In 2019, Neil Hiscutt and his brother-in-law Wayne raised £1,000 by playing four rounds of golf in one day. Six years later, joined by two friends, they took on a new challenge: playing the same par 3 hole until one of them hit a Hole in One. Though the ace eluded them, their seven-hour golfing marathon raised £1,500. Neil shares how his son Sean and late father-in-law Paul inspire his fundraising.
No ace but a big impact from golfing friends
I see this as a tribute to both my son Sean, who lives Becker muscular dystrophy, and my late father-in-law Paul, who passed away ten years ago. I enjoy helping people and raising money for a cause close to my heart is my way of giving something back.
Sean was diagnosed with the muscle weakening condition Becker muscular dystrophy when he was just 18 months’ old.
My father-in-law lived with the same condition, and we knew my wife was a carrier so had Sean tested when he was very young. The symptoms only really started a few years ago, when he was 10 or 11 and found that he was struggling to run.
In so many ways, he’s just like any other 15-year-old. He’s caring, chatty and cheeky. He likes going to the cinema, playing on his Xbox, walking our dog Daisy, and he’s a huge Aston Villa fan. Bit of a shame really as I support West Brom! He also enjoys golf like I do and loves food tech and IT at school.
He’s still very good on his feet but does need to sit out of some sporting activities at school and finds walking long distances hard.
I think the biggest challenge is the mental impact of it all. It’s a rare condition that most people haven’t heard of and it’s hard as a teenager when you can’t do all the things your friends can.
That’s why I take on challenges and fundraise. It’s my way of giving something back, to help Sean and other people living with similar conditions.
For this latest golfing challenge, I was joined by my brother-in-law Wayne, Sean’s godfather Ivan who I’ve known since school, and Ross who is a friend and colleague. The aim was to play the same par 3 hole at our local golf club until one of us got a Hole in One.
We’ve all been playing golf for over 20 years. But none of us have ever achieved a Hole in One, which is why this was a challenge! Wayne was my favourite to get one on this occasion as he has the lowest handicap of the four of us, but sadly not even he managed to get an ace. It was so close as one ball landed just inches from the hole!
The day was still a success though as we had a great seven hours on the golf course and the donations went up to £1,500, so we’re pleased with that!
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