Nick Edmund Is Remarkably

Nick Edmund has walked nearly 2,000 ick Edmund is remarkably disease he is trying to fight. Three play the 4th hole. Why? So he could Main image: Nick’s most popular formats are fourballs carrying the same walking poles and A LONGupbeat for aROAD man who, just times he has completed golfing promoteTO his GlobalGolf4Cancer RECOVERYIreland walk took him and foursomes. There are four Major overflowing golf bag with his clothes, hours earlier, was walks for various charities, and campaign. It’s all part of a bigger to the spectacular championships… iPad and belongings inside. miles carrying his golf bag around Scotland undergoing yet another three times he has beaten cancer. He mission to get the worldwide golfing course at Old Head. These are the reasons why he “As far as I’m concerned, the show and Ireland. He’s played the 4th hole on 85 course of radiotherapy even has the scars to show for it. One community to support various started the first of four walks in must go on,” he says, defiantly. After Ntreatment. It’s a situation he’s been on his forehead, another across his cancer charities and for clubs to fly a Republic of Ireland on March 4, 2017. his first cancer diagnosis, doctors of the best courses, each time flying the flag in before, just eight months earlier scalp and a third on his neck. He is, GlobalGolf4Cancer flag at least four Or, as he likes to joke, ‘march forth’. gave him a 50/50 chance of beating it. in fact. Not that it makes it any in many ways, a walking miracle. times every year (on January 4, April He continued the theme for his His odds are better this time around, (quite literally) for fellow cancer sufferers easier. In March this year, the one-time 4, July 4 and October 4). There are, second tour, which began at 4.44pm, though he may never regain sight in “I’ve been in the wars again,” he barrister, author of 27 golf books and as he points out, four million people and for his most recent effort which his left eye again. He has already and raising money to fight the disease says, as he tries to make light of his former managing director of Nick affected by cancer in the UK. The lasted four weeks. Each time he has undergone two rounds of surgery; fourth cancer diagnosis in the last Faldo’s course design company, was disease has four stages. One in four trekked hundreds of miles, stopping one to remove a tumour above it, the six years. It’s a cruel twist of fate, wandering the streets of Northern people are directly or indirectly only to undergo major surgery and other to undergo reconstruction. “It’s WORDS MICHAEL CATLING since few have raised as much Ireland, walking from course to affected by it during their lifetime. In radiotherapy. When he did, he was all a bit frustrating and debilitating, PICTURES DAVID CANNON, GETTY IMAGES awareness – or money – for the very course – 20 in total – just so he could golf, people shout ‘fore’. Two of the back on the road three days later, to put it mildly,” he adds. 54 ISSUE 391 TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 391 55 NICK EDMUND Support, and discussed using golf as The walk has taken in TV cameras greeted a way to fight cancer. It was there some of the GB&I’s most Nick’s most recent visit that he came up with the idea of spectacular scenery, like to Royal Portrush, just a putting a cancer awareness message this on the Ayrshire coast. month before The Open. on a flag. “MacMillan loved the idea, so we intended to present it to 50 or so golf clubs,” he explains. “That was in 2014. I then went down with head and neck cancer soon after… The whole idea went on the backburner during my recovery, but one good thing did come of it. I had a lot of time to think and got talking to a lot of people who liked the idea but were asking, why is it all in the UK? Their point was that there are 60 million golfers and cancer is such a global thing. That’s where GlobalGolf4Cancer was born.” After having lymph nodes and his left parotid gland removed in 2014, as well as a tumour two years later, When he finishes his latest Right: The support at all the he was given the all- programme of treatment on August golf courses Nick’s walked clear. Those two 30, he will have completed 100 to has been “overwhelming”. words, he says, gave rounds of radiotherapy since 2014 – him the green light to a fact he shrugs off as being “part of launch his campaign the story”. campaign in the United and walk 2,000km “Without sounding too cliché, States and Canada until along the “Wild Atlantic Way everything I’ve been through only July next year, and is now in Republic of Ireland, makes me more determined,” admits waiting to hear if he needs stopping off to play the 4th Edmund. “It makes it more difficult, to go under the knife hole at 40 golf clubs on route. being affected by cancer again, but again. The uncertainty of it “There’s a great photograph of the best way for me to fight it, quite all is what wrangles him a golfer who’s silhouetted and 2017.” Olazabal Invitational three weeks Above: Nick had still able to start my second walk in frankly, is to keep going with my most, yet he refuses to feel walking with a golf bag on his When he did set off at Ireland’s later. He then resumed his walk 91 to interrupt his Scotland on October 15 on the Ailsa campaign. It’s a positive in my life any bitterness. Above: back, towards a flag. I used most northerly point, Malin Head, days after his operation. “It was 260-mile walk in course at Turnberry. People thought and that’s important.” “If you want to build an On Oct 17, Nick met that image as my inspiration. But I he spent the next 56 days hiking actually the anniversary of when I Scotland for 29 I was mad.” Before the end of the year, his goal awareness campaign, stories are Prestwick secretary, had no real preparation because I across the coasts of Donegal, Sligo started,” he says. He eventually days to undergo Against the odds, he summoned is to add Spain, Brazil, Argentina what help and drive it,” says Ken Goodwin, to had my hip replaced three months and Mayo counties, visiting 20 completed the journey on May 4, radiotherapy. the strength to walk 260 miles in 40 and Chile to the list of countries he’s Edmund, who hails from Devon. mark 158 years previous. I was on crutches in courses including Rosapenna and and then returned eight weeks later Below: Marching days and visit 25 courses, including conquered. He has already mapped “Me being a cancer sufferer helped since the first Open January so my training was the walk Carne. “I took the summer off to to fly the GlobalGolf4Cancer flag in to Royal Dornoch all seven of the nation’s past and out a route, which starts in Madrid remove the question of why I was was played there. itself, which started on March 4, protect myself from the sun, but I the Irish Open Pro-Am at his home alongside friends, present Open venues. Along the on October 1 and ends in Santiago 17 doing all this and opened some had to delay the second half, walking club of Ballyliffin. It was family and a piper. way, he crossed the Firth of days later. Along the way, he hopes doors. I’ve turned that into kind of a from Galway to Old Head, because I around the same time Forth in a tiny, two-man to fly the flag at the Olympic golf positive.” got my second cancer situation,” he that he was diagnosed boat – an experience he course in Rio, and on the 4th hole at When he first had the idea in 2012, ‘MY CANCER REMOVED says. “I had a nine-and-a-half-hour with cancer for a third refers to as “the most Real Golf de Pedreña, where Seve he was cancer-free and “looking for scalp operation in November 2017, time, forcing him to frightening 50 minutes of Ballesteros learned to play the game, something new to do” after leaving THE QUESTION OF WHY I but the first thing I said to my undergo surgery three my life” – and took a four- with Jose Maria Olazabal and at least behind his job of 15 years as surgeon was, ‘when will I be able to times. week gap in the middle, one of Seve’s two sons. Whether he is managing director of Faldo Design. WAS DOING ALL THIS AND complete my walk?’” “I was in hospital for during which he underwent able to or not is a decision which It was during a 12-day cancer charity He told him to rest for 90 days, but five days. I went in on yet more radiotherapy. remains out of his hands. trek to the Himalayas that he met OPENED SOME DOORS’ Edmund went against doctors’ September 11 – can you Amazingly, he resumed the He’s already had to delay his latest the Head of MacMillan Cancer orders and played in the Nadal and believe that? – but I was walk three days later, and REPUBLIC OF IRELAND – PART 1 SPRING 2017 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND – PART 2 SPRING 2018 SCOTLAND – AUTUMN 2018 NORTHEN IRELAND – SPRING 2019 17-23 4-24 MAR 25 MAR - 15 APR 16-30 APR 4-14 MAR 15 MAR - 19 APR 20 APR - 4 MAY 14-21 OCT 19-24 NOV 25-30 NOV 1-9 DEC 10-16 DEC DEC 1 -9 MAR 10-16 MAR 17-18 MAR 19-24 MAR 25-31 MAR THE Elie Crail Crail Nairn Carne Carne Kilkee Kilkee Tralee Tralee Dooks Dooks Moray Moray Omagh Kilrush Dunbar Dunbar Galway Galway Galway Malone Lisburn Lahinch Lahinch Mulrany Mulrany Donegal Ardglass Ardglass Kenmare Kenmare Doonbeg Muirfield Westport Westport Bundoran Bundoran Portsalon Portsalon Monifieth Holywood Holywood Strandhill Strandhill Prestwick Prestwick ROUTE Waterville Castlerock Castlerock Dundonald Bantry Bay Bantry Bay Glengarriff Rosapenna Rosapenna Enniscrone Enniscrone Parknasilla Parknasilla Ballycastle Ballycastle North West North West Connemara Connemara Cruden Bay Galway Bay Bay Galway Royal Troon Royal Clandeboye Clandeboye Cruit

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