Golf icon Charley Hull has vowed to stop smoking and will pay a £10,000 fine if she doesn’t stick to her word. The Brit is a much-loved member of the women’s tour and isn’t afraid to say it how it is.
However, it’s the sight of Hull smoking a cigarette on the golf course that has become synonymous with the 28-year-old. She is often snapped by photographers with a cig in her mouth – something she’s now keen to change.
Speaking on a social media video, the golf ace from Kettering explained: “Today, I have made the decision to stop smoking.”
Turning to her practice partner with a box of cigarettes in hand, she continued: “I’m going to give them to Ryan now. And I’m going to do a £10,000 bet with you, I get no money in it, if I pick up a cigarette in the next two months, I’ll give you £10,000. Deal?”
She then proceeded to shake the gentlemen’s hand to confirm the deal, before requesting the packet was chucked in the bin. He happily obliged, replying: “Okay… gone!”
Hull has proved a divisive figure in the world of golf, even admitting in the past that she already “can’t wait to retire”. She said in October last year: “Although I was born to play golf, and love it, I also can’t wait for the day when I retire and I can spend every day at home, settle down and have kids. That’s my goal in life. That would mean more to me than winning a major.”
On her training routine, she continued: “I don’t train for golf, I have zero interest in training for golf, I think golf training is a load of rubbish. I just train [running and gym work] because it’s good for my mental health and it’s good for me and I want to be an athlete not just a golfer. It’s like a hobby.”
As a result, it should come as no surprise her season goal for 2025 wasn’t golf related at all: “It’s not really a golf course goal, I want to try and get my 5k run down to 20 minutes by the end of the year.”
It’s an unconventional approach, but one which appears to be working for Hull, given she’s achieved seven professional wins in her career so far. Hull competes on both the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour.
