31-05-2025
Japan golfer who started at 29 heading for Deaflympics
OSAKA -- A golfer with hearing difficulties representing Japan in the upcoming Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics international games saw his life turned around when he started playing the sport completely by chance.
Nobuyuki Fuchi was 29 when he was invited one day by his colleague at Himeji City Hall, who had also been his junior high school classmate, to go golfing after one of the original players canceled at the last minute. The now 48-year-old had never played golf before, thinking that it was a "rich people's sport."
Fuchi mainly paid attention to the wild animals he encountered on the course that day -- deer, squirrels and rabbits. The turning point, however, came three months later, when he was invited again to play golf by the same former classmate.
"You suck. Where do you think you're aiming?" Fuchi heard the colleague's half-joking insult loud and clear through his hearing aid. This sparked Fuchi's competitive nature.
After that day, his life began to revolve around golf -- going to a driving range on weekdays after work and inviting his wife to play rounds together on days off, hoping the sport would become a shared hobby.
Fuchi never received any coaching, but studied the sport by watching professional golfers on TV when tournaments were aired.
"I just followed (professional players') examples," he reflects.
Hearing disabilities an 'advantage' in the world of golf
Fuchi began having difficulty hearing at the age of 5. Due to the side effects of medication he took, he developed severe hearing loss. He now can only hear faintly, even if someone shouts loudly right next to his ear, and lives with the help of hearing aid. He also reads people's lips to understand what they're saying. He attended regular schools growing up, and from junior high through university, played table tennis in school clubs.
There were times Fuchi was bullied because of his hearing disabilities, but he never let it get him down, thinking, "This is just part of who I am."
In the world of golf, he even considers having difficulty hearing a kind of "advantage."
Because Fuchi can't hear the sound of the ball being hit, it's harder for him to judge the feel of the shot. However, since golf is a sport that requires deep concentration in silence, many golfers dislike even the slightest noise from their surroundings, and he says the inability to hear allows him to immerse himself in his own world.
Grateful to know his passion
Fuchi's encounter with deaf golf came four years ago.
Learning that the Deaflympics would be held in Tokyo, Fuchi became interested, thinking, "Maybe I can carry the Hinomaru (Japanese flag) myself."
But at the time, he didn't know how one could participate in such an event.
Then, out of the blue, he received a direct message on his social media account: "If you're interested in deaf golf, how about giving it a try?"
It was from someone affiliated with the Japan Deaf Golf Association who had seen him enjoying golf on social media.
Fuchi became an association-designated athlete and went on to place eighth at the World Deaf Golf Championships held in Australia in August 2024. The following month, he came in second in the Japan Deaf Golf Championship, securing his spot in the Deaflympics in November this year.
When he told the former classmate and colleague who first got him into golf about his Deaflympics selection, they quipped, "That's thanks to me."
Fuchi no longer feels the need to prove himself -- instead, he's grateful to that friend for introducing him to the sport he is so passionate about.
When he started playing 20 years ago, Fuchi never imagined competing in the Deaflympics, but he is beginning to embrace his role as a representative of Japan.
"Compared to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Deaflympics are much less known. I want people to know that there's a competition where athletes with hearing impairments gather. My goal is to place in the top eight."
With that determination, Fuchi looks forward to the tournament.
