Today's episode takes you on a captivating journey through the vibrant life of TJ Ford, a passionate golfer with compelling stories to share. We kick off with a look back at TJ's early sporting days - from his golf-infused upbringing to his rugby pursuits in secondary school, and ultimately, his transition back to golf following college.
We then delve into the exciting yet challenging world of competitive amateur golf. Hear firsthand accounts from TJ about the sheer thrill and pressure of competing in the Senior Cup, and how his golfing career path was shaped. We explore the tricky task of scheduling, and the impact this has on the participation of top players. But it's not all about the competition; we also discuss the significance of playing tournaments with friends and the joy of victory in the Senior Cup.
Lastly, we tackle the topic of golf course maintenance for major championships, a subject that TJ holds dear. Listen to his experiences from a greenkeeping convention, the challenges faced in general course upkeep, and the unique atmosphere of the South of Ireland Championship. We'll also touch on the Irish Amateur Championship's change of location owing to weather conditions and what the future holds for golf in Ireland. Join us for this riveting conversation with TJ Ford, and get a glimpse into the enthralling world of golf.
Follow amateur info
https://instagram.com/irish_amateur_golf_info?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Today's episode takes you on a captivating journey through the vibrant life of TJ Ford, a passionate golfer with compelling stories to share. We kick off with a look back at TJ's early sporting days - from his golf-infused upbringing to his rugby pursuits in secondary school, and ultimately, his transition back to golf following college.
We then delve into the exciting yet challenging world of competitive amateur golf. Hear firsthand accounts from TJ about the sheer thrill and pressure of competing in the Senior Cup, and how his golfing career path was shaped. We explore the tricky task of scheduling, and the impact this has on the participation of top players. But it's not all about the competition; we also discuss the significance of playing tournaments with friends and the joy of victory in the Senior Cup.
Lastly, we tackle the topic of golf course maintenance for major championships, a subject that TJ holds dear. Listen to his experiences from a greenkeeping convention, the challenges faced in general course upkeep, and the unique atmosphere of the South of Ireland Championship. We'll also touch on the Irish Amateur Championship's change of location owing to weather conditions and what the future holds for golf in Ireland. Join us for this riveting conversation with TJ Ford, and get a glimpse into the enthralling world of golf.
Follow amateur info
https://instagram.com/irish_amateur_golf_info?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Okay, welcome back to the next episode of the Irish and podcast this week. I'm joined by TJ Ford. Tj, welcome, how are you? Great Thanks for having me. No water at all, and so before we kind of get into what life for TJ is like, no, let's go back to the start a little bit, tj. So when did you take up to give?
Speaker 2:I've played golf for as long as I can remember. Really we are a sort of golfing family. I suppose you could say my granddad would have played a lot. He would have been my granny captains of Galway Golf Club. My uncle is the pro in Galway Bay. Dad would have played senior cup and a couple of inter pros and stuff as well, so it's sort of always been there. There's photos of me at home playing you know what's? Our six golf clubs in the hand from kind of three years old. So okay, just always been in the family as a young fella then.
Speaker 1:So we'll say you're a con up man and I know there's a bit of a rugby background, which as well. So what was the first love like was a golf or a rugby. I think you were kind of more into rugby as a young girl. Yeah, it was, it was, it was probably golf growing up.
Speaker 2:But I would have been, you know, no different to probably any of the kids or any of the people that have been on this podcast. You know playing a lot of sports growing up. You know, from the playground to school or whatever kind of whatever ball you could get your hands on playing that for the day. And so I would have played, like you know, a bit of guy, soccer, golf, but sort of golf was always sort of, I suppose, the main sport. Okay, I would have played a bit with dad and stuff like that growing up. But the rugby kind of didn't start until I went to secondary school and even then it wasn't. I wasn't good at it until probably third year so I didn't kind of start taking it seriously then. But yeah, I suppose golf was golf was definitely first love and then rugby kind of took over for a few years towards the end of school and then kind of golf came back to us once. I was no good at rugby again.
Speaker 1:So the rugby one was kind of a bit of hiatus in the middle and I was like, as you said, like a lot of people I'll have on the podcast and even myself included, like we are going to throw a hand at a lot of things, particularly being Irish, like you kind of some size ball in your hand at different stages in life, Like so I was a school where you kind of found out about rugby like was it a school sport or was it like outside of?
Speaker 2:that. No, it was a school thing. So I went to Sago grammar school. There was sort of a compulsory rugby thing for the first couple of years. Yeah, so like as part of PE or whatever. You would have played a bit and I never, I never took a huge amount of interest in it. And then junior, third, I was sort of okay. I just kind of it just kind of clicked in my head for a while or whatever. I was on a conical panel then for a few years and that looked like two or three days a week in Galway during the summer. So that kind of took every week. That kind of took a lot of a lot of golf time out of it. I would have still played like any of the boys stuff or underage stuff as much as I could.
Speaker 2:But for sort of those last four years of school, rugby was, was you know what I was enjoying the most, I suppose? Well, I said like I went to college off two or three or something like that. So I was still. I was still playing, you know, whenever I was home, fred Daly and things like that. But yeah, I just enjoyed it. I'll be like I was never at and I was never going to make it around and you know I just enjoyed. It was great being up in Galway for staying in a hostel with 40 lads over the summer and you know it was just a really enjoyable time.
Speaker 1:You know a bit of a bit of growing up to be done in a bit of a bit of correct, I suppose. And so boys got teacher, like you said. Like, as you said you've played a lot like so. And Fred Daly, you kind of mentioned team stuff. We definitely get on to at some point. But what was your kind of boys career Like? Was it like? Did you play many boys championships? I was a little bit of interclub stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I played. I played as many as I could. I would have played. I was on an Irish and before team panel. So when I was 13, I had I had an OK year, as that goes. Like I won the under 13 section of the Lester under 15s trophy. I finished runner up in a couple of other of those.
