Nick Edmund completes a golf-walk from Ancient Olympia to the Olympic Course at Costa Navarino
Nick Edmund, 4-time Head and Neck Cancer survivor and founder of Global Golf4 Cancer (GG4C) has completed his ‘Greek Golfing Odyssey’ and carried his clubs from storied Ancient Olympia to the spectacular Costa Navarino resort in the southwest Peloponnese of Greece.
With the Taygetus mountain range and Ionian Sea providing a captivating backdrop for much of his ‘golf-walk’, Nick’s 120 km journey took him from the 776 BC birthplace of the Olympics, via the ‘four Ks’ – Krestena, Kakovatos, Kalo Vero and Kyparissia – to Filiatra and Marathapoli, and finally on to Costa Navarino and Navarino Hills, venue of the world’s first International Olympic Academy Golf Course which opened in 2022.
On reaching his destination, Nick played the 4th hole with two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José María Olazábal, the designer of the acclaimed layout, his celebrated countryman and fellow Ryder Cup star Miguel Jimenez, and Matthias Nemes, Managing Director of Olazabal Design. The foursome then symbolically raised the Global Golf4 Cancer ‘4-Flag’ in honour of cancer fighters worldwide, and the flag flew on the 4th green for the duration of the ensuing Olazábal & Friends Charity Pro-Am tournament which took place on November 17-18.
Explaining the special significance of walking from Ancient Olympia to Costa Navarino’s Olympic Course, Nick said, “Since Global Golf4 Cancer’s mission is to encourage the golf community to ‘pick up the baton’ and support cancer fighters and cancer fighting organisations in whatever way possible, I cannot imagine a more inspiring or appropriate place to help convey this than Ancient Olympia and its adjacent landscape. Just as Olympians have the opportunity to ‘carry a torch,’ so golfers can ‘fly the flag’ for a cause... I may be a little biased, but I am not sure if there is a more important cause than the battle against cancer.”
Peter Walton, CEO of IAGTO, a founding partner of Global Golf4 Cancer, commented: “IAGTO has supported GG4C since its inception, and we believe in the enormous impact the global golfing community can make to help bring cures closer for a disease that affects one in four of us. I have lost count of the vast distances Nick has covered, both ‘golf-walking’ and travelling throughout the world these past six years to help spread that message, and this ‘Greek Odyssey’ is yet another milestone. The support of José María Olazábal / Olazabal Design, Miguel Jimenez, and three-time IAGTO Award winning Costa Navarino is tremendous, and greatly appreciated.”
Note to Editors
Nick Edmund has undertaken a number of previous ‘golf-walks’ to help spread awareness of Global Golf4 Cancer. These have included a campaign-launching 2,000 km trek around the entire west coast of Ireland in 2017, a golf-walk ‘from Turnberry to Royal Dornoch via St Andrews’ in 2019, and a ‘golfing pilgrimage’ along a stretch of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain in 2021 – a venture that began with his playing the 4th hole (and flying the flag) at Real Golf Club de San Sebastian with José María Olazábal, and concluded with his raising the Global Golf4 Cancer flag at Real Club de Pedrena with members of the Ballesteros family and the Seve Ballesteros Foundation.
