Hannah McCook is not your average professional golfer. Every striving amateur golfer has to deal with obstacles and challenges but perhaps not as great as those faced by McCook, who thought her time playing sport was finished aged eight.
That was when she found out she had Type 1 diabetes. However, having found inspiration from six-time Olympic medal rower and fellow diabetic, Steve Redgrave, the Scot has never looked back but acknowledges that her journey to this point - a professional on the Ladies European Tour Access Series - has been trickier than most.
“I try to make out that diabetes doesn’t make it harder, but it does,” she said.
“As I always say, I could live with worse. However, it’s still hard. Each day is different in what I do so trying to combine professional sport and type 1 diabetes is interesting. It’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night.”
McCook enjoyed a successful junior and university golfing career, representing Scotland at U16 and U18 level before going on to capture the British University Championships and the Scottish Universities Championship while at the University of Stirling.
After a few years back in the highlands managing a part-time job and a fledgling amateur career, the 29-year-old finally made the decision to turn professional at the start of 2019. But living with diabetes means that no two days are the same with the young pro having to constantly listen to her body and adjust her training routine.
“Sometimes it doesn’t affect me, other times it can prevent me from practising or doing a gym session entirely,” she said.
“If my glucose levels are low I have to consume some sugar and sit it out until it’s stable. There is nothing more infuriating than not being able to finish a gym session, or having to stop hitting balls if I’m going low. On the other hand, if my levels are high, I don’t feel 100 per cent so that can also affect how I feel when playing and practising.”
Thanks to her Dexcom G6 CGM System, McCook doesn’t have to regularly prick her finger to test her blood levels. Instead, she relies on the app to tell when her glucose levels are dipping or spiking with Omnipod - a tubeless insulin pump - meaning she doesn’t have to regularly inject herself to regulate her levels.
Such technology has freed up McCook to play the best golf of her professional career, which culminated in the Scot's recent win on the Rose Ladies Tour - set up by Justin Rose - at The Grove in Hertfordshire in May.
“To get that win was so special,” McCook said. “It was my first professional win, and to get it playing in that means the world.
“It’s given me a real boost to see that the work I’ve been putting in has paid off. It felt like a relief to win and to feel that feeling I hadn’t felt for a long time was incredible. I know I’ve been working hard, and for it to come to fruition, it’s so rewarding.
“What Justin and Kate Rose have done for women’s golf is incredible. They’ve given us more opportunities to play, earn money and give female golf more of a profile in the world of golf. I can’t thank them enough.”
McCook's next goal is to reach the Ladies European Tour (LET), with the top six in the season-ending LET Access Series order of merit gaining a spot. Thanks to the support of her sponsors, she continues to chase that dream and her ultimate goal of one day playing in the Solheim Cup.
“I have always loved team golf so that has always been a dream - if that ever happened I’d be over the moon,” she said.
“I have won now as a professional, and even doing that once as a pro was a dream and goal. It has made me feel like this journey has been a success, but we always aspire for more.”
Alongside her personal golf ambitions, McCook seeks to inspire others with diabetes to continue playing sports through her partnership with Dexcom and, during diabetes awareness week, the Dexcom Warrior hopes to showcase that a career as a diabetic professional athlete is possible despite the obstacles.
She finished: “It means so much to me. I was inspired by Steve Redgrave and if I can do that for even one person, that will make me feel content.
“It might hinder us, but it’s never going to stop us from doing what we want to do. To spread that message and to help others, or young kids just diagnosed, is so important to me.”
