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Tobia had to take their word for it. He could only go by the sound and feel of club face against golf ball to tell whether he hit a good shot. He couldn't see the flight of the ball or where it ended up.
Tobia, 52, of Mount Laurel, learned 25 years ago that he had retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disorder.
"That's the life expectancy of the disorder, and I'm near the end," he said yesterday.
But the passion of Tobia and other men and women without their sight for the game of golf is as strong as ever, thanks to the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association. Founded in 1948, the association uses golf to help members overcome the trauma of losing their sight.
The association sponsors about 30 outings per year, including yesterday's annual invitational charity event at Edgmont, which featured more than 20 contestants who are blind or legally blind (20/200 vision or worse) playing a scramble format.
Tobia, who was as low as a 12-handicap earlier in his golf career, has been with the association for five years. He said he enjoyed the golf and socializing with his fellow members and that he didn't take the game quite as seriously as he used to.
"It used to affect my day, my weekend, my week, if I played poorly," said Tobia, who teaches visually impaired people how to use computers. "Now, it doesn't matter. It's about having fun and enjoying the company. Everyone in the group is very kind, understanding, very friendly and warm. We all have a bond."
George Pilz, 68, of King of Prussia, lost his sight in a 1958 automobile accident and has been a member of the association off and on since then.
"The camaraderie with the group is super," he said. "I play two or three times a week up here, and I go to Florida in the winter to play with my buddies who transferred there."
The key for blind and legally blind golfers is the coach, who stands behind his or her player and helps line up the shot. On the greens, the coaches help the players with the distance, the speed and the break.
Yesterday, Tobia would bend and use his hand to check his club face against the ball on his tee shots and putts while his son, Matt, made sure of the alignment. When he plays, he uses two or three coaches, depending on their availability, and often gets in a quick nine with his son at Ramblewood Country Club near his home.
Pilz's coach is Hunter Schaff, who used to work with Pilz at AT&T and has been his coach for six years.
"George is a fine guy and has an unbelievable work ethic," Schaff said. "If you or I were blind, we'd probably get frustrated if we couldn't hit the ball. So it's not all peaches and cream, because the blind guy is going to take it out on the coach sometimes. But George has really been a joy to work with."
"We work together very well," Pilz said. "He's as responsible for my game as I am, there's no question about it."
Pilz and Tobia will represent the Middle Atlantic association at the U.S. Blind Golf Association's 62d national championship next week at Edgmont, in Delaware County.
Tobia, who has shot in the high 80s, said he hadn't played that well in the last two weeks but hoped to be ready. Pilz said that his scores ranged between 100 and 110, and that he was excited to meet some of his fellow competitors from all over the country.
"I feel like that's where I belong," Pilz said of being on the golf course. "It's just wonderful to be out there. I just love the competition. It's very, very exciting."
Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com.