From diagnosis to champion: Scotland’s top senior amateur golf champ’s journey

Barely a year after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, 59-year-old Paul Moultrie has been crowned Scotland’s top senior amateur golfer. He was up against some of the country’s leading amateur players aged 50 and over. After an impressive run of performances, the Royal Troon stalwart won the 2024 Scottish Senior Order of Merit title.

‘I’ve been runner-up in the Order of Merit for the past four years in a row and came third last year. To come out on top for the first time this year of all years is really quite amazing for me’

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Paul was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May 2023 after a routine blood test. He hadn’t experienced any symptoms and only decided to get checked because several of his friends had been diagnosed with the most common cancer among men in the UK.

He began a two-year hormone therapy course at the end of 2023 and then underwent four weeks of radiotherapy. Incredibly, he ran the London Marathon only six days after completing his treatment, his fourth time in the event and certainly the most memorable.

To throw a spanner into the works, while preparing for the marathon Paul fell heavily and broke the Scaphoid bone in his hand, which prevented him from training properly because of the plaster cast on his wrist. But he persevered and in doing so raised more than £13,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. Paul had previously raised around £2,500 in donations for the charity by doing online Pilates for Golf sessions for his fellow members of the Scottish Senior Golf Society back in 2022.

Pilates and golf: How exercise helped Paul with his side effects of prostate cancer treatment

As a qualified Titleist Performance Institute fitness instructor and Body Control Pilates teacher, Paul had never considered himself to be injury prone. But on his way to victory in golf’s national Order of Merit race - as well as being treated for prostate cancer and a broken hand - he discovered he had a stress fracture in his right knee.

‘You could say that with all that going on, the odds were stacked against me’, said Paul. ‘While it was great that my prostate cancer was diagnosed early, I go through some of the side effects that radiotherapy and hormone therapy can bring, such as hot flushes, weight gain and loss of muscle mass. You sometimes feel that it's not your body anymore!’

Many of Paul’s golf Pilates clients who have also gone through these treatments have found that the Pilates classes have helped them reduce these side effects, and that their core strength and general flexibility have improved. He's grateful that he’s managed to maintain his physical activity through continuing to teach Pilates (as well as doing Pilates exercises himself) and playing lots of golf during his treatment. It has undoubtedly helped him to maintain his strength, mobility and competitiveness. Having said that, never did he think that this year, out of all years, he would win the Scottish Seniors Order of Merit!

Paul and his prostate cancer diagnosis

The retired Chartered Quantity Surveyor and founder of the Mind Body Golf fitness consultancy said: ‘I felt extremely fit and healthy when I was diagnosed. So, as you might imagine, it came as a major shock. Thankfully, though, the cancer has hopefully been caught before it could spread, and I’ve decided to make the most of the opportunity that the early diagnosis gave me.’

 When I was diagnosed and being as fit as I was then, I felt that it was important to share my story, so that other men would go and get checked. I’m glad that I did because several golfing buddies have now gone and got tested, and a few have been diagnosed. Thankfully they caught it early and their prognosis are good

Paul Moultrie Scottish Senior Order of Merit winner

‘Although I was pretty exhausted and fatigued after the radiotherapy in the earlier part of the season and the ongoing hormone therapy treatment plan, I was determined not to let bad luck get in the way of my main goal which was to retain my place in the Scotland international team.’

Winning the Order of Merit guaranteed that honour, the fifth year in succession that Paul has played for Scotland in both the European senior team championships and the Home Internationals, which this year took place in Bulgaria and Northern Ireland respectively.

Paul won the order of merit which included finishing fourth in the Scottish Senior Men’s Open Championship in June and followed that up with a tied eighth place in the British Senior Men’s Open Championship in July.

Paul said: ‘I am obviously delighted to have finally won the title and I hope that in some small way my success might offer some hope and inspiration to other men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

‘I would certainly encourage all men over the age of fifty, to be checked for prostate cancer. It’s a simple test and if caught early, the treatment can be very successful, and life can be good. It certainly is for me right now!’

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