I CAN’T SEE MY HANDICAP GOING DOWN MUCH NOW, BUT I’LL KEEP ON TRYING. I WON’T GO QUIETLY!
One of the greatest Gaelic footballers of all-time, Nemo Rangers legend Dinny Allen had a remarkable career, winning a Munster hurling title to boot. He was also a great soccer player, winning an FAI Cup winner’s medal with Cork Hibernians in 1973.
Nowadays, he gets his sporting kicks on the golf course but as his 66th birthday approaches, he has no ambitions just now to break his age.
1. How’s your golf? I’m treading water, trying to keep my handicap down but not really succeeding. I’m off 12 and heading for 13. I was off nine at one stage but as the fella said, the more I play this game, the worse I am improving. (Laughs)
2. How did you get started in the game?
I used to play a tiny bit of pitch and putt and then when I was 26 or 27, a friend of mine asked if I’d join Kinsale, which was a nine-hole course at the time. I didn’t play much until I retired from inter-county football and hurling so it wasn’t until I stopped playing for the club that I really started playing regularly. I try to play twice a week now.
3. Choose your weapon. Driver or putter?
Putter. I feel I at least have some kind of control over where the ball is going to go. I am not wild off the tee, or long either, but I’m more comfortable with the putter.
4. Links or parkland?
Parkland, just because it’s probably easier. But I love the odd links game because it’s great to get some run on the ball. In this weather, you’d be almost fooling yourself into thinking you were a big hitter and better than you really are.
5. Who’s your sporting hero?
I was a Georgie Best fan and I’d be defending him to the death in the late sixties. He could do no wrong for me.
6. What about GAA?
When TV arrived in the mid-60s, I can remember watching Mick O’Connell. And I was into soccer goalkeepers at the time, so while he wasn’t a soccer goalkeeper, Billy Morgan brought that role into the modern era in Gaelic football.
Back in the fifties or sixties, they’d put cornerbacks in goal. But Billy brought a new dimension to it. He was great. And I always admired Eric Philpott, who sadly passed away a few years ago. He played with Cork in the sixties when there was very little passing of the ball and he was a great passer. He looked a bit like Georgie Best too with the long black hair.
7. What’s your golfing ambition?
When I was a member of Kinsale, I was always battling to get my handicap down, but I guess I have gone a bit soft. I will be 66 in August and I can’t see my handicap going down much now. But I’ll keep trying. I won’t go quietly!
8. Name your dream fourball.
I’d have to go for Tiger Woods. And Colman Corrigan, who is always likely to say something for the craic right in the middle of your backswing. Add in Tony McManus and that would be a great day out.
9. If I gave you a mulligan in your GAA career, what would it be?
The 1976 Munster final against Kerry. We were after losing a six- or seven-point lead and it went to extra time when I had a chance of a goal. But I changed my mind and tried to find someone with the ball instead of getting in a bit closer and having a go myself. We ended up losing and that rankled with me for a couple of months. To this day, I still wonder if I should have gone for it.
10. If you had just one more game of golf to play, where would you tee it up?
I’ve always loved Mount Juliet. There was just something wonderfully appealing about a game there. I always loved just driving in those gates. It was always special.
11. What’s your favourite par three?
The 15th at Kinsale Golf Club in Farrangalway. You just have to be very precise and I have good memories of that hole because it always seemed to suit my eye.
12. If you could change one thing about your golf, what would it be?
I played with Sam Torrance, Dr Con Murphy and the Bomber Liston in the Irish Open Pro-Am at Fota Island back in 2001. And I didn’t play well at all. The Bomber and Sam Torrance were doing all the scoring and I turned to Torrance on the 16th I asked him for some advice about my irons shots. And he said, “You scoop the ball.” So I said, “So what can I do about that?”
13. Did he help?
Well, he looked at me for a minute, thought about offering some advice and just said, “You know what, keep scooping it.” I know I’m supposed to hit down on it, but maybe that was just the hurler in me.
14. What’s your most treasured possession?
None of us put much emphasis on medals, but I have an FAI Cup medal and an All Ireland medal and four All Ireland Inter-club. So I have one of each put away in a little thing and I’d hate to lose that. The FAI Cup medal was for Cork Hibernians when we beat Shelbourne in a replay in 1973. It took me 17 years to win a GAA All Ireland and seven months to win an FAI Cup medal.
15. Did you meet George Best when he played for Cork Hibs in 1976?
Would you believe, I was injured for four weeks that season and he was only there for two of the weeks that I was out. So while I went down to the matches, I never even got to meet him.
He stayed in The Country Club, which was owned by one of the directors. So he used to tog out there and come down in his tracksuit and then go out and play. Then he’d do the same when the match was over. Never even had a shower there. Sadly I never got to shake his hand.
16. If you could change something about yourself what would it be?
I wouldn’t be a fella to look too often in the mirror. I remember when my mother would buy me a coat or a pair of pants and I’d say, ‘But Mam, that’s very long on me.” And she’d say, “Look boy, sure there will be no-one looking at you.” [Laughs] That always stuck with me. It didn’t do me any harm.
17. Who’s your favourite golfer?
It has to be Tiger Woods. I’d stay up all night watching him if he was in contention. And Phil Mickelson, not because he’s right-hander like myself who plays left-handed but for his carefree attitude. And then there’s always Seve.
18. What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
I am always fond of the bed. So I’d say, perfect happiness is popping off to bed with nothing on my mind!