Speaker 2:So I like I wasn't, I was OK David Brady and I mean so I was always been great for junior golf. There's been like a constant stream of whether it be internationals or interpro players and so like. When I was growing up David Brady was like one of the best junior golfers in the world. He'd he'd came third in the world, kind of we wonders event. So you start and slide on and you go to see Russell and you go to St Andrews and then you go to Pinehurst and he'd finished third in Pinehurst. So like I suppose I always thought I was never as good as him and at that age I don't think you really realize how good kind of he kind of just thought that he was. You know he was excellent but I never kind of considered myself and something special.
Speaker 1:So like you're going to say nothing special, like getting an Irish panel isn't easy, like regardless of what age we get there. So like I suppose confidence from it is kind of always going to be great. But like I suppose it does coincide with the kind of back end of like if you're saying on the 14 panel we're almost like you're then leading into, will be taken over for a couple of years at the same time. So it's a bit of a bit of a balance and active for you very early on I suppose, looking at sport and maybe specializing in them, while trying to kind of keep the love of board airfire, which is never going to be an easy thing to do. But so like we say from the Irish panel line for the next couple of years does go back into the ruby. And then you go to me and you mentioned that they're plus kind of two or three.
Speaker 2:No, two or three, not not plus.
Speaker 1:Oh, sorry, off two or three. Still a very, very respectable handicap, particularly back when it was the old style handicap. So you're probably a plus two if you were a two back then anyway. So we give it a benefit of that.
Speaker 2:That's another conversation.
Speaker 1:That's a complete one. We're on an awful rabbit hole on them, yeah. But going to minute, like did you go to minute? I suppose, first off, for those that don't know, minute is kind of the premier golf college in Ireland Then, and like you were kind of much, very much into rugby, this point, so did you go to minute with the hopes of playing golf? There I was studies only basically.
Speaker 2:No, it was. It was with the hopes of playing golf. So I didn't get picked on the on the connet under 18 or 19 team that year so I decided I was just going to go back into golf, kind of you know, full time. So you know, got myself a new set of clubs and applied for minute and got it, got in. I was on no scholarship, I was nowhere near scholarship, yeah. So I would have known there was a couple of lads already in minutes.
Speaker 2:David Brady was there I mentioned. Sean Flanagan was there, both Sligo men. They really enjoyed it and it just looked like a great place to be. So I went up. I joined the carton house off my own back. When I got up there, but was sort of because I knew Sean and a few of the lads, they kind of brought me into the golfing circle so I got to play and practice with them, you know, whenever they were going, get lifts out to the club and stuff like that. So like thrown into, like who was then at the top of you know, the Irish golfing scene? Like I mentioned Sean, but there was, like you know, stuart Brown and Robin Dawson and Ronan Mulirney, eugene Smith, like there was eight lads there that were, you know, sort of top of whatever players in the country, so just started losing money to them regularly and kind of started to get better from there, I suppose.
Speaker 1:Money is a great incentive, doesn't it? You've got to be losing it, like at that caliber of player around you, it's never going to be. There's no hand-me-downs there, like there's no feeling sorry for you, like you have to earn it, don't you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, especially when you don't have it, it's sort of you know, more incentivisable, trying not to lose it, but I lost a lot of it.
Speaker 1:It's a good way to learn pressure, isn't it? Go out and play for money that you don't have. Like you can see how you get on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and it was always kind of low stakes, like time for a five or whatever, but, like for me, the big thing was just being around those lads and seeing how good they were and kind of the process that they went through.
Speaker 2:So it was brilliant and then like that year had a decent year, say for me, or that summer, and then was brought on to sort of a lower tier scholarship in Manute. I was probably lucky that a lot of those lads finished up in Manute, that there was a few spots going and then, you know, you kind of get exposed to some coaching and some practice days, brought to some overseas events and stuff. So I think if you want to get better, there's sort of no reason why you wouldn't in Manute than I know. Like it's the states is a very interesting prospect for kids coming up nowadays, as it should be. Like it's 100%. It's a different world, like you know. But I think if you're a home bird, like Manut is the best option, probably within within GBB, and I definitely yeah, so when did you end up in Manut?
Speaker 1:What year are we talking about?
Speaker 2:I think it was 2015-16. Okay, yeah, took a gap year after school and then went then.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then so Will said, whichever one of the years it was. So you mentioned your Slaigo home club. Really good club for him reading golfers. So 2016, you went.
Speaker 2:Senior cup yeah that was my first year in Manut. Yeah, so it would have been that September. I would have just started.
Speaker 2:Yeah that was unreal. I was, you know, as as good at golfing memory as I have to be honest, my first time, like I remember that, the start of that senior cup campaign, I was not the team. Yeah, like I said, I was playing off two or three and then I'd started kind of playing a little bit better and went through and won. I got I didn't, so I didn't get picked for the qualifying conics. It's slightly different to do some stroke play qualifying and then tap four teams into match play. So I didn't play the stroke play and then I started playing a little bit better. So so played the match playing, sort of won all my matches and like that was a big thing for me at that stage, you know, being unbeaten in a senior cup winning team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, massive.
Speaker 2:And like, yeah, I think that gave me a lot of confidence and then kind of kicked on from there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like, as you said, like it's something that I always find interesting, particularly with the club stuff, is that like slug going? Like, to be fair, they still like there's probably not a club in the country. Well, it's one of three or four, let's call it like we're. It's so steeped in the history of amateur golf like the West has been held over every year we chat a little bit about that in a second and obviously there was more amateur tournaments that go on. So like I think they have five or six senior cups. Just from kind of looking over stuff recently, like to give them back a penance like like penance are kind of massive, particularly for clubs that like support our golfers like, so like that. Yeah, as you said, like it must have been a very special memory for us.
Speaker 2:Yeah big time, yeah, big time, and like dad would have won senior cups and Barton Shields and then he won a few. So he was captain of the team in 2013 that won. So even like for me, growing up and seeing kind of how much that meant, like it's back in the day, senior couple was like it's still huge and it's, you know, as I said, one of the highlights of my golfing career. But back in the day it was sort of the being all the end, all you know, and like Irish teams were probably picked off the back of senior cup campaigns to a point back then. So it was always something that you know meant a lot to me and that adds up on the team obviously 100% and I think like even that, like Irish teams being picked off again, team stuff.
