Billy McAllister: Blind golfer recalls his journey in the sport after losing his sight overnight

One morning in 2009, Billy McAllister’s life changed forever.

Diabetic retinopathy meant his retinas had fallen off in his sleep and, in an instant, he had become totally blind.

On top of that trauma, three months later he had lost his job, his home and was in the middle of a divorce.

But now, more than 15 years on, McAllister is one of the top five best blind golfers in the world and is preparing for the British Blind Masters next month in Southampton.

“I didn’t understand how to be a blind person,” McAllister told BBC Radio Leicester.

“I was going through depression and I was 40 years of age at the time – ‘what am I going to do for whatever left I’ve got in this world?’

“I had to relocate, I ended up getting divorced, I was homeless for a while – my two important things were: I need to be stimulated and I need to get back into employment.

“How does someone who is blind get into employment? Being disabled, it’s really hard to get a job and I’ve mostly just worked in finance.”

An avid Liverpool supporter, McAllister had been a season ticket holder at Anfield but said his blindness meant he had to give up going to matches.

“I lost all my credits because I couldn’t go,” he explained.

“So I thought, ‘OK, football’s my first passion but I always watched golf sighted’ – I’d never played golf before though.

“As a blind person, I can see the logic and the feasibility in playing golf when the ball doesn’t move.

“So, I thought it would probably be quite easy, not knowing the technicalities of golf, which I went on to find out how difficult it would be.”