An ex-doctor who did not realise she was losing her eyesight until she crashed her car is now Europe’s top female blind golfer and is determined to use her position to help open up the game to a new diverse generation of players through American Golf.

Mandi Large, 51, who lives in Manchester with her husband, John, 53, crashed her car pulling out in front of another car she could not see around a corner in 2003 – at that point, she just assumed she needed glasses.

The mum-of-three to Jake, 26, Sam, 23, and Emily, 21, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa – an eye disease which makes cells in the retina break down slowly over time, causing vision loss – in 2004, and struggled to see peripherally and at night.

She then began carrying out home visits on her bicycle for her job as a GP in 2007, but became medically retired around seven years later, at age 41, as her condition worsened.

She felt like she had no purpose after having to leave her job, but claims sport changed that, becoming involved in blind tennis and blind cricket.

In 2022 she was on the hunt for a sport she could play with both non-sighted and sighted people, and discovered blind golf.

Within two years, Mandi became Europe’s top female blind golfer, playing in the British Blind Golf Open, and then playing for England against Scotland.

Mandi has also become a “game changer” for American Golf, the UK’s leading golf retailer, and is committed to raising awareness about the accessibility of golf for people with sight loss, and other underrepresented communities in the game.

She is now set to compete in the Vision Cup – a competition that matches the top players from The Americas against the top players from the rest of the world – in July.

Mandi told PA Real Life: “(When I was diagnosed) it was like the bottom of my world had fallen out, because although I was a medic, you just don’t think something like that is going to happen to you.

“(I had) quite a big fear of the future and what we were going to do because our children were only very young at that time.

“I didn’t know anyone with the condition apart from patients and that was just not the same.

“I didn’t want to be a burden on my husband and my family either.

“It took a long time to accept (my diagnosis) and I think that’s one of the biggest struggles people have with sight loss – is the fear of losing sight and (I’m) absolutely terrified of the dark as it is.”

Mandi’s eyesight began to deteriorate in 2003 – at the time, she was a GP and “just assumed” she needed glasses.

She said: “I pulled out in front of another car, and I wasn’t aware of the car coming.

“So there’s a lack of awareness of sight loss initially, because you don’t know what you can’t see.

“I stopped driving and did my home visits on a bicycle, which wasn’t very safe.”

Around a year after her initial car crash, at age 32, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and was told the devastating news that she could one day lose her sight completely.

Over time, Mandi lost her peripheral vision and struggled to see at night, and at age 41 she became medically retired.

“It was very hard, it had quite an impact on my mental health and my sense of purpose in life, but sport changed that,” she said.

Mandi soon began playing blind cricket and blind tennis, and ended up meeting a lot of people with different sight loss conditions.

Through this, she was able to see the support others received from their loved ones and began to realise her condition was “not a barrier” to having a fulfilling life.

Mandi explained what her sight is like now, saying: “So if you imagine what you can see behind your head – it’s not a black hole, you just can’t see what’s behind you.

“It’s that same feeling – you just can’t see what’s not there and the brain is very clever so… my brain fills the gaps.

“Like, I can see the table, but I won’t see the glasses (on the edge) so I’ll often wipe and knock glasses on the floor.”

Despite coming from a family of avid golfers, Mandi only picked up the sport two years ago as she wanted an activity she could do with both sighted and non-sighted people.

She soon realised she loved the sport, and, in 2023, she attended a Give it a Go day run by England and Wales blind golf.

She explained how the game works at a professional level, saying: “The R and A (the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) have incorporated rules that the only difference is that you can ground your club in a bunker.

“And the other difference, which is the massive part for us, is needing a guide – they line things up, point us in the right direction, and most importantly, describe things.”

To Mandi’s surprise, she was selected to play for England against Scotland in the Auld Enemies Cup, and also played as an individual in the British Open.

Her scores from the British Open and all other tournaments then went onto the international database, and through that, she has become Europe’s number one female blind golfer.

“I was just astonished, I couldn’t believe it,” Mandi said.

She is now preparing for the Vision Cup – an International Blind Golf Association competition that matches the top players from The Americas against the top players from the rest of the world – which will take place in July this year.

Mandi said: “I am delighted to have made the team already… I’m currently European woman number one but my goal is to one day be world number one – I better keep training!”

Mandi has also become a “game changer” for American Golf, the UK’s leading golf retailer, and is committed to raising awareness about the accessibility of golf for people with sight loss.

“A lot of people who have lost their sight later in life don’t realise they could still play,” Mandi said.

“The campaign has been encouraging everyone, from all walks of life – it’s trying to break the barriers of a traditional sport.

“It’s challenging the preconceptions about what golf was and celebrating today’s new generation of golfing trailblazers.

“The aims are to ensure golf courses reflect that inclusivity and diversity that is so widespread in society today.

“It’s also about encouraging everyone to take part in golf and enjoy it – it’s transformed my life physically and mentally and helped me learn how to overcome adversity.”

For more information, visit: www.americangolf.co.uk/game-changers.html.