Golfer hits hole-in-one on course he had heart attack on

A golfer whose life was saved by his club’s golf development officer in 2014 has hit a hole-in-one on the course he nearly died on.

Four years ago Danny Needham suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at Norwood Park Golf Centre in Nottinghamshire and could have died had the golf club not had a defibrillator, which delivers potentially life saving electric shocks to people who have just suffered from a heart attack.

Golf development officer saves life of golfer

The club had been given the machine by the East Midland Ambulance Service (EMAS) and British Heart Foundation in 2012 and staff received yearly training from EMAS.

The person who pressed the button on the machine was Jackie Macey, golf development officer at Norwood Park Golf Centre, and Danny was back playing golf within three months.

To complete his extraordinary recovery, Danny, almost four years to the day, hit a hole-in-one on the club’s 156 yard fifth hole.

“General manager, PGA Paul Thornton, presented the certificate and it was drinks all round,”said Jackie.

Back in 2014 Danny said: “Had it not been for the quick thinking members and staff who assisted me that day, the outcome for me may have been very different indeed.

“Words cannot express my and my family’s gratitude. I wish to urge all sporting facilities, especially golf clubs, to invest in a defibrillator.”

“Many others are not as fortunate as Danny,” said a club spokesman. “Each year 100,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrests in the UK, causing more deaths than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDs combined. CPR and early defibrillation with an AED (automated external defibrillator) can increase sudden cardiac arrest survival from five to over 50 per cent.”