Charlie Crosby was told he’d never play golf again after a brain AVM rupture. Now he’s back, swinging on a practice range at The Belfry. And with Sir Nick Faldo as an impromptu coach, he couldn’t feel more motivated to return to the game he loves. A recent video shared by the DP World Tour on X showed Faldo giving swinging tips to Crosby.
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“There you go! Look at that! It’s a bit better there. Let’s see how much that’s done. Hang on to the angle, and you rotate to there. See there? Get me. There’s your golf swing. Very good, that’s better. That’s better. Seriously, yeah,” Faldo is telling Charlie Crosby.
“So see where your thumb is. Look at your thumb. So, it’s 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock, 2 o’clock. Get that, the clock? 12, 1, 2, you point your thumb at 2. And this side, 12, 11, 10, you point it at 10. So you just go, 2 o’clock, 10 o’clock with your thumb. Very good, that’s it. You can do short ones. 2 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock. And that’s the perfect golf swing! And when you get this strong, you’ll whack it! And you’ll give me 10% of the trophies! That (drill) will work, seriously!”
Crosby is returning to the sport nearly eight years later. His life had changed for the worse in June 2019 when he had collapsed at his girlfriend’s university flat. He was rushed to Barnet Hospital, where doctors detected a bleed in his brain via a CT scan, caused by a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) deep in the left side of his brain. At just 23, Crosby had to undergo emergency surgery, which lasted nearly eight hours. But his condition kept deteriorating, so much so that doctors had to put him in an induced coma. They feared he might not survive the weekend and informed his family to make preparations. But Crosby survived the coma. Now, recovery posed the challenge.
The bleed had left Crosby struggling to communicate and manage daily tasks—golf seemed impossible. But being the fighter that he is, he didn’t give up. After rehab, which included language therapy, neuro‑physio, and personal training, he started swinging independently. He now uses a mobility scooter to navigate courses, but can hit balls and play short formats.
The Husqvarna British Masters, held at the Belfry Hotel & Resort, is a regular DP World Tour stop. The tournament supports Golf for Good, the European Tour Group’s environmental and social sustainability pledge. But the British Masters is also working with the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) for disability golf activations. On August 24, 2026, EDGA ran three coaching clinics at The Belfry.
Crosby was at the event this time. As host, Nick Faldo understands health crises firsthand—he recently underwent open-heart surgery. He even spoke about it during the press conference ahead of the 2026 British Masters.
“If you want my brief story, I knew what was going on with me for about two decades. I had a large ascending aortic root coming out of the heart. I knew about it, and it went big — the numbers and size.”
Faldo underwent open-heart surgery for it in January 2026 and spent about two weeks in the hospital for recovery.
Charlie Crosby’s return to golf is a powerful example of resilience and determination. With support from people like Sir Nick Faldo and the wider golf community, Crosby now has another chance to pursue the game he loves.