Speaker 1:I think you've probably heard I don't know if you listen to podcast, I mean morning about the interpros being moved and luckily enough it's moved back again. But I think I come from a team environment background and I always think like that's a very important part of what I get. Golf is very much an individual sport but he was a slightly different, but there's definitely more like I suppose, looking at it like from your kind of perspective, like there is definitely becoming more of a shift to like the individual result over the team stuff in the last number of years, which is it's golf, it's kind of the way it's going, but it's it's a massive pity for like amateur golf, really like there's nothing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. It is. I suppose there's kind of a big push towards the professional game and like the working amateur is sort of not a huge thing anymore, like a lot of kids are growing up now with the ambition of going pro and and playing pro golf. So yeah, individual it's definitely, it's definitely going that way, which is a shame. I mean, like individual trophies are brilliant, but the track that you have in a team environment and doesn't matter what sport it is is it's sort of unparalleled. You know it's hard to beat definitely 100%.
Speaker 1:So, like winning senior clubs, then you, you're going to become very much involved in teams over the next couple of years and, like, as you said, you break onto men who just, probably the year after, I'd seen a couple in kind of in their votes. So I spoke to a couple of people that have been in college in America but, like, I suppose you're the first person that's been to me and news on the pilot, so like for anyone in Ireland thinking about going to me and what would be your, your pitch to them if, if they were to come there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I said, I think if you're, if you're a home bird, like if you're a golfer and you're a home bird, it's, I would say it's probably the only option. To be honest, it's yeah, and like it's, it is a great option. So you've obviously got the facilities at Carton House available to you, which are among the best in the country. You've got some of the best coaches in the country there in in. You know Noel Fox and I'm not 100% sure who's still there, but Johnny Foster and Donal Scott, I think we're still involved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like, you've got all the, all the nutrition talks, all the physio, all the gym, like it's, it's whatever, whatever you want. And you've got a group of lads you know what, probably 10 lads and girls who are in a similar place that are trying to get better. You know you're, you're, you're with them and competing against them constantly. So, like the weather the weather in Ireland is obviously tough. They've brought in. So the RNA series now is great. So you get to go to Spain and Portugal, I think a couple of times during the winter minute, always do a like a training camp in Portugal around January, february time every year. So you are getting a bit of warm weather training. Yeah, like I said, if you're, if you want to stay at home, or even if you don't like it's, it's, it's definitely an option. You know it's a great option.
Speaker 1:So TJ going in to main out as a golfer, so playing off two or three to TJ coming out like what? What was the benefits to your progression?
Speaker 2:and I would you reckon, but like I, like I had access to all of those things that.
Speaker 2:I said and they're amazing. But I think for me the big thing was just playing with golfers that are, that are better than me and that were beating me. You know, like my last year at college I was living with healing rafferty anal griffin, Rona Malarney and Jordan Hood I've said this a few times before, but we play our hall and our apartment was, you know, probably 30 feet long and we have putting competitions closest to the door at the end for who had to make the tea or who had to make the dinner that evening. So, like you know, it's sort of it's constant. You know, like you're, you can constantly be getting better and I think that was that was, you know, huge. Like I remember it was one night out even.
Speaker 2:I went into Dublin and then the taxi home. This was my first year. I was in a taxi with Gary Hurley and Paul Dunn and Stuart Robin, sean Flanagan, and like those people were at the peak of their powers, like legends of Irish golf at that time, and like I was in awe. I remember texting dad saying I'm in a taxi with these lads, you know, and me at the time. That was unbelievable.
Speaker 1:And I think that's like, that's it. And like even back to the first part of the question, actually, like the selling point, like if you'd like this is selling point, like you can kind of almost come back to that. It's like, regardless of the time you're going to be there, in minute in particular, you're going to be with, like some of the Star Wars, the Star Wars of Irish golf, like at the time or in the years to come, like, and it's like it does seem to churn out champions, like you've mentioned a number of people here that have either gone into the pro game or still not going to the end game and still doing extremely well. Like you know, there does seem to be that level of competition up there. And again, like even the group that's in there at the moment, they're competing the championships and like it's definitely something that's to be like. For people within the country that are looking at it is definitely a very valuable option.
Speaker 1:Something that's become important to you over the last number of years as well is the pros and team environment, the conduct, slay, go, that kind of whole. There's a nice bunch of you there. I suppose is probably the best way of me putting it to you, but like, so like. You became very much a very strong force, and that over the last number of years. So how did you enjoy your time at Interpro? It's not that it's finished yet. No, anybody engaged. You think you're retiring from it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's brilliant. It's brilliant, it's just a great week it's. You know 20 or however many lads in a hotel, like mingling with each other, playing, usually good golf courses for your province, you know it's, it's. It's always been a great week it's. It's obviously struggled a little bit in the last few years.
Speaker 2:It's hard to it's. I think it's hard to avoid it. Like, if you look at the golf island calendar that came out last week, like they are running events from the start of March to the start of November. You know, and I think sometimes we can like as a league golfers or whatever, whatever you want to call us, like it's it's easy to get caught up in that bubble and think that the calendar should start with us and revolve around us and it's so.
Speaker 2:It's so hard for, like, I'm not envious and golf island, you know there's things obviously that can improve and stuff like that. But it's so hard to try and kind of come up with solutions when you think of, you know, when you take everything in the whole ecosystem and try and come up with answers but and like look, it's great, it's, it's are we wanting to propose a few years ago, I think, kind of it was the fourth time. Kind of everyone won it and it was. You know, it was unbelievable, it was. There was definitely a sense of that history and like, yeah, it's brilliant, it's a great week.
