Torbjörn Svensson – Deaf, blind and a golfer

Imagine the beautiful sight of how the club head meets the ball, which flies off in a powerful arch into a deep blue summer sky. That’s something Torbjörn Svensson has never seen, because he’s blind.

Imagine that satisfaction you feel when you hit the ball and the club emits that magical sound telling you the shot was absolutely perfect. That’s something Torbjörn Svensson has never heard, because he’s deaf.

Picture yourself standing over the ball, knowing you have perfect control and balance. That’s something Torbjörn Svensson has never experienced, because his balance is poor and he can stumble on uneven surfaces.

And yet he loves golf.

“When I tried it I knew straight away that this is just so much fun. I think what triggered it most was actually succeeding at something I shouldn’t be able to do.”

It’s as unlikely as a romantic infatuation which appears to be reciprocated. Despite his limitations, Torbjörn now shoots below a 30 handicap just two years after picking up a golf club for the very first time.

Eight years ago Torbjörn Svensson was working as a lorry driver and in his spare time he rode motorcycles. He loved the freedom he felt out on the roads and, despite a hearing impairment he’d had since birth, he had a good life. But one day he noticed something wasn’t quite right with one of his eyes and his condition deteriorated quickly. His visual field shrank, the problem escalated and before long his other eye was also affected. After a while he was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome – a combined and very rare vision and hearing impairment.

“From having lived a free and active life, I became completely isolated within myself. I now have 5% vision in my right eye. So basically I can only tell whether it’s dark or light”, he explains.

And he has no problem explaining at all.

In fact, his speech is absolutely perfect and he talks freely about his experiences of losing his vision and hearing. But in order to communicate, he’s helped by two sign language interpreters, who take turns drawing the questions on his hands and describing reactions and facial expressions by drawing on his back. The interpreters are obviously his main gateway to the outside world and indispensable for breaking the isolation, but they’re not a given in his life.

“The biggest shock for me was when I got an insight into what the society we live in looks like. The support that I thought would be there wasn’t. Today I’m entitled to 24 hours’ accompaniment every month, so I spend a lot of time alone”, says Torbjörn Svensson.

A few years ago he wanted to make the public aware of the situation he, and other differently-abled people, find themselves in. So to raise awareness he staged two improbable challenges. In 2018 he paddled a kayak over the Sound from Helsingborg to Helsingør. And in 2019 he rode a tandem bike from Treriksröset to Smygehuk.

“The motivation behind it is to show that everybody has the same value, this should be totally pervasive in society. This is how I want to draw attention to these issues”, he says.

This summer it’s time for the next challenge. With the focus on golf.

Do you want to try golf?

The email with the question came from the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired and since the COVID-19 pandemic had paralysed so many parts of the outside world, Torbjörn Svensson couldn’t find any reason to decline.

He felt straight away that it was a positive experience.

“I was slightly shocked that I even hit the ball. So when I was asked at a later date whether I wanted to get my ‘green card’ I jumped at the chance. And once I’d played a few times it was as if it all clicked into place in my head. That triggered me to try something that difficult”, he says.

What is it about golf that’s so much fun?

“It’s such an enjoyable sport. The feeling of being outdoors combined with the challenge of hitting the ball. It’s so satisfying to get a good connection and when the interpreter shows me where the ball has landed.”

He’s taking lessons from experienced pro Johanna Pyk-Jargård at Mölle Golf Club. Although she’s been teaching for so many years, working with Torbjörn is unlike anything she’s ever done.

“It’s such a huge challenge, but also some of the most enjoyable work I’ve done. If there’s anything he doesn’t really understand he can touch my hip or my leg and feel what I’m doing. He’s so incredibly skilful at absorbing the information”, she says.

Golf is now going to lead Torbjörn Svensson into a new challenge. This summer he’s planning to play 18 different Sweden courses in 20 days, working his way from Stockholm to Malmö.

“I’m really looking forward to this. Above all, the chance to meet so many people. But also to play on some new courses.”