GOLF
PGA Champions pro Billy Mayfair reveals how autism diagnosis at age 53 improved his golf game: ‘It’s helped me a lot’
Billy Mayfair has always felt at home on the golf course, but it wasn’t until the professional golfer was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 53 that the game he loves started to make more sense.
“It sounds kind of weird to get diagnosed for autism when you’re 53 years old,” Mayfair, now 56, tells Sports Report+. “But it can really affect your life and improve your life when you find out about it.”
Mayfair, a five-time PGA Tour champion who is currently playing on the Champions Tour, was diagnosed with ASD back in November 2019. He credits his wife Tami for encouraging him to get tested.
Source: Bill Greenblatt
“[Tami] noticed I had some problems identifying social and facial cues, and then when I got into one-on-one conversations sometimes I would kind of get lost in the conversation,” he recalled.
“At first it was something where I was like, ‘I don’t have that.’ I fought her on it tooth and nail. We had some instances with rules officials in the PGA tour that kind of got me cornered, and I should have handled things differently. I decided right after that to get tested.”
The longtime golfer’s results sat in an envelope unopened for “a few weeks,” he admitted.
“I just didn’t want to hear about it. And finally when I did open them up and started reading them, things started to make more sense. I now understand why I had a hard time with things in college or in high school, and why golf was so great. I could go out and hit golf balls for three, four, five hours and be fine with that. Some people have a hard time with their attention span. My brain just works in a way in which golf was very much a blessing for me.”
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Now, Mayfair counts his diagnosis as another one of his blessings. Because of it, he’s learned to give himself more time when his brain is working in overdrive. In the last three years, Mayfair has been able to not only navigate conversations and interviews on tour with more ease, but understanding that all he needs is a bit more time before hitting long drives or sinking putts.
“It’s really helped me a lot. I’ll find myself at times on the course when my brain will start going real quick. I have to catch myself and sometimes just say, hey, take a deep breath, let’s slow things down here a little bit. I check and recheck things like yardages, and I just know it’s alright if I take a second or two and think about this,” he said.
Another positive is all the “incredible people” he’s met since going public with his diagnosis. Through the newly launched Billy and Tami Mayfair Foundation, the couple is dedicated to providing resources to support not only those with autism but their loved ones, too.
“One thing we realized through all of this is that everyone gives so much attention to the person that has autism, but you also have to help the others involved – the mother, the father, the husband, the wife, who has to deal with this person. It’s really turned around good because there’s just no help out there for the families. Obviously we want to get help for the person who has autism but also for the person that has to deal with that person with autism 24 hours a day. They need help too,” he said.
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Mayfair, who describes his disorder as “high-functioning,” is also on the pursuit of diminishing stereotypes.
“I want people to know, number one, it’s alright to get tested. Don’t be scared. When you do get tested, the results will help you in the long run, no matter what age you are.”
Mayfair also pointed out that “a lot of great athletes” and “a lot of CEOs of companies” have autism.
“What I really want to express to youngsters is you can have a normal life with autism. People think, well, you have autism, you’re like Rain Man,” he said, referring to the 1988 flick starring Dustin Hoffman. With high-functioning autism, that is not the case. It is a very special gift,” Mayfair continued.
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Sports Report+ caught up with the seasoned pro while he was en route to another stop on the Champions Tour. While Mayfair admits it’s been a “tough year” in terms of his golf game, he knows all he needs is one good round that could change his fate.
“I feel like I’m hitting it good, I’m putting good. I just need a few breaks out here and there. It takes one good nine holes and we can change things around. I’ve been a little disappointed with the year but we’ve still got some time to change that.”
Speaking of time, Mayfair, who is widely known as the only golfer to beat Tiger Woods in a PGA tour playoff, won’t be storing his clubs away anytime soon.
