Injured rugby player Duncan Campbell has been selected to play golf for England by the Disabled Golf Association (DGA) just two years after taking up the sport which has turned his life around.Injured rugby player Duncan Campbell has been selected to play golf for England by the Disabled Golf Association (DGA) just two years after taking up the sport which has turned his life around.
A client of the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) Duncan sustained a severe, acute brain injury playing rugby for Cobham RFC in 2009. A tremendously fit and active young Royal Marine recruit, he was medically discharged, and his life changed to one of lethargy as he sat watching daytime TV.
Thanks to the IPF and the Golf Trust, he discovered golf, which has changed his life, and is now to play for England against Ireland and Wales in a Tri-Nations Tournament in Dublin, 7th – 10th September. All this progress has come as Duncan tees off only able to use his right hand. And not only is he loving his golf and loving his life, he has also been offered a job by The Golf Trust as a community golf instructor.
National & International Competition
“The IPF and the Golf Trust held a taster day. I put my name down but then said I wasn’t going as I wouldn’t even be able to hold a golf club because I can’t use my left arm or hand,” says Duncan. “I was badgered into going and it’s been amazing. I love playing golf and the IPF have funded all my equipment. My mental and physical health is so much better. Instead of sitting on the sofa, eating sweets and chocolates eight hours a day while watching TV, my life has done a U-turn. I’m out in the fresh air and I’ve gone from over 19 stone to just over 15 stone. I’m out on the golf course or at the driving range all the time.”
Having only started golf in summer 2022, thanks to the taster day at The Shire Golf Club in North London, Duncan has been mentored and coached by the Golf Trust’s Cae Menai-Davis. He joined a local club, entered local tournaments, then joined the DGA and has been playing in national tournaments this year.
The IPF have funded his golf clubs, travel, accommodation, tournament entries and everything he needed to progress. Duncan determined to push himself and get as far as possible in his new sport and with an international call up and a full-time job offer, he’s buzzing.
Chance to Work Again
“When Cae, who founded the Golf Trust, offered me the community golf instructor role I said yes in a heartbeat. I really want to be self-sufficient and back in employment and can’t wait to do the training course, get my DBS check and equipment, and start engaging people in specialist schools, care homes and other environments in golf activities. As for being part of the 12-strong team playing in Dublin, I just want to work hard, give a good account of myself, and play well for the English team.”
He’s off the sofa and out on the fairway come rain or shine and that’s brought smiles from the golfer himself and from his wife, Michelle.
“Duncan used to sit in front of the TV all day but now he’s out playing golf,” she says. “Thanks to the IPF he did that first session, really got the bug, and then they funded everything he needed to pursue what’s practically become an obsession. He goes out playing almost every day and the benefits have been amazing for him, both mentally and physically. He only watches TV in the evening now!”
The IPF’s welfare officer, John Burgess, himself a wheelchair user and golfer, says: “Duncan’s story is testament to what’s possible with a new sport or pursuit. He came skiing with the IPF but when he tried to pull out of the golf day, we had to persuade him to come. He’s a completely different person now, although he always had that drive inside him as a Royal Marine recruit and a very good rugby player. Now to see the Golf Trust offer him a job, it’s clear what golf has done for Duncan. In terms of his energy, drive, and motivation it’s inspirational and has taken him out of a lethargic lifestyle with no direction into one where he has purpose. Golf has given him the motivation to get out of the house, get fit, and to be competing again as a sportsman means everything to him.”
IPF Trustee, Judy Metcalfe, partnered John Burgess in last year’s British Sport Golf Championship for sports governing bodies at Edgbaston Golf Club in Edgbaston last year when they won and Duncan and Cae came third. She has watched and supported Duncan’s progress and says: “It’s phenomenal to see him turn his life around so amazingly in less than two years. It just shows how injured players’ lives and ambitions can fundamentally change with the right kind of support.”
Cae explains why he’s offered Duncan a job with the Golf Trust. “He’s the best role model. The first time we met he was nervous and didn’t really want to get involved, he wasn’t really engaging. Then when he started, we couldn’t stop him, you could see a light bulb moment. He still had that drive, that competitiveness. He’s just what we are looking for, someone who loves what they do, someone we can get on that employment ladder. This community golf instructor role is the start of that for Duncan.”
