Living in Aberdeen, Hannah McCook was just six years old when she first flirted with golf on a six hole kids’ course on the local beach. A year later, the family moved to Nethybridge in Speyside and, not surprisingly, her sporting attention switched to skiing.  

Just a few minutes drive from the Cairngorm slopes and with the mountains in her blood – her grandfather, Alastair, who was once the Team Leader of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team – Hannah became one of the very best. 

As a first year pupil at Grantown Grammar School, she was crowned Scottish Schools’ Ski Champion. 

But golf still had a strong lure. The McCooks lived opposite the nine hole Abernethy Golf Club and young Hannah began to take the game seriously. Now, at the age of 17, she is a Scottish girl international, boasts a one handicap and is recognised as a blossoming talent. 

This will be her final season in girls’ golf, and she aims to make the most of her opportunities. Her main goal this summer is selection for the European Girls’ Championship in Sardinia in July. 

Supported by the Highland Institute of Sport, Hannah benefits from regular strength and conditioning sessions at both Glenmore Lodge and Inverness Leisure Centre.  

She also has a personal coach in Nairn Dunbar’s Dave Torrance – a professional with a great track record as he also coached current Scottish Champion, Kelsey MacDonald, during her early years.  

Hannah tries to visit Torrance every Saturday - the winter snow sometimes blights her plans – and he sees her as a highly promising talent.  

“Strangely, Hannah came for a one off lesson when she was tiny, just eight or nine,” said Torrance. “Now she is one of my Academy Group players, and the only girl. She was very good by the time she came to me and we have just worked on a few things. 

“She is a great ball striker and has a great presence on the course. She is very calm in pressurized situations. She is also very modest.” 

Torrance reckons Hannah can reach the very top, but he adds: “She is very modest and knows it is a case of taking one step at a time. She’s lucky because her family is very supportive. Her Mum, Marion, is an absolute star. And I think her future will lie in golf.”    

A final year pupil at Grantown Grammar, she certainly wants a career in sport. “Ideally, I would like to go to Stirling University and do a degree in sports studies,” said the talented youngster. “I’ve also applied to Robert Gordon’s in Aberdeen.” 

A member of the Scottish ladies’ Golfing Association’s Junior squad, Hannah enjoyed a trip to Spain’s Desert Springs resort in December. “It was terrific,” she said. “The facilities couldn’t be better and it was so good to escape from the snow.”   

But now she is preparing for the 2011 season. This year, she will be playing out of Grantown Golf Club – the course where she gains most of her scores – and she will be aiming to excel in girls’ events and start to make the transition to the senior game.  Her future looks bright.

EB

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