Danny Dowdy loves the feel of a sweet swing and the sight of crushing a drive straight, and the smell of the outdoors on area golf courses.
But he can’t hear the sound of titanium colliding with a Titleist. Dowdy is deaf.
The recreational golfer once carried an 8 handicap, but his current GHIN card lists his handicap as 11.1 — and doesn’t include his physical handicap.
Dowdy is a regular on the Tennessee Deaf Golf Association tour, which will have an event at Moccasin Bend on July 10. He’ll play in nine other TDGA events this summer.
“I missed the last two tournaments due to my bad health and bad toe and a nasty cut on my middle finger,” Dowdy wrote on a notepad. “I’ll miss another one due to my parents’ 50th anniversary.”
Dowdy, 48, spent time Tuesday at Moccasin Bend working on his swing.
“I play mostly at Brainerd and Brown Acres,” he wrote. “I’m still working part-time as a course attendant at Brown Acres. On my days off, I practice here and there.”