Bathgate golf pro Stephen Gallacher returns to action following career threatening illness

Feb 18 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

BATHGATE Golf pro Stephen Gallacher returned to the European Tour last month bringing to an end his year from hell.

But he has revealed to the Courier that his road to recovery actually began during a four-day trip to Portugal in November.

Gallacher had been laid low by a rare inflammatory disease which attacked his joints and immune system and left him unable to play the game he loves.

The former Dunhill Links champ couldn’t even hit a ball in anger for four and a half long months and he feared he’d be forced to hang up his clubs.

But the 35-year-old battled back to health and form to regain his place on the European Tour where he returned to action at the Africa Open in January.

It was a welcome return to the greens for Gallacher who played well but the popular West Lothian golfer was really just glad to be back in the swing of the game he loves.

“I’m just back from five weeks playing in Africa and the Middle East and I’m delighted to be back playing again but I’d like to be away playing now in this weather,” laughed Gallacher.

“The first couple of weeks were a bit ropey but that was to be expected as I hadn’t played for so long.

“And with the new groove changes in the game I was also playing with 13 new clubs and a new ball.

“The last tournaments when I was away were good though and I finished 40th and 30th.

“It was getting there and the only pity was the tournaments finished then.”

Gallacher, a nephew of former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, revealed to the Courier he was so weak at one stage he struggled to lift a golf club but he was always confident he’d be back on the course — eventually.

He said: “The doctor told me I was suffering from auto-immune disease sarcoidosis.

“It didn’t make you feel very well and I was on a five-month course of steroids which left me feeling weird as well.

“However, I was pretty positive I’d get back to playing golf again but it was a case of when.

“I also had a wrist operation as well when I was off so it was a hard time.

“I didn’t hit a ball for four and a half months which wasn’t easy.

“I played nine holes at Kingsfield then nine holes in Bathgate as I tried to come back.

“Then in mid-November I went for four rounds in four days to Portugal with some guys from Bathgate.

“I spent four days carrying my bag which was the tester for me to see if I could do it or not.

“I had only played four or five rounds before the tour started but it was good to get back on the tour.”

It was while playing in a tournament in France when Gallacher began to feel the strain of the illness but he bravely battled on not wanting to miss out of the next tournament which was on home soil.

He recalled: “There were five or six tournaments where I played when I shouldn’t have.

“In hindsight if I’d played three tournaments less I’d have had a full year this year but I didn’t know the ins and outs of the illness.

“Like footballers and rugby players often try and play through a niggling injury I just wanted to keep playing golf but I learned a lesson from that and I know what to do now.

“Things really came to a head in a tournament in France where I was really ill.

“I was going to pull out of the following tournament at Loch Lomond but with it being in Scotland and after giving out tickets to 40 friends and family it wasn’t easy to miss.

“It was a learning curve for me and I should have perhaps reconsidered.”

During his four and a half months off the tee Gallacher worked hard in rehabilitation and he has paid tribute to the support he received.

He continued: “When the illness was at it’s worst there was a worry but after attending the Tour School it was reassuring to know I could get back to playing and go away again.

“I had good advice from John Wilson, a consultant at St John’s Hospital, who was fantastic.

“He was great and he kept everything running to plan and told me when to start training and hitting balls.

“I’ve had lots of support from local businesses.

“Alan Steele, Asset Management in Linlithgow are doing a couple of year deals with me.

“The shop Golf Poser are representing my clothing while I also represent Kingsfield Driving Range and have a deal with Lomond Audi.

“It is great and each are within two minutes of my home here in the town.

“You need a bit of backing as golf is an expensive game and I’ve been lucky with the companies I have and who have stuck by me.”

Now the Linlithgow-based golf ace has thrown himself into four-hour long daily practice sessions as he eyes a return to top form.

He added: “I have a big series of tournaments coming up in March but before then I’m heading over to Malaysia next week for the Maybank Malaysian Open.

“After that I have a week at home before a run of seven or eight tournaments in a row.

“I’ve been practising as hard as I’ve ever practiced to get back onto the top stage and be competitive in tournaments.

“I want to get back to winning things again as soon as I can.”