Speaker 1:Like it's a massive week and I think that's it Like, even like my slight, if you want to call it that, even as just maybe the timing of it. I don't that's never to take away from the event, like I've been to one or two and like again chatting to yourself last year at one, like even people in Henry's games, the passion for the event is there, particularly once you get to the event and I think, like for players of your caliber and others like to kind of schedule Life, work, depending on what it is, where you're a full-time amateur, are you work. To try to schedule everything in and make everything work Isn't easy and that also applies to golf Ireland. This was like a very clear about that part. I think I got it where.
Speaker 1:Question the last day, kind of saying like what, what should they do different? Like, as you said, there is a calendar for March to pretty much October and like there's still some championships Don't have courses, and that's not because they haven't been trained, it's just it's. It's so hard it is to get all these places to, to give up time and to do it. But it's gone back before homes this year and I would love to kind of I'd love for, like the Irish letters to say Look, lads, is going to be a spot available at the back of inter pause if someone performs over the skin and again make certain people turn up that maybe haven't in the last number of years because of other commitments. Let's call it yeah, 100%. Like I don't think people are turning up because of lack of commitment to kind of Monster or wherever it may be.
Speaker 1:Like that's not what it's about, it's just about it's the reward at the end of the journey. I suppose is what it's all about. And as you said, you win it like a further 40 for chronic. But again it's like so you win senior cup, but like I suppose you're home friends, let's call it. And then like to do what kind of quit like lads that you you pretty much sold your own through the year with. Jack would have been there and Dave and stuff like you. Like you play a champ chips at him. You meet him a lot, so that again that must have been very nice in a slightly different way. A fire like yeah, I was.
Speaker 2:It was brilliant and it's probably the funny one in that like you win it and it's unbelievable, and then everyone gets in the car and they go yeah, you know, have a memory ever many different directions. So there's no like a celebration or it's just, it's a funny. It's kind of a funny how it works after, but yeah, it's, it's as I said, it's a great week, like comic tab their name on that trophy now for forever and We've been close a few times before and since. So hopefully we can, you know, we can look at a couple more. But yeah, I think, as you said, with the scheduling, like like I didn't play it this year and like just because I had, I had no annual leave days left, and Like, as you said, with the, because there is no clear, like there's no home spot of programs. There's no like.
Speaker 2:I remember when it was was on its lago and could have been 20, 11 I don't know what your was it was, but anyway it was when boys and men's were on at the same time, 2011. Yeah, and, and it was a player for Connor to would have not been close to the boys team and then one six out of six I was picked on the team, you know, and it just feels like that, probably because the best players aren't there because of scheduling, like that's not, that's not an option at the moment. So hopefully it was kind of. It's just kind of go back that direction and I think a change of date is probably a good step in the right direction.
Speaker 1:And I guess the thing and I suppose like it is a big part of the ecosystem, which is why it comes up, often off from the top and water, like I'm not fascinated by you, either one we are doing or it just comes up because it's a massive factory, because system that right I believe anyway has a massive, should have a bigger pattern potentially will go on forward. But so that's kind of in around. We say between kind of up until about 2020. I think it's kind of Is when all this kind of kicks off 2021, tj and the south. It's a kind of. There's a bit of a full circle down in the intro. You know we'll get to the back end of it like, but let's talk to so for a minute like so Okay, before we get to the south, actually let's talk west and then we'll go into the south.
Speaker 1:So you're from slago. There's two championships in Ireland left, like an artist going to full stroke. Then also there's two kind of like match, player bracket, amateur tournaments, if you want to call them kind of left you have the west and the south. So a man from slago, how much like, how much pressure, as I knew, every March, april, to kind of perform up there. Internally I suppose.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there'd be a lot, of, a lot of pressure internally and Externally. There wouldn't be. I mean, there's always kind of people that want to talk to you about it and stuff and that I suppose it it doesn't help, but for me, like it would be, it's like up to very top of what I want to know. There's Barry Anderson, one of the few years ago and was obviously beating the final last year and like I'm so jealous of you know that experience for him and I was close in 2021 at one point year here one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I probably didn't realize how close I was at the time. I was within a couple of shots. I was when it was stroke play. So yeah, it's I don't know, hopefully at the end of my when I stopped playing golf. That won't kind of haunt me, but I don't think anyone's gonna catch you that here. Anyway, he was playing unbelievable and the weather was so bad and but yeah, it's a, it's a huge, it's a huge week for sligo and you know it feels like people who don't play golf come out to watch the final of the West. Yeah, from all parts of sligo and Easter weekend, you know, historically, all of the pubs you know have been closed on you know, over that weekend. You know the holy days and the golf club would be open and there would just be an amazing buzz around the place, yeah, and so yeah, I mean end of March this year who knows what kind of stuff we're gonna get and but yeah, it's here that I look forward to and it's the first, first thing to win to the diary of a year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like it's the one that kicks off and it was like the reason.
Speaker 1:I kind of kind of chat, chatcha, but like there's very few players well, I suppose I've come across very few players that like are very Consistent or really kind of up there that have a chance of winning it a championship at home, and I was on a regular basis, yeah, and that's kind of it definitely brings like its own it's on added kind of pressure to it and like sligo, I said a plenty like you could be, you could be any score coming through 13 and all of a sudden it's just over, like, whether you have anything to do with it or not, you just turn into that. If there's a scale coming down from 18 down to 14, at the time you turn into it, it's kind of a shout, here we go a kind of yeah, big time. So like it's definitely For someone like you, it's gonna be one of the harder ones, just I suppose, to deal with your own pressures. But just the weather factor is just saying it's so it's kind of so mad up there really is not yeah, big time, big time.
Speaker 2:And, as I said, but Easter so early next year, who knows what we're gonna be in store for. But yeah, and it's tough. It's tough for the golf club as well, Like it's tough. It's so so much pressure on the greenkeepers to have the court in good condition at that time of the year. So I'm glad actually that the Irish arm is there next year, yeah, and you know, a little bit later on the year, so that people can sort of experience how good sligo is when the weather is decent and there's a bit of run on the ball and that kind of stuff. Yeah, and but, jen, I'm looking forward to it. I haven't. I haven't heard anything about format have you.
