Golf Ireland has launched a new participation series, Our Game, which is designed to showcase the many different ways people engage with and enjoy golf, through four distinct stories from across the game.
The first episode features Royal Portrush golfer Judithe Allen, who shares her journey from a breast cancer diagnosis and the discovery of a rare BRCA2 gene to competing at the highest level of Inter-Club golf.
“When I first got diagnosed with breast cancer I thought, not me, I’m 25. How is this possible?” said Allen.
“Golf was always good for my mental health. Just to escape everything that was going on at home. My mum was 42 when she was first diagnosed, she had a 15-year battle with cancer.
“She always said to me, there was a reason why you were diagnosed so young because she was there to get me through it.”
After undergoing a double mastectomy, Allen used golf as a powerful source of motivation throughout her recovery. Setting her sights on returning to the course helped drive her forward during the most challenging period of her life and, just ten months after surgery, she was part of the Royal Portrush side at the AIG Women’s Senior Cup.
“When I realised I could start getting back on course it was definitely a turning point in my recovery,” said Allen.
“I was thinking, I still have that competitive edge in me and I was just really thankful to be back out playing. It wasn’t about winning, it was about being out there.
“Senior Cup was the May, my surgery was the previous November, and the Senior Cup captain came to me and said: ‘how are you feeling?’ I said: ‘I am ready’. I thought I would never play golf again, especially to the standard I was before.
“Women’s Senior Cup I was probably playing the best golf I had ever played.”
Allen’s story is the first of four episodes in Our Game, which aims to highlight the diverse experiences that make golf accessible and meaningful to so many people.
Upcoming episodes will focus on family connections within the game, golfers with disabilities, and the high-performance pathway.
Watch the first episode here
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