By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Allison (Farrell) Cooney loves playing golf, and she it is always on her bucket list to play golf in different countries. She recently won a contest that allows her to be doing just that…”But what makes it really special is this time I will be able to be able to do it with my Dad,” she said.
Cooney won the contest that was sponsored by Women’s Golf Digest and Carr Golf, through the social media platform Instagram that will send her and her Dad, Ron Farrell of Geneseo, on a trip to Kerry, Ireland, in July, where they will be playing golf at the Dooks Golf Club and the Waterville Golf Links.
“We won the contest to receive an all-expense paid entry into the tournament,” Cooney said, “But in Ireland, we will be competing against 35 father-daughter duos from six different countries.”
Golf has long been a big part of the Farrell family as parents, Ron and Lisa Farrell, and sister, Ashley, are avid golfers.
After graduating from GHS in 2012, Cooney earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business in Supply Chain Management from Western Illinois University, Macomb, before joining the work force in 2016. She also was on the golf team at Western.
While a student at GHS, Cooney played on the golf team and earned a spot at State in her senior year where she placed in the top 25 golfers.
She was the assistant golf coach at GHS from 2016 until 2023, when she and her husband, Robert Cooney, moved to North Carolina, where they live near Raleigh. She continues to play golf recreationally and said she and her husband play golf together several times a week.
In addition to playing golf, she also volunteers at a local golf course with the First Tee program…”I am helping teach five and six-year-olds skills they can use on the golf course as well as in life,” she said.
Allison’s Entry in Golf Contest – Why She Wanted to Play Golf with Her Dad in the Event
“At the age of 8 my Dad introduced me to the game of golf and sparked a life long passion. He has always, and will always, be my favorite golf partner. He started as my swing coach, and over time, those roles have reversed. I played college golf. 80 collegian rounds and my Dad never missed a swing. Since those days we've completed our "Spectator Grand Slam" to watch all four of the Men's Majors together. The feat was achieved at St. Andrews where my Dad took me on a golf trip of a lifetime to Scotland. I have since moved away from our hometown to pursue my dream of working in the golf industry. This means fewer rounds of golf together but makes the rounds we get that much more meaningful. Golf is much more than a game to both of us, but a way of life. Watching, playing, working, coaching - golf is always at the center of what we do together. Winning this would allow me to give my Dad just a small piece of what he has given me these past 20 years.”