Canice Screene is a bit of a whizz-kid. A degree in psychology from Boston College, studying a masters in developmental psychology, a podcast host and now a professional golfer with a Ladies European Tour card.
Everybody knows someone who is good at everything and Screene is certainly a jack of all trades.
Screene is born and raised in London but has always considered herself Irish. Her mother hails from Belmullet in Mayo and her father has ties to Tipperary and Galway which is what made her win at last year’s Irish Women’s Close so special.
“Pretty much my entire family are Irish and live over there,” says Screene who represented Ireland from the age of 13. “I always knew I wanted to represent Ireland, started coming over to do the Irish panel stuff when I was 13. I had been close in the event before and I had always looked forward to it in my calendar so to finally win it was so special.
“It was an event I always wanted to win and knew I could and I knew if I could get over the finish line once I could do it again. It proved to me that I can win and I can compete with everybody. It gave me so much confidence heading into Q-School and that next step for competitive golf.
“I have always felt Irish. I’ve never kind of seen myself as English never looked to play kind of for England, anything like that. I would say Ireland is definitely my real home.”
The win at the Irish Close kickstarted a glorious summer for the 23-year-old who played at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and earned category 16 status at LET Q-School last December.
While it was not her plan to turn professional at that moment, she decided to strike while the iron is hot and enter the paid ranks for her rookie campaign on the LET with her goal set on earning a full card by the end of her 15 starts and finish inside the top-5 in at least one event.
“It was definitely not the plan. I always knew I wanted it. I’ve played golf my whole life. I love it and I would hate to have not given being pro a go,” she explains.
“However, six months ago when I graduated, I thought long and hard about golf and I decided that I’d put a lot into it and got very little out of it. I was going to kind of go down the academics route. I looked for jobs, was going to apply for I was hoping to go to law school. and then obviously I thought I’d give the summer a go won the Close, got into the Irish Open, kind of kept the form going to Marrakesh, and now I’m a professional. So, it’s been a very whirlwind six months.”
It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Screene who endured a horrible experience at a golf club where she was a juvenile member aged just eight.
Screene was doing what any child knows best, enjoying her golf. And, like many children, she developed a love and passion for the game and her handicap came down at an alarming rate. As she began to regularly shoot 40 points and pick up prizes, this angered the women’s club and they shunned her out of competitions.
Fortunately for Screene she comes from a golfing mad family but it was the move to Croham Hurst Golf Club that saved her passion for the game and encouraged her to play in competitions and represent the club so it is no wonder that she is delighted to represent them on the professional stage.
“I was a member of Croham Hurst when I was 12. I came from a golf course who did not support me at all and did not like me playing in events as my handicap was coming down. It was awful environment honestly.
“The crazy thing is, I was eight, and I was turning up playing with my nan or playing with my aunt and you’re at that point where you’re getting better, your handicap’s coming down, you’re going to be out there in the stable shooting 40 points every now and then.
“And the women at the club were just not supportive at all. They didn’t want me winning, they kind of didn’t want me playing with the women. but there was no female juniors, so I didn’t really have any kind of other choice.
“I came to Croham Hurst and it just completely changed like they have been nothing but supportive. I want to represent them forever, I love the support that they’ve given me as a club. So yeah it’s made a huge difference in and it’s also really close to my house which makes a big difference too.
“Croham Hurst had me playing in matches for them and I really started getting into competitive golf when I went there because they gave me the opportunity. So, it was the best thing for me.
“I think it’s so easy if you didn’t have a family who played to kind of experience that and go, I want nothing to do with this sport.
“Because the exception kind of proves the rule sometimes and you think this is what every golf course is going to be like. I was lucky that my whole family moved golf club and of course I was lucky that the people that were at Croham were so great but it can’t happen like there has to be some understanding that as children you’re getting better you’re going to start winning things and that’s going to eventually stop and plateau and everything evens itself out. But to not support someone who’s like eight years old, I can’t understand it.”
Golf is not the be all and end all for Screene who has several interests. She considers herself a nerd and has aspirations to attend law school or study for a PhD regardless of what she achieves as a professional golfer.
Screene also enjoys podcasting and hosts her own show called Let Me Tell You: where she covers everything ranging from relationships, playing on a golf scholarship in the US, and now she will try and offer some insights into life on the Ladies European Tour.
“I’m a bit of a nerd. I love school. I absolutely loved my degrees and I always knew I wanted to do more school so my masters is in developmental psychology and prior to kind of like the golf going the way that it did,” Screene recalls.
“I was looking to either go to law school or do a PhD. and I’m hoping later in my life I will do both. but it’s kind of nice that I can finish my masters.
“Although being a full-time masters student and a full-time professional golfer is definitely tough. but I’m really grateful that I can finish my masters this year too. so yeah, academics is a huge part of my life too.”
Studying psychology while trying to carve out a career as a professional golfer might just be the perfect combination for Screene who knows that life on tour can be a tough school and she may need to rely on her mental game to dig her out of situations.
“Finishing a round being able to come back and just do work and it completely takes your mind off the fact that you’ve got to play again tomorrow. If I played bad, about I’m thinking about whatever assignment I’m doing. I actually find that it’s a great way of balancing myself especially tournament situations.
“I think it’s like a blessing and a curse. I can sometimes feel like I know too much and you can kind of really get in your head and I can start being like, ” this is this theory” and I’m living proof of this theory being true. When actually sometimes it’s better just to take a step back and go, “Okay, hang on a minute. Forget everything and just grind.” But at the same time, I think it’s made a huge difference in the last couple of years just learning how to develop skills to, work on your mental strength and grind and stuff like that.”
As far as her physical golf game goes, the London native has already shown that she can make the step up from amateur to professional.
She was the surprise package on day one of the Final Stage of Ladies European Tour Q-School as she fired her first ever bogey-free round in competition to surge into contention for a card and she managed to hold on to secure category 16.
Somewhat under the radar to the likes of Sara Byrne, Annabel Wilson and Anna Foster who all have full cards and begin their rookie campaigns alongside Lauren Walsh in Morocco next week, Screene is confident she can make a splash in Europe when her first start arrives.
“It’s so cool, especially going into next year, we’re going to have six or seven, on tour in various parts which is amazing and hopefully very inspiring kind of the younger generation to kind of they’ll grow up and see so many Irish girls playing on tour and I think that will make them realize it’s genuinely possible for them. So, I think that’s going to be really cool to see how it impacts the next generations.
“A lot of people I know have gone into their rookie season with the category 16 status and played almost full seasons and pretty easily retained a full tour card. So it’s of kind of coming out the gates hot. My big focus now is getting ready for my first event whenever it ends up being.”
You can listen to the full Canice Screene interview on the Irish Golfer Podcast
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