Tralee has got to be one of the best-kept secrets in the country and it’s just down the road from me, I love it
1. How’s your golf?
I try to get out as often as I can, but things have been busy, so I’d really like to get out more. I love it. If you have the right crew with you, it’s a fantastic game. It’s also a frustrating game, but I love it. I went for a lesson recently, so hopefully, that will bring me on.
2. How did you get started in the game?
It was back in Ceann Sibéal when I was just a junior, running around the lovely course there and then football came along and golf took a back seat until I retired. But I’m in Tralee Golf Club now, and it has to be one of the best-kept secrets in the country. It’s just beautiful and only two minutes down the road from me in Barrow. I love it.
3. Choose your weapon. Driver or putter?
I wouldn’t be strong at either, but if I had to choose, I’d go for the driver. I can get away off the tee reasonably consistently.
4. Links or parkland? Why?
Links. I am just more used to it. Where I live, I am very close to Ballybunion, Dooks, Ceann Sibéal and even Lahinch just across the water. We have a fantastic parkland course in Killarney too, but I just love links.
We are all looking forward to the Irish Open in Lahinch next year after the great success of the event up in Ballyliffin. It will be great for the locality. If we get the weather, it will be fantastic. There’s a lot of talk about it already.
5. Who’s your golfing hero?
It has to be Tiger and Seve. I just love watching Tiger. When I was playing football, I loved to watch Tiger. Golf is the best spectator sport of them all for me, I just love the Masters and the Open.
6. Do you enjoy watching the Irish players?
It’s great to see a GAA man like Shane Lowry making it.I know him through his father, Brendan. And then Pádraig Harrington, I remember spending a great night at a function with his father Paddy, who was a lovely man.
7. Who’s your sporting hero in GAA?
I had a few. Jack O’Shea and Mikey Sheehy were my two heroes growing up. My uncle Páidí had played for Kerry as well, and that was a golden era team I really looked up to. I admired Jacko because he was a midfielder and Mikey was just a genius.
8. Was there an opponent you especially admired, knowing you were always going to have a tough afternoon?
Kieran McGeeney from Armagh was a tough draw. You just couldn’t get away from him. He was tough. And he always let you know he was around. But there was a mutual respect and a chat afterwards.
9. What’s your golfing ambition?
I’d just like to be more consistent. It’s the bane of the amateur, inconsistency.
10. Name your dream fourball.
I’d love to play with Tiger Woods. He’d be fun to play with, and my brother Tomás, who is a good player and Mikey Sheehy would be a good fourth. That would be lovely.
Playing with a pro is great. I played with Damien McGrane in a pro-am at Portmarnock, and it’s eye-opening the range of shots they have.
11. If I gave you a mulligan in your professional career, what would it be?
I have a few. I was captain in 2002 when we lost the All-Ireland final to Armagh by a point. I’d love another rattle at that. And the 2001 semi-final against Meath, when we played very poorly (2-14 - 0-5). We couldn’t quite get our heads around it.
12. Is there a course you’d love to play before you shuffle off this mortal coil?
I’d love to play Augusta. There’s something special about watching the Masters every year. It’s just unique, and that would be incredible.
13. What’s your favourite par three?
The 13th at Tralee. Brock’s Hollow. It’s 159 yards, and you have to carry it over a very deep valley. You could be hitting anything from a pitching wedge to a five iron.
14. If you could change one thing about yourself in football, what would it be?
I was lucky in my sporting career to be free of injury, and I played with some of the best players the game has seen. I wouldn’t change a thing. I played in ten All Ireland Championships, and I was lucky enough to win six.
15. What’s your most treasured possession?
If you came to my house, you wouldn’t know I had played football. There are no pictures there, and all the medals are put away. I am not a great collector of things. Most of my memorabilia is all in my head.
16. Is there one memory that stands out?
I remember my first All Ireland in 1997. Kerry hadn’t won for so long and we beat Mayo in the final and Páidí was the manager. I thought I would be doing it every year, so it gave me an appreciation for winning after that.
17. Dublin probably feel they will never lose again.
They have a fantastic team, no question about it and they play a lovely brand of football. I wouldn’t begrudge them their success.
They have the best team and play lovely football, so it’s a challenge for everyone to go and try and beat them. So it’s the Dubs followed closely by Kerry this year, I think.
18. What’s your idea of perfect happiness? A big drive straight down the middle?
I wish! Kerry is a great place to be with the golf courses we have.
But with the weather right now and the kids off school, you can’t beat a day out at the beach. It’s great.