Inspirational Lincolnshire pro claims Midlands honour

A Lincolnshire PGA Professional who was told her swing would “never be the same again” after life-saving surgery has claimed the PGA Midlands Professional of the Year award for 2014.

Former Ladies European Tour player Alison Johns, 44, had an urgent liver transplant in 2009 that doctors at the time feared would end her professional career.

But in the six years since surgery Johns’ dedication to growing the game at a grassroots has only grown stronger.

She has just ended an historic term as the first lady captain of The PGA in Lincolnshire.

During that time she continued to offer taster sessions and subsidised junior lessons to help more youngsters find a route into the sport.

And the Woodhall Spa coach’s latest honour, presented by PGA in Midlands chairman Craig Phillips (right) and PGA in Lincolnshire chairman Daniel Greenwood (left), can be added to an already glittering career.

This August Johns, who turned professional in 1991 and started her PGA Professional career at Boston Golf Club, is set to travel to Argentina to compete in the World Transplant Games.

The event supports recovering transplant patients by giving them a chance to take part in sporting competition, while raising awareness of organ donation and the life-changing benefits it can offer to families across the UK

Johns made the team after claiming a gold medal for golf during the British equivalent in Bolton last year.

“The Games are important in helping to raise awareness of organ donation and the good that it does in people’s lives,” she explained.

“The time of my transplant was really difficult, but without a donor I wouldn’t be alive today.

“It’s great to have an event like this which shows the positives that come from organ donation, and also shows people who are facing transplants that they can still take part in sport once they have recovered.”

And she is keen for as many people as possible to discover the same joys that she has found from the sport since she first picked up a club aged 11.

“I remember the feeling the first time I hit a golf ball,” she recalled. “I was just amazed to see how far it went.

“Golf is a great sport which offers good exercise without the sorts of strains that other sports put on your body.

“And the important thing to remember is that golf can be whatever you want it to be, it’s fun but can be competitive, and it’s a great way to meet people and make new friends.”