Vision can’t limit Joy of golf

Editor’s note: This story was written by staff members of The Independent, Clark College’s campus newspaper, as part of a collaboration with The Columbian called Voices From Clark College. It is also being published by The Independent at clarkcollegeindependent.com.

Landon Joy pulls out his golf ball, places it on a tee at Broadmoor Golf Course and takes a few practice swings. Seconds later, the ball sails down the right side of the fairway.

But to him, it has disappeared entirely.

“I can tell by the feel if it’s gonna fade or draw,” Joy said while playing a practice round May 8. “Sometimes I’ll hit it and it’s like, ‘I don’t know where that’s going.’ “

Joy, 18, has eye disorders called cone/rod dystrophy and nystagmus, and is partially color blind. Despite playing golf with his eye condition, the senior was named 2A Greater St. Helens League First Team All-League and accepted a scholarship offer to Corban University, a Christian college in Salem, Ore., for this fall.

A talented golfer at Hudson’s Bay High School and a former Running Start student at Clark College, Joy will play in the WIAA Class 2A state tournament Wednesday and Thursday in Spokane.

To the surprise of his doctors, Joy’s vision has not worsened since he was a child.

In fact, it has gotten better.

As a boy, Joy had 20/100 vision and now has uncorrected 20/80 and corrected 20/60 vision. At 20/100 vision, you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.)

Dystrophy means that his vision is supposed to deteriorate over time. The keywords are “supposed to.”

“The docs keep saying, ‘Keep doing whatever you’re doing because it’s not textbook,’ ” Landon’s father Greg Joy said.

For a person with an eye condition, golf is one of the most difficult sports to play due to the distance. Cone/rod dystrophy, which he was diagnosed with at 1, causes vision impairment due to the loss of cone and rod cells. Nystagmus, otherwise known as “dancing eyes,” is a condition of involuntary eye movement that can cause limited vision, according to the American Optometric Association.

“It’s a stationary white ball on a green surface,” Greg said. “That’s high contrast. Once it leaves, it’s gone and he doesn’t know exactly where it went.”

Greg caddies for Landon whenever he can and tells him where the ball goes.

In an Oregon tournament where Landon wasn’t allowed a caddy or help from his parents, Greg said he was stressed. “He’d be walking on the right side of the fairway looking for a ball and you clearly know it’s on the left.”

Growing up, Landon said he was equally skilled at golf and soccer. That changed when he had a good freshman year of golf at Hudson’s Bay and decided to pursue it full time.

Paul Pickerell, head coach at Corban at the time, recognized Joy’s commitment to golf his junior season at Hudson’s Bay. Pickerell offered Joy an $18,000 a year scholarship that he accepted.

To Pickerell, Landon’s eye condition was “never a concern.”

Four of his mother’s male cousins were diagnosed with a more severe version of cone/rod dystrophy and all were legally blind.

“When they tested him when he was younger I figured he was on the road to becoming legally blind,” said his mother, ReNai Joy. “If somebody had said ‘He’ll play college golf’ I wouldn’t have believed them. I didn’t think that was in the cards for Landon but when he made the choice to focus on golf that was the tipping point.”

Joy’s game is long, averaging around 285-300 yards per drive. He said he hopes that will be the difference at state.

“My ultimate goal is top 10 and then I’ll work down from there,” Joy said.

In high school tournaments, Joy is allowed to use a monocular, a small refracting telescope used to magnify distant objects. In college he’ll upgrade to a rangefinder, but Joy said he’s learned to play without one.

“Colleges are very accommodating,” Pickerell said. “He has the consistent scoring, potential and drive to do well.”

Pickerell said he talked with Joy about things he needed to get better at, such as his short game. When he putts, Joy walks along the line from ball to hole to gauge the slope of the green.

Debbie Friede, Landon’s coach at Hudson’s Bay his freshman and sophomore years, helped Landon get a ruling from WIAA to be able to use his monocular. Friede played six years on the LPGA Tour and then worked with TaylorMade Golf and Nike before moving to Portland. She currently works at Royal Oaks Country Club where she is the Membership and Marketing Director.

Friede said Landon was among the first to enter the Royal Oaks Caddy Program and was one of the top caddies. The program helps young golfers develop an understanding of the game while earning summer money.

“He was really great at mentoring the other kids and you can see that it’s a passion of his to help others,” Friede said.

Landon was one of 12 senior boys in the Mr. Hudson’s Bay Pageant this year. Mr. Hudson’s Bay is a program started in 1994 as a part of the Kids Making Miracles Foundation through Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The senior who raises the most money in six months earns the title of Mr. Hudson’s Bay. Landon finished second and raised over $7,000. He said he participated because he wanted to give back to OHSU for the support it has given him.