“I went on tour when I was 18 years old. I’m 56 now. I’ve had a wonderful career and lived a dream life,” he said. “I’ve got to play golf, I’ve met some wonderful people. Sometimes I just like to take a second to thank all my fans out there who have watched me play over the years. I really appreciate their loving for me and I hope I’ve got a few more years left in me. And obviously with my autism now and people helping me with that, it opens up some new doors and I’m really excited about the rest of my career.”
Source: Bill Greenblatt
“[Tami] noticed I had some problems identifying social and facial cues, and then when I got into one-on-one conversations sometimes I would kind of get lost in the conversation,” he recalled.
“At first it was something where I was like, ‘I don’t have that.’ I fought her on it tooth and nail. We had some instances with rules officials in the PGA tour that kind of got me cornered, and I should have handled things differently. I decided right after that to get tested.”
The longtime golfer’s results sat in an envelope unopened for “a few weeks,” he admitted.
“I just didn’t want to hear about it. And finally when I did open them up and started reading them, things started to make more sense. I now understand why I had a hard time with things in college or in high school, and why golf was so great. I could go out and hit golf balls for three, four, five hours and be fine with that. Some people have a hard time with their attention span. My brain just works in a way in which golf was very much a blessing for me.”
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Now, Mayfair counts his diagnosis as another one of his blessings. Because of it, he’s learned to give himself more time when his brain is working in overdrive. In the last three years, Mayfair has been able to not only navigate conversations and interviews on tour with more ease, but understanding that all he needs is a bit more time before hitting long drives or sinking putts.
“It’s really helped me a lot. I’ll find myself at times on the course when my brain will start going real quick. I have to catch myself and sometimes just say, hey, take a deep breath, let’s slow things down here a little bit. I check and recheck things like yardages, and I just know it’s alright if I take a second or two and think about this,” he said.
Another positive is all the “incredible people” he’s met since going public with his diagnosis. Through the newly launched Billy and Tami Mayfair Foundation, the couple is dedicated to providing resources to support not only those with autism but their loved ones, too.
“One thing we realized through all of this is that everyone gives so much attention to the person that has autism, but you also have to help the others involved – the mother, the father, the husband, the wife, who has to deal with this person. It’s really turned around good because there’s just no help out there for the families. Obviously we want to get help for the person who has autism but also for the person that has to deal with that person with autism 24 hours a day. They need help too,” he said.
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Mayfair, who describes his disorder as “high-functioning,” is also on the pursuit of diminishing stereotypes.
“I want people to know, number one, it’s alright to get tested. Don’t be scared. When you do get tested, the results will help you in the long run, no matter what age you are.”
Mayfair also pointed out that “a lot of great athletes” and “a lot of CEOs of companies” have autism.
“What I really want to express to youngsters is you can have a normal life with autism. People think, well, you have autism, you’re like Rain Man,” he said, referring to the 1988 flick starring Dustin Hoffman. With high-functioning autism, that is not the case. It is a very special gift,” Mayfair continued.
Source: Bill Greenblatt
Sports Report+ caught up with the seasoned pro while he was en route to another stop on the Champions Tour. While Mayfair admits it’s been a “tough year” in terms of his golf game, he knows all he needs is one good round that could change his fate.
“I feel like I’m hitting it good, I’m putting good. I just need a few breaks out here and there. It takes one good nine holes and we can change things around. I’ve been a little disappointed with the year but we’ve still got some time to change that.”
Speaking of time, Mayfair, who is widely known as the only golfer to beat Tiger Woods in a PGA tour playoff, won’t be storing his clubs away anytime soon.
“I went on tour when I was 18 years old. I’m 56 now. I’ve had a wonderful career and lived a dream life,” he said. “I’ve got to play golf, I’ve met some wonderful people. Sometimes I just like to take a second to thank all my fans out there who have watched me play over the years. I really appreciate their loving for me and I hope I’ve got a few more years left in me. And obviously with my autism now and people helping me with that, it opens up some new doors and I’m really excited about the rest of my career.”