Speaker 1:No, it's not officially at either, or like it's not decided. So basically it's hard then we're the committee meeting this week to kind of decide To finalize it and yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I hope, I hope it goes back to the original format. Yeah, I think everybody does, to be honest, yeah, like it's too early in the year for stroke play and so, yeah, like the top 16 thing.
Speaker 2:I mean I'm mostly biased, like I'm 17th there two years ago and but I, I just I don't. I think it's too small a cut and tired to be people interested. And yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with two rounds 64. No, like the best player should get through anyway. And Now, having said that, like I think they obviously did it, they did it for wager. I don't know if that made any difference. I find it so hard to understand that stuff. But and then obviously the to kind of try and get the top players through. And I said they probably did that like the the first year at top 16, it was like proper match after proper match. Yeah, I don't know, I just hope it goes back.
Speaker 1:It's just too hard. I think everyone is kind of particularly players that play in it, people that watch it regularly enough. With Heli, like, as you said, and I remember watching, I kind of walked in the back in that kind of wrong way. You came 17th and there's a lot, a lot of good golf there for like no reward, realistically, like to be 17th above and slow, go through 54 holes in the conditions and again that's kind of the swell. You've got cotton, one damn swells on top and coming in from 14 and like a lot of players do. But like I remember kind of watching it going like this is insane stuff. Like even last year I kind of backed up standing on 17 at a point last year going I think I said this last week what are you doing here? You're cloned, like there's just water. It wasn't even rain anymore, it was just water. Like you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:But you mentioned the Greens team up there, tj, and like definitely something I've seen. Like to be fair, the one thing players will never complain about up there is the condition of the place and I know you're saying it's going to be better for the Irish hand, but it must be such a hard job to do, though, like that green up in the second. Remember, like the player was called when I got up there this year, the wind was so high like it's just like to keep them at the level you require them, but also keep them playable in the wind. Like that's a challenge in itself as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then to not do any damage, like for the for the rest of the year, like it's a yeah, it's tough job. I'm not envious, I was actually. I was over in Royal Liverpool or in Liverpool last week at a Greenkeeping convention with some of the Greenkeepers in the Hinch, brian and body and over the links club meeting. Some of it was like listening to Mandarin for me, like I don't know. I'm not a Greenkeeper so I don't know some of the language, but like the one thing that I came away from it was like to just shut up and just stop talking about the condition of a golf course Because like I have no idea what goes into it and like it's so hard, it's such a difficult job for them. So, yeah, to try and have it in really good shape but not do any damage for the visitors that are about to arrive. And for the rest of the year it's yeah, it's a job I'm not envious of, but it's something that they seem to put out of the bag every year.
Speaker 1:In fairness, you know it's massive Like it's something that like again, a championship golf like for everybody, regardless of course, like it's generally going to be a week out of your year Like you have to, there is a balancing act where you want to present the best course possible for the championship and also kind of keep it for the people that are coming after the championship, and it's something looking at courses is like we do it really well as well. It's just like I always kind of make a bit to kind of chat to a Greenkeeper just walking around, just kind of there's no one knows how the place is playing better than the Greenkeepers like and you kind of a chat with them like and like every one of them, like the pride that they have in like presenting a product, regardless of like whether elements like, and that's kind of something. I think that is can be overlooked a lot of the time. We're like every golfer, regardless of level, we walk off a course and we complain about it being bad a lot faster than we will about it being good All this green why I'm fast enough or I think wasn't excellent, you know, and it's not like everyone does their bit but Slago do put massive time and effort into the West like and amateur golfers. We kind of said so look, before we kind of go back into the south for you, let's talk to you.
Speaker 1:I wish I'm this year we kind of skip forward with just because we're on the Slago topic, but it's a massive investment for a golf club to give up two big weeks in a year. Like I know we're saying the West is early but it's still a big week in the air. Yeah, you're now going to have to deal with, I suppose, all of the members potentially being happy and happy that the the Irish I'm is coming and like divide by gotten so far as everyone is happy. Like I remember when it was kind of being announced, I was getting loads of messages from people from Slago kind of saying what this is going to be like, kind of similar to what you said actually will show up. Yes, our course, even better again. So what is the vibe in Slago like for the Irish I'm?
Speaker 2:funny. I don't get home as much as I as I'd like to like. I think I've played Slago maybe twice since the West this year. The club has such a massive history in amateur golf, obviously with the West it's hosted homes it's hosted or any events. It's like we just love amateur golf and there's a real sense of pride around that. So any event that we can get, especially the big ones, you know, it's definitely welcomed because I think like there's a part of it as well, kind of West Coast of Ireland kind of content to get overlit, overlooked. I think that's changing a bit now. But anytime we can bring people to our course and showcase what we have and, you know, get them, give them a positive experience and have them talking about it whenever they go home. You know it's an investment that's worth. That's worth doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know it's definitely going to be interesting to see it as well as a little bit later, because I do. I do think, look, it's Ireland, we could get anywhere to back in the March for 40 to weekend. We could get anywhere for the, for the Irish Amp, like a member, the island not last year or the year before. It was winder and I've seen her ever in the West. I know you've probably seen her worse since live would end in, but it's as bad as I've seen. And, of course, up until the north this year. Actually the north was crazy this year and I know they're completely different conversation. That one we moved and we'll probably leave that one alone.
Speaker 1:But we moved to 2021, dj and a massive year for you in on a couple of fronts. And let's talk to South first. I suppose does rewards come from the south? So we will start there. So the hinge so we're talking the West and, as I said, there's two kind of major kind of match play events left us and probably the two, like the four provincial championships, are probably looked at very differently from players, kind of like their, their massive like you know, like the six majors, like is what your class in Ireland. So the hinge. What was your history with the hinge before 2021?
Speaker 2:like and so, like 2021 was was my my breakout year, I'd say I'm obviously coming off the back. I hadn't play. I might have started playing championships sort of 2016. I probably wasn't good enough to get into a few of them, and and then 2017 and 18 sort of progressed, a little bit, like I think, like I started out missing every cut.
