Water Main Grill Pine Valley Golf Club Wounded Warrior Project |
Links of Interest
|
Our Mission Statement Through our unique talents as blind/visually impaired golfers We strive to "Motivate, Inspire & Serve" all those who deal with the loss of sight
We are an official sanctioned tournament of
Thank you for visiting the home of inclusive blind/visually impaired golf in Ohio. This page, as all of the pages of the site, have been constructed through the use of assistive technology. We hope the site is accessible to those who depend on magnification and screen-reading software, while still remaining appealing to the general surfing public. |
To view a summary of past events visit
In the spring of 2006 Denny lost his two year battle with cancer. In his memory, the members of the Rittman Lions, along with the Blind Golfers, decided to honor him by naming the tournament the McCulloch Memorial Match Play Championships. In 2010 we hosted the Ryder Cup of Blind/Visually Impaired Golf, The McCulloch Cup. We returned to the match play format in 2011 and permanently renamed the tournament the "Memorial." We look forward to hosting the Match Play championships for years to come! |
|
Following a chance meeting between Tournament Director Mark Arnold and SGT Deven Schei and SGT Stetson Elliott during the 2011 American Blind Golf National Championship in San Antonio, these two inspiring men have become integral parts of the McCulloch Memorial. They are responsible for our partnership with Wounded Warrior Project. Our sincere hope is that they will continue to attend our event for years to come.
Thank you again my adopted sons,
Mark Arnold
SGT Schei & SGT Elliott |
The picture on the
left was taken at Ridge Top Golf Course prior to the start of
the 2012 Championship. Tournament Director Mark Arnold & Roger Cline wanted Schei
& Elliott to play Ridge Top, the host of the very first Match Play
Championship in 2005. Having their pictures taken in front of Bill
Arnold's monument was extra special. SGT Arnold, Mark's father,
was a WW II veteran that landed on the beaches of Normandy on the third
day of the invasion.
A great time was had by all! |
Scholarships & Donations to Date
As we begin
the 2023 tournament, 70 Adaptive Technology Scholarships have
been awarded! Numerous other charities have
benefitted, and will continue to benefit
through the
support of all American Blind Golf's incredible sponsors. They
include: Wounded Warrior Project, The Foundation Fighting Blindness, EOD
Warrior Foundation, Building Homes for Heroes, The Greater Cleveland
Fisher House, Local American Legion/VFW
Initiatives and other sight related causes. We are very pleased to
announce that our total charitable contributions are now over the $350,000 mark since the inception of the tournament! Pictured
below are Mary Krumwiede & Austin Erne with Lion Dave Simpson They were the initial
recipients in 2005
A Very Special
Presentation
The picture on
the left shows Bruce Hooper from San Antonio, Texas (on the left)
and Rittman Lion Todd Mohler (on the right) as they presented the
donation check to Joe Tait, long time radio voice of the Cleveland
Cavaliers and close friend of Mr. Gordon Gund. The picture on
the right was taken at Westfield Country Club during the 2007 event.
From left to right are coach Steve Donaldson, player Brian MacLeod
from Canada, Mr. Gordon Gund and tournament director Mark Arnold.
It was an honor to personally meet Mr. Gund the founder and CEO of
the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
A Special
Contribution
In 2008
Nathaniel Brantley was in desperate need of experimental iris
replacement surgery that was not covered by his family's insurance.
The members of the Blind Golf Association, along with the Rittman
Lions, donated $2,500 to be used towards the surgery. Special
thanks to the late Blind Golfer Dennis Smith and his wife Linda for
their contribution in this regard. They were the winners of the
50/50 Raffle at the Awards Ceremony and donated all $500 to the
family. Their demonstration of true Lionism will never be
forgotten!
Posted Thursday, August 10, 2023
|