Oct 7, 2026 By Eleanor Bailey 6 min read

All golfers have a handicap – a numerical measure of their playing ability that allows different skill levels to compete fairly against each other, but Betty Glyptis’ physical handicap affords her an edge.

While she passed her newborn hearing screening, she found out when she was 3 that there was significant impairment. As a result, Glyptis wears hearing aids in both ears, even when she golfs.

“This world is definitely set up for people who can hear, but I think it’s made me a better problem-solver. I really have to just figure out how to work with the world and decode what I’m hearing because I miss a lot that I have to fill in based on context.”

Glyptis says that she can read lips but admits “I’m not fluent.” She has attended regular classes her entire career but has “accommodations” in school.

On the golf course, however, there are none. Glyptis is on her own and she’s quite accomplished. In fact, the Peters Township High School junior recently finished as runner-up in the WPIAL for the second year in a row.

During the Class 3A championship round played Oct. 5 at Valley Brook Country Club, Glyptis led the field before being overtaken by Olivia Degori of Moon.

After entering the final round trailing by four strokes at 10-over, Degori put together a masterful round. In shooting a 1-over 73, she eagled No. 16, birdied No. 17 and then made par on No. 18. Degori finished with a two-day total of 83-73-156

Meanwhile, Glyptis had trailed only Canon-McMillan’s sophomore Jordyn Larkin after a first-round score of 80 at Hillcrest Country Club in Burrell. She held a comfortable lead in the second round but faltered with bogeys on 15, 16, and 17 before a double-bogey on 18.

She took the lead into the clubhouse after shooting a 5-over 78 to finish at 12-over for the tournament. That was, however, before Degori came back. Glyptis ended up two strokes behind Degori, finishing with a two-day total of 80-78-158.

“Liv played incredible, so I’m happy she won,” Glyptis said. “We played together last week and it was fun, but I’m definitely regretting doub-bogeying the last hole.”

With what she believed was a big lead, Glyptis took chances down the stretch that did not pay dividends.

“I thought I had more room, so I decided to do some things that maybe weren’t smart,” Glyptis said. “My coaches told me on 17 that I had a big lead, so I thought I could be more aggressive. I really wanted to go after it and see what would happen if I was aggressive and play the shots that I’d only do in practice.”

Playing it safe is not Glyptis’ style.

“Personally I am more of a safe player, but Betty has the confidence to go for it, and I tell her, if you feel like you can do it, then go for it,” said Peters Township coach Synclaire (Kuhn) Stroyne.

“Betty played a really good game. I know it didn’t end up the way that she wanted it,” continued Stroyne. “Obviously, we’re always going for the win, but she played great at Hillcrest and at Valley Brook. Hopefully, she’ll just continue that and maybe we’ll get that state title. Because if anybody can do it, she can.”

With her runner-up showing in the district, Glyptis was one of seven Class 3A finishers to advance to the PIAA Girls’ Golf Individual Championships, scheduled for Oct. 19 at Penn State Golf Course. Glyptis’ teammate, Annie Higgins, a freshman, was the area’s only other state qualifier, having finished seventh.

Last year, Glyptis finished 14th overall in the PIAA individual tournament. She was a member of Peters Township’s state championship club as a freshman and PIAA runner-up team last fall as a sophomore.

“It was kind of tough to go through (the WPIAL), especially two years in a row, with the same kind of thing,” Glyptis said. “Last year, I was happy with my result, but this year, I just wish I played a little bit better. I think I had a lot of really good opportunities but I just couldn’t capitalize. I really struggled out there and it was disappointing. It was still heartbreaking, especially to double the last hole.

“There are parts of my game that are getting a lot better, just as a general trend,” Glyptis continued. “So, I’m excited for states. I really like the Penn State white course, so I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun out there.”

Glyptis enjoys being out on the golf course because she has learned to live with her limitations and strengthen other aspects of her game because of her other senses. She said she developed a lot of her skills and strategies to compensate for her hearing loss long before she became good at the game.

She said that her hearing aids for the most part block out some noises, except the sound of the wind.

“I’m never going to hear anyone walking behind me just with how these are set up but I have much more awareness in my body, just knowing where I am in my space,” she said. “I have to know where I am all the time and I guess that’s the only way I can really think of it. But I have fun with it. It makes it more interesting.”

Glyptis depends heavily upon feel, especially when she swings.

“I cannot rely on how that strike sounded. That’s just not going to work for me,” she said. “I really have to be aware of where I am in my space. That kind of makes me better in some ways, but it would still be nice to have some extra feedback from the sound of the shot.”

Stroyne agrees with Glyptis’ assessment. For Glyptis, she said, it’s more about feel than hearing.

“On the range this morning, she was saying, ‘Oh, I hit this one off the toe,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I heard it.’ Betty responded, ‘Well, I didn’t hear it, but I felt it.’

“It’s amazing how she’s more in tune with her body than a player that maybe can hear perfectly. So I think that kind of works to her advantage at some points because so much of golf is feeling your own body do things, and she’s very in tune with her own body.”

Naturally that awareness enables Glyptis to be confident, assertive and positive.

“Betty has the best attitude,” Stroyne said. “She never gets down about her hearing. She doesn’t let it hinder her in any way, which is really impressive, because you could act in a totally different way if you were dealt that card. But she takes it and deals with it, and you wouldn’t even know.

“Betty is also confident,” Stroyne continued. “She always believes in herself. I’m never worried in that regard. That’s something I admire about her, because you can’t really teach that to people. When you believe in yourself and trust your game, then good things come from doing that.”