The December 2003 issue of Backspin focuses on Darren O'Reilly National Matchplay win at Lucan and William Buckley Jnr.'s thrilling National title victory at Tullamore. It is also fitting that we take a look at an article on the current 2008 National Gents Strokeplay winner which focuses on the fine year he had in 2003 when he just fell short of that illusive National Strokeplay in a 9 hole playoff.

December 2003 Editorial
Gents National Strokeplay 2003 - From Offaly to Disney
Gents National Matchplay 2003 - What A Year In The Life Of O'Reilly
Crowd Pleaser Frank Chronicles His Best Season Yet

Editorial

Welcome to our traditional end of year celebration of all that's good in Pitch and Putt. It's been a strange year with some stunning highs - like the European championship and the Special Olympics balanced by some crushing lows - weak administrative structures in some regions, some dodgy decisions and carping criticism, particularly of international development.

Doesn't the Target Golf Hole at La Manga for BBC's TV Superstars programme closely resemble a Pitch and Putt hole?

The Irish Independent ran an article last month confirming Ireland as the third largest consumer of chocolate in the world. Of course, Cadburys has played a major part in that. The article described the opening of the Coolock factory by then Taoiseach Sean Lemass in 1964. Seventeen acres were set aside for the factory while some of the site's other 23 acres incorporated as a facility for the workforce a Pitch and Putt course, which still exists today.

There was a considerable Pitch and Putt presence in the Mahon Golf Club team that won the Irish Junior Foursomes at Lucan. A former clubmate of mine at St. Stephen's Harry Kidney managed the side while the team of four included Cork Juvenile Inter-County players Michael Quirke and Ian Birmingham.

As a juvenile, thirty years ago (just back from a school tour in Wales); I played my first competitive rounds of Pitch and Putt in the company of Des Crowley. It was the first of many, many such rounds we would play. Our paths haven't converged very much in recent times but Des remains one of my closest Pitch and Putt allies. I'm delighted to hear that he has again taken up the chairmanship of the Cork County Board. Des served a very successful three-year term some years ago and has responded to the call as Cork struggled to find an Officer Board after the retirement of a number of their excellent incumbent Officers.

Cork's difficulties (now thankfully resolved) exemplify the problems in generating voluntary effort across the Pitch and Putt spectrum. Waterford's troubles (ironically in a year of joyous ladies success on the course) are very sad. Waterford has a great Pitch and Putt tradition and hopefully it can return to its past pomp. It's just needs three or four people to grasp the initiative down there.

Des Crowley will be part of the backroom team as St. Stephen's anticipate the hosting of Ireland's top male strokeplayers in July 2004. That will be one of my personal highlights of the season to come (that we look forward to on page 18). As I tramped the fairways of St. Stephen's in the seventies and early eighties, I used to dream of a Stephen's hosting a championship of this magnitude. That daydream has part become a reality already with the 1993 National Mixed Foursomