Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Highland golfer who turned pro determined to inspire other diabetes sufferers

Hannah McCook was able to be at home during lockdown
Hannah McCook was able to be at home during lockdown

One of Scotland’s leading golfers is determined to show the next generation that a daily battle with diabetes should not halt your sporting dreams.

Hannah McCook, from Nethy Bridge, began playing golf at the age of six. Two years later she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The 25-year-old recently turned professional off the back of a third straight Scottish Order of Merit title.


>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter


The University of Stirling graduate continues to juggle her golf commitments with her job as a cleaner at sportscotland national training centre Glenmore Lodge.

Hannah needs to constantly stay on top of her condition out on the course.

But she was determined from a young age not to let diabetes stand in the way of her love for golf, and she is encouraging other young people to aim high too.

She said: “Being a golfer is hard, being a diabetic is hard, but being a diabetic golfer is twice as hard. From yardage book calculations to carbohydrate and insulin calculations, every day can be completely different.

“As golfers, we are always chasing perfection, and I must admit that goes hand in hand with my pursuit of ‘perfect’ blood sugars. Using an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor has made life simpler, yet still complex, compared to the five daily injections I used to do.

“It’s not only golf equipment I have to organise before a day of practice or competition, there are numerous medical appliances I have to keep at hand. Not to mention an endless supply of snacks. It’s fair to say my bag is always the heaviest and fullest in the group when I’m travelling.

Hannah McCook.

“I fell in love with golf the first time I played the sport. Now it has become my job and it has helped me control my diabetes immensely. I’m determined to inspire younger Scottish golfers and the diabetic community, and I won’t let diabetes stop me chasing my dreams.”

Hannah’s career is going from strength to strength as she lifted the Welsh and Irish Open titles in 2018 in addition to her third straight Scottish Order of Merit title.

Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris said: “Hannah’s success on the golf course is testament to her strength of will and determination to improve in the sport she loves.

“The fact that she is doing that while also managing to stay on top of her condition is a terrific inspiration to other young people with diabetes who want to continue to play sport.”