Speaker 2:And then the next year you might make two cuts and then the next year you might make a handful of cuts and then you finished up 20 and then you kind of you know, it was very much like steps for me. And then there was, however long two years without, without championships with COVID or a year and so like. When I to answer your question, my history and age wasn't great. Okay, I played south a handful of times and then there'd been a wet or delay and called off one of the times. So like never, the golf was never great, but like it's by far the most social championship.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know a lot of people staying locally, a lot of people go for a pint after the round, and you know you'd meet up with people and have a chat in the pub or whatever, which you don't get at other championships, and so like, obviously I'm biased, but I'd be interested to hear what other people sort of ranked them. Everyone has their own preferences, but like for me, like the west is the pinnacle for me, just because it's like oh, and then I'd say the south is probably the most prestigious isn't the right word. But I think if you ask people what championship did like to win, I'd say the south is probably.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so called as a special place to people like it's all the things you just said. It's the vibe as much as the golf course is beautiful and the people is the people that make that one like you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's brilliant. It's brilliant, we call this.
Speaker 1:So you get kind of again you progress through the stroke they don't do. So you get into master and they can again like let's call it the truest form of amateur golf, if you want to call it match play, kind of one on one kind of battling. So I'm guessing, like at this point, as you're progressing through matches, you are starting to know lean on like senior cup records, kind of interpro records, like like how are you feeling kind of getting into the last, let's say the semi final, for sort of last day of it? Can you remember?
Speaker 2:much of it I can. Yeah, it was. It was completely, you know, uncharted territory for me, and the previous my best match play result before that was, I think, beaten in the third round of the close by Sean Vannegan and Bali Bunyan. I feel like, as I said, you know, new, newfound ground for me. And I remember I didn't have accommodation books, so I stayed above a pub in Midtown Malbe, in like a kit that night and I remember thinking, like what am I doing? Like is this really worth it? I'm staying in a pub cancelling, but it's boiling.
Speaker 2:But then it was just, yeah, as I started playing, I just played really well. I just like I'd come off, I'd say practicing really hard and 2020 with COVID, like I had I probably done more practice than I ever have. There was a net in the garage because you couldn't play couldn't play golf the most of it, yeah, like there was a net in the in the garden sorry, just beating balls, doing a lot of indoor putting, just because there was nothing else to do. You know you couldn't leave the house. And then, like, there's very much a case of like you get good at what you do often and I just beg of practice more often than yeah or so I played really well all the 2021. But, yeah, progressing through it, yeah, just leaning on whatever experience I had, but just kind of playing, playing good golf, which I think is the most important thing 100%.
Speaker 1:So it's actually looking back to you recently and it's kind of it kind of that coincides with pretty much around the start to win the page came about. I remember it was following, trying to follow what was going on below there. So it kind of got into like amateur golf, maybe just a little bit earlier, and that again after back a call without nothing to do and certain people were able to play golf around the place and it all kind of tracking will say John Murphy and stuff over in America, and then they kind of mark was there and blah, blah, blah. So you kind of and that's viral and obviously then like just people here, so like friends of mine that's happy playing championships and it's like Finding a hair to get information.
Speaker 1:So I remember kind of following that match closely I wasn't down to know, to be fair, because I was kind of following a close and I kind of start what I do not after because, again, information around this stuff is hard to get a lot of the time and that do it really well and in certain in certain ways. But I remember kind of following it along and kind of like I money really getting into this whole, kind of like in depth analysis, if you want to call it a venture golf in 2021, when you were breaking out and I kind of like watching, so you like you play Allen Fahey in the final. I think you're a couple of after nine from memory and they got. What point does the hands shake that you kind of know what's getting close like?
Speaker 2:Well, I miss, I miss the short put on the first, three put at the first, and so the hands are sort of shaking the start and but I think I just that was into it then and I buried the second to get back like about three put in the first, like immediately start thinking like this could be a bad day, and then, thankfully, one, the second, and I find that family rhythm from there and but yeah, I just, I just played, I saved the best for last, like I just played as good a golf as I as I have, yeah, I suppose before that and probably since that, to be honest, and like I'd seven, seven birdies and 14 holes.
Speaker 2:That was perfect weather and stuff. But played, played, just played out of my skin and like my hands were always shaking, as in I'd hit a shot and I was thinking, jeez, I could win this out here. But then when I got to the ball, I just settled into it and was able to put that away. Yeah, the lights were bright and I was nervous, but I just thankfully played great golf.
Speaker 1:Something you said there, so you'd hit a shot and after a shot you're going. I could win this out here, but if you get to the ball you're able to put that to the back of the mind a little bit. Is that something that you've consciously worked on?
Speaker 2:No, no, I remember consciously taking very deep breaths during that game, but I hadn't. To be honest, I'd never really been in a position. I would have been nervous for senior cups and stuff, but not to the same scale. It was my first time consciously thinking okay, let's take a few deep breaths here. I was doing all the stuff that you hear in a podcast or you're watching a video or you hear high performers talk about without ever really having done it before and just kind of hoping that it would work for me as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there was enough of it and there was enough of it in the brain from listening to other people talking about it and I suppose that is what we've kind of discussed on an off-ender podcast so far. Golf becomes an individual sport. So again, winning a senior cup is obviously hard. There's nerves and everything else, but you always have in the back of your head that there's someone else in the team that potentially might pull it out of the woodwork. If you don't, you're walking down the tent hole in the hinge. It is pretty much on you to kind of keep going forward. If you don't perform, it's not going to be your day.
Speaker 1:Let's say you get over the line in the hinge. And again, talking about pride and steps, so you are starting to take boxes at a very nice rate here, as you said, you progress towards championships. You have the senior cup. You have the inter-pro stuff. You've got to call up for Ireland men's home international the back of the salt. Realistically, I suppose you had some of the results that you were doing here. What was your homes like Fia?
Speaker 2:It was unreal. Yeah, a dream come true. Just sort of everything you'd hoped for and expect when you put on Gary's jersey over in Hankely Common, which is probably the best course I've played today, down in that furry sand belt, I suppose, which I'd love to get back there. I think Hankely has ranked seventh in that area, which the other courses must be just unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because someone who was on the team and said the same thing to Hankely. I wouldn't know much about it.
Speaker 2:I never heard of it either, but it was so good. But yeah, I remember being nice hotel rooming with Jack, just like everything laid out for you, and then I played well again that week so I had a winning record and just an end to win home internationals. It was a weird one because we won it by. I think it was England missing a put against Scotland and that's how we won it. So we were all standing around the green on the button list and, yeah, it was just unbelievable. I remember calling mum on the 18th green there after a while and chatting to her and tears in my eyes and it was just savage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's something again, something that must be unbelievable to do. So ma'am gets a phone call after you win. Who did you win? When you got hold? You got picked first.
Speaker 2:And it was a funny one because I actually. So I knew that I had made it after my finish in the West. So the West was on in September that year and I kind of had thought that I would probably make it anyway, and then the points on the order murder or whatever confirmed that I was going to be going to be there. So I was actually with all my family, they were all there anyway, and I'm a girlfriend, shannon, so it was a few of us went to a pub in Ross's Point that night Remember Matt McLean being there and a few other lads and it was yeah, it was, it was. And then Jack, jack actually stayed up that night and he got a phone call the next morning. So he got a pick and he got a phone call the next morning. So we were both in the house and it was yeah, nice, yeah.
Speaker 1:Breakfast tasted a bit better for both of you, so I like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you see, cause you may have been after him before, like you'd managed to get it down, but yeah, I know, like it's again, as you said, 21 especially. So like you're no kind of lehing, so you win this out, like your job is also got. Tgs was like before. We kind of get kind of completely lost in this one and you know you've ended up back in lehing to play, so you've got your, your first major title. What's it like to be to be looking over at that, that officer really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's class, it's just a special place. I think, like obviously it's, it's special for me but like it's ranked as one of the top 50 golf courses in the world. It brings a lot of traffic. Obviously the golf course gets a lot of traffic, but it brings a lot of people to lehing, so like to be to see and to sort of be involved in everyone else's experience of lehing. So you get people, you know, arriving off the bus for the first time and you know getting to kind of take a bucket list course off their, off their agenda. Is it's cool? It's just, it's a obviously it's a great golf course but there's, you know, brilliant facilities. It's a great town. You've got the Cliffs and Moher only 10 minutes down the road to burn. Like Cliffs and Moher is the second most visited tourist attraction in Ireland but they're going to storehouse so like it's definitely a hub down there. So yeah, I love it First year in the books now really enjoy it. Haven't been sacked yet.
Speaker 1:So it's obviously going all right and you must be happy enough in it for no one. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's, it's, and you know it's only going to get busier, Like we've got Pamercup this year or next year, sorry and then Walker Cup the year after that, and like there's some overseas member guests tournaments on and a couple of women's events as well. So it's, it's a busy club and I'm really looking forward to the next few years.
Speaker 1:So what's the title below on the injection? I forgot to ask that before.
Speaker 2:It's operations manager. So yeah, if you're going to ask me what I do, I'll have to get my job script from out here, just to make sure I listed off properly.
Speaker 1:But I knew should I had that prepared now, because that was the next question. So now I have to go somewhere else, like you know. Yeah, that's all good.
Speaker 2:No, I suppose I'm sort of I kind of look out for some of the day to day stuff. So look at that after the summer staff and then whatever other stuff Paddy the GM wants to get off his desk and put on tomorrow and look after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So like I suppose and we kind of said a couple of things like you have, you have no, got a rich history, but two of probably the the most hit his rich history clubs in Ireland Frampton, Gulf, so like you're working in the hinge with a tight from there and obviously your frowns Lego, so like having that much golf around you. So like, just for a second, what does TJ do outside of golf? Does he do anything outside of golf?
Speaker 2:Not really. To be honest, like I've said before, that kind of golf is the only thing that I can wake up in the morning and start talking about and go to bed that night and still be talking about it, like you know, whether it's like everything from architecture to course maintenance to the golf swing. I love kind of driving into all that kind of stuff. So like, yeah, golf is my passion. I'd like to find another passion, but I just haven't been able to. Nothing's kind of really grabbed me yet. So yeah, it's, it's pretty much all golf.
Speaker 1:Golf kind of makes a hair that way, though, doesn't it? In fairness, like you can, it is definitely one of the few things where, like I think, people that don't play golf don't understand how insane we can become about it. Yeah, my Mrs Don't stare sometimes looks at me like I have four heads and they probably don't blame her for, like what you mean you're going again or you're doing something again or whatever. It is definitely one of them things where, like you just have to you always have to do it to understand it a little bit. I think, like anyone who's interested in this podcast isn't going to be surprised that golf doesn't get boring, the way that we work, or playing it, balancing it all, TJ. So, like, how do you, how do you balance a very busy job with trying to compete a championship level?
Speaker 2:It is. It is tricky, like this year. The only time I marked a scorecard was in a golf island event. Yeah so, and I think my results probably showed that, like it was very up and down, very, very inconsistent, like I said earlier, like you get good at what you do often and I just don't play golf as often anymore. It's not because I don't love it and it's not because you know work doesn't allow it or and it's just, it's just hard to do it all you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah 100%.
Speaker 2:But I love going away and playing in the events Like there are, like many holidays, you know you get to go to these amazing golf courses and see the lads and enjoy it, but I just don't. I don't put in the hours Like I suppose I probably should have done. I think that's my results going to reflect that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's definitely a game that like you kind of can't figure it out. I suppose it's probably the easiest way of saying it Like you have to put in hours. Like there's a lot of good golf there. I suppose, like kind of in terms of yours, your own game, in terms of like championship chip golf, but like Ireland as a nation or whatever you want to put it, like we love to compete beyond our teenage kind of early 20 years Like. So something that's kind of different here, like is we would have a lot of lads play golf into their turkeys and so on, but like you wouldn't see it in the States in other places.
Speaker 1:So we do tend to kind of hang around that kind of farmer. So definitely learning to juggle it as you progress in the age, I suppose, and in life and in working and everything else, is always going to be a challenge. It's actually looking at the earlier I put up the story that there's going to be there's actually going to be a team event for mid-am's next year. So I think it's going to be 25 an hour, but European teams for mid-am, like Ireland will have a team in it and England's like it's like I think I was actually chatting to the guys from EGA. They were like I'm going to go and they were kind of saying to me I think it's along the six-man team kind of farm and as far as I'm aware, Right.
Speaker 2:Is Ireland the only? You're again pretty better answers. You might not know. Is Ireland the only country that is in 25 from mid-am?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think GB, maybe GB as well. Okay, all the continental Europe is 25, us is 25. I know that you can. I think Ireland is going to look at going to 25, from kind of expressing the background.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I mean the events are sorry, it's going to cost you. The events are getting younger, like it's like I'm old at the events now I'm 26. I think golfers are getting better and they're just getting. They're better younger. So I'd say the mid-am scene will kind of become more prominent. I think this year some of the events kind of struggled, but yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1:It does need to move the age.
Speaker 2:I think I mentioned this.
Speaker 1:I mentioned it on Instagram today, actually that, like you know, they didn't fill fiends last year. Somebody's asked me a question about it and again, once you're torquing plus it is it does become very hard. So, like, if you're torquing over, let's say, and you're playing one or two championships, it's going to be hard to fit in the mid-am as well. But, like the guys that are 25, 26, 27, you can probably, you'll definitely play the Irish mid-am at a minimum and, like, if one of the other ones is fits into the calendar, you'll bang it in as well. So, you like, you'll fill the fields, make it more competitive, because I do. Yeah, like, the younger guys are insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think, as well like you can, you could mix it. You know it could be mixed events, as in a full field is men and women, so you don't like, if you're only going to get 50, you can still, you know, run the event on the same course or whatever. So yeah, I think like the Irish-am was this year. Now I know that I think it was eight women in the Irish mid-am this year, but yeah, hopefully it continues to grow.
Speaker 1:It's kind of growing stuff like really isn't like it's giving it an option to grow, and again, I think it's hard to get courses putting something that far up the country at that time of year was never going to be ideal.
Speaker 1:It's moved, I think, to August next year, so it should hopefully help it. Okay, and I haven't got details where it's going to be 25 or 30 for men, but they're definitely looking at it, as far as I'm aware, because Europe, like the European Gulf Association, are pushing it hard at like. Okay, well, if we're going to have a mid-am event for 25 years in plus, we'd like your mid-am champions to be here.
Speaker 2:Yeah it makes complete sense.
Speaker 1:I don't know and, like you, could get a case of where the guy who wins the mid-am take Rory, for instance, this year potentially doesn't make the mid-am team because you have the likes of yourself. But Wallace Jack and guessing Jack is 25ish yeah 27, I think yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you could have yourself, jack and a couple of other who are on the team that aren't mid-am Irish mid-am level yet, but yeah, playing championships every week. Now in all Rory plays and he could potentially sit and be there, but you know how you kind of get the message of what I'm getting at.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think you need to.
Speaker 2:I think the Irish mid-am champions, such should be guaranteed. I remember, like it used to be that I think if you won the close, you automatically were number one in singles for homes. Okay, so like I think, if, oh, that's a good way of incentivizing it if this team is going to go forward. And people want to make it like the winner is guaranteed.
Speaker 1:I think, yeah, the incentive, the incentivization. I think that's something that like for me, if I'm working in Gal Fjall and somehow somewhere, that's something I would be looking at in terms of, like they do a good job of getting enough championships, so like just to drive participation in certain championships. I suppose is what we're talking about. Like if you say Rory gets the spot on, whatever team it is, or whoever gets the spot next team, well then you potentially get more guys to play. What does the future hold for TJ? What's 2024 look like?
Speaker 2:Same as this year, really trying, as it says. It's going to be very busy in La Hinch, so try and get as many events in as I can, but I suppose the job is number one at the moment. You know, trying. We've got some big events coming so I'd hope to play the West and the Irish arm and the South hopefully, and then everything after. That's a bonus. Yeah, I haven't gone up north the last few years. I just just because, of course just beats me up every time I go up. You know, I just can't some of those courses I can't see a score, so I haven't gone up to a push. Yeah, I'll try and get in as many events as I can and look forward to them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, same, just actually a quick one. I've never seen it before. But the Irish arm this year you had the course record for a whole, what hour and a half?
Speaker 2:I got it for three hours, gary. Come on, let's not fake the piss here Like.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to think no, I'm a whole amateur one. Well, I'm a amateur, I'm a half-year-old and I'm a match the lad on my whole. I give it here for three hours.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but actually I the guy. There was a guy in the group ahead of me who shot 60, I think it was 67 before the week and he shot 66. Yeah, and then I was in. I was in 30 seconds after him, so I did better than you know. At least I had it for longer than that guy was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, but no, I suppose I'm kind of half-joking, half-serious, but again it is a testament, like I think this is something that people like the level of golf it does take, like to compete at championships and like my point here is like to be able to do that multiple days is like. It's just like the standard of golf is something that is massively impressive and it has been impressive over the last number of years to watch.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then I I suppose the outshine for me is a good, a good sort of summary of my year, in that I shot seven over par the day before and I did nine over par the day after, so I couldn't put together for multiple rounds, and that's kind of what I was getting at with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's that having to do it every day. Yeah, like working and balancing it all, and having to do it every day is always going to be the challenge. Once you get to a certain point of life where the work becomes, takes over or whatever else the responsibilities do become, so it's kind of the balancing act is always going to be the hard part. Yeah, they just been absolutely immensely challenging the fairways and again having a challenge today. Best of luck next year and I'll catch you at some point on a fairway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cool, we'll see you in. So I go and march, bring your back here.