Meadow Lake’s Gerry Nelson is excited to show off his home course to some of his fellow blind golfers from around the world. It was recently announced the Meadow Lake Golf Club will host the Blind Golf Invitational Championship Aug. 17- 19, 2026. And, although the event is a little less than a year away still, efforts to fundraise for the tournament are already underway including a special breakfast and lunch held outside the No Frills grocery store in Meadow Lake this past Monday (Sept. 15). “Chris (Nelson’s coach Chris Villeneuve) decided once upon a time, along with his wife, we should host some kind of tournament,” Nelson told Northern Pride. “We didn’t really know what kind of tournament or how big we could go in terms of the number of golfers and whatnot, but what it’s come to be is the Gerry and Chris and Friends Invitational Blind Golf Tournament. We’re having 18 golfers, mostly from Canada, but at least one from Ireland. It’s a select few at this point.”

Nelson went on to say the tournament will be all about having fun. “We’re not getting any funding from Blind Golf Canada or the International Blind Golf Association, it’s just a chance for Chris and I to host a few people,” he said. “There will be a chance for the public to come out and play with a blind golfer on the practice day followed by two days of competition. It’s in the very preliminary stages at this point.” Nelson also shared how special it will be to him to introduce some of his friends and peers to the course in Meadow Lake. “It means the world to me,” he said. “I never thought, when I started my blind golf career, at the tail end of it I would be able to host a golf tournament in a place that has supported me like nothing I have ever seen. The community has stood behind us since we’ve been here, they continue to support us and we couldn’t do what we do without the support of the community… It means so much.” The “fun” aspect of the tournament, Nelson continued, means golfers can play whatever format they like. “It’s just a fun time for me and some of my best golf buddies to get together,” he said. Among those also looking forward to next year’s blind golf tournament is Brent Assman, manager of the Meadow Lake Golf Club. “This is totally new to us,” Assman said. “It was quite the offer to have this come to us. I’ve got to really know Gerry the last few years from working here, and he’s just an incredible guy. This man’s sense of humour is second to none. How he can be so happy all the time is just so great. So many of us have played golf with him, and he’s just amazing to watch.”

Assman recalled a story when he and a few other local golfers were playing a round with Nelson when the sun began to set. “We commented how it was starting to get dark and it was hard to see the ball,” he said. “All Gerry said was, ‘yeah, sucks to be you.’ He’s quite the character and to have the opportunity to have this tournament here is just great. There’s even talk of some European players coming here for it. That’s amazing. I really hope everybody gets the opportunity to come experience this tournament and to get involved. We never know when we may see something like this again.” Assman also said blind golf tournaments are often held at locales considered second to none. “For Gerry to want to share Meadow Lake’s golf course with all his golf buddies is awesome,” Assman said.