A Quick 18 with Tomás O’Sé,
A QUICK 18 Tomás O’Sé Handicap: 10 Club: Fota Island
ONE of the great Kerry half-backs of the last 20 years, Tomás ÓSéhasa philosophical outlook on life that’s ideal for golf. While his only regret is that his putting is not yet up to the standard of the rest of his game, he sees every day spent on the golf course as a great day.
1. How’s your golf? I believe you’re a handier player than your brother Darragh.
That wouldn’t be hard. And you can quote me on that. (Laughs) I’m off ten but trying to get down. I didn’t play a lot of golf when I was involved with football but this is the first year I’ve been able to give it the effort I’d like and I’ve loved it.
2. By the sound of things, they saw quite a bit of you at Fota Island.
Well, Kevin Morris is the head pro there, and they are just fantastic bunch. The thing I like about Fota Island is that while some clubs would have the reputation of being snobby – I don’t mean normal golfing etiquette, which is a given anywhere – they are very approachable, sound fellas. I love that about the place, and it’s also a fantastic course. And a tough one too.
3. How is your golf?
Inconsistent. I mix the good with the horrible. I can go five or six holes in level par, no problem at all, and then I could hit an absolute wall and have three holes that a 24 handicapper would laugh at.
4. How did you get started in the game?
When they were building the back nine at Ceann Sibéal at home in Dingle in west Kerry, it wasn’t in play, and my parents would send us out there with a club or two. That’s how we started at the age of nine or ten. Then I worked there as summer staff for about 14 summers. So I’ve loved the game ever since even though it required a lot of time and it wasn’t conducive to playing football.
5. Choose your weapon, driver or putter?
Driver. 110 per cent. I’m a good driver of the ball, and I’m long with it, but my putting is shocking. I will have to do something about it. I could three-putt six or seven greens in a round, no problem at all.
6. Links or parkland?
I love links, but I would have to say parkland. While I love the wildness of links golf and almost prefer it, I find it harder to play.
7. When were you happiest on the golf course?
Any time I play well is a happy time. I always remember it. On a day off, when I go to sleep after a round of golf, I will replay the shots in my head and remember the ones I hit well and the bad ones too before I drift off to sleep. To be honest, any day spent on a golf course is a good day.
8. Who’s your sporting hero?
The Kerry team of the 1970s would be my heroes. There were so many great players there. The Dubs are catching up to them now, mind, that’s the problem! (Laughs)
9. What do you make of Dublin and the talk of their massive budget as the reason for their success?
I think it’s a mixture of things. The money obviously helps, but it’s an awful lot more than money. Money helps but it doesn’t guarantee success.
10. Name an opponent or rival you especially admired.
That Tyrone team of the noughties. Their forwards were some of the best I have ever played against. It was a great challenge, and we were never afraid of it, but it was going to be tough – Peter Canavan, Brian Dooher, Stephen O’Neill, Brian McGuigan, Eoin Mulligan – there’s five of the best to ever play the game. Outstanding forwards.
11. What’s your golfing ambition?
To be a single figure golfer for as long as I could be. I’ll keep trying.
12. Name your dream fourball.
Mick Galwey, the rugby player, Paidi Ó Sé and Tiger Woods. I’d have Páidi and Galwey for the craic and the laughs and Tiger to look at someone who could play good golf. Tiger is my favourite by a long shot. He was mentally the toughest I’ve seen. In his pomp, the way he approached everything was phenomenal. He was a winner, and a lot of people don’t like that side of him but not me. I’d love to see him win another major.
13. If I gave you a mulligan in your GAA career, what would it be?
I don’t have one, to be honest. If we lost, we lost because we weren’t good enough. I even hate mulligans in golf.
14. If you had just one more game of golf to play, where would you tee it up?
Augusta National is a place I’d love to play. But I played Adare in the summer and oh my god almighty, it’s hard to describe it to someone. The detail and the consistency of the fairways, the bunkers, the greens, and the beauty of the whole place, it’s like no golfing experience I have ever had before.
15. Your favourite par three?
The par three 16th at Adare. What a hole. I can at least say I stayed dry there when I played it.
16. If you could change one thing about your golf, what would it be?
My putting. It’s horrible.
17. What’s your most treasured possession? Your five All Ireland winner’s medals?
I wouldn’t be a hoarder. Yes, I have medals, but it’s not the medals themselves but the titles you treasure. They are all precious memories, especially that win in 2009 when we had a rollercoaster year. I’d been dropped halfway through the season too, so it was a sweet win to beat Cork in an All Ireland final. That one stands out.
18. What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
It’s not to have anything material. Ideal happiness for me is just to have peace of mind. We are always worrying about things, but if we can just be appreciative of what we have, that’s perfect happiness for me.