Padraic O’Rourke on making his mark on the PGA
Galway man Padraic O’Rourke is now one of Canada’s top pros
IRISH golf has been flying high since Pádraig Harrington ended a 60-year wait for a second Irish major victory by capturing the 2007 Open Championship. After all, the achievements of the Dubliner and his fellow major winners Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Shane Lowry, have made Irish golf an important global brand.
As a result, many of our globe-trotting PGA professional have achieved significant success at major clubs and resorts all over the world and Portumna native Padraic O’Rourke is no exception.
The Galway man (37) was recently voted the PGA Professional of the Year by his peers in British Columbia in western Canada where he is the Head Professional at Fairmont Chateau Whistler, one of Canada’s top resorts.
It’s been a remarkable journey for O’Rourke, who did his apprenticeship under Shane O’Grady at Black Bush, learning the ropes with highly respected PGA professionals such as Nigel Howley, Mark Staunton, Paul McCanny and David Mortimer.
When he qualified, he played for a short time in the US, then tried and failed to get his Asian Tour card before going on to work at innovative golf retailer Green 18.
It was not until he took up a role under Brian O’Callaghan at Ballybunion Golf Club that he truly found his metier, quickly landing a job at world renowned
Pine Valley in the US, followed by a short spell in the Caribbean before he moved to Canada eight years ago and is now regarded as one of the leading PGA professionals in the country.
“I always had the drive to travel,” Padraic said when asked if he could have envisioned himself as Head Professional in charge of a staff of 25 at a major Canadian resort when he started his apprenticeship at Black Bush in 2002. “I supposed I could see myself where I am today. The reason I went to Ballybunion was to make a connection for north America. I always had a drive to work abroad.”
He is hugely grateful to PGA professionals O’Grady and O’Callaghan for the influence they had on his early career. But he learned quickly upon moving to prestigious Pine Valley, whose members played a biannual match against Ballybunion, that it was important not to stand still.
“The PGA is a wonderful career but as I say to my assistants, you can get swallowed up very quickly in the industry if you are not willing to work hard and make connections,” he explained. “There are tons of people out there who are happy with their bit. But you can get swallowed up pretty quickly and stuck behind a counter for the rest of your life unless you have a bit of drive.
“Not to sound grandiose, but I could have come over and been happy with my bit, but you have got to push forward, make the connections and get yourself out there. There are a lot of guys out there who are going to be beating their head against a wall for a long time.”
O’Rourke’s assistants have gone on to excellent careers at many Canadian and international destinations because they listened to his advice.
It’s all a far cry from 2000 when he teamed up with Martin McTernan, Kenny Fahey, Noel Kavanagh, James Barton, Mike McHugh and Rory O’Connor to win the Boys Interprovincials for Connacht at Murvagh.
Having grown up just across the road from Portumna Golf Club, Shannon professional Artie Pike was one of his early influences as he visited the club to give lessons.
But while a career as a touring professional was beyond his skills, he still loves to play, finishing seventh in the PGA Championship of British Columbia this year.
What gives him even more pleasure is developing his staff at Chateau Whistler, which is also the biggest ski resort in the world.
“It’s what I enjoy most,” he said. “Helping my staff develop. I love working with members and visitors and even doing a bit of teaching, but it’s quite fun getting them in shape and watching them go on to get great positions all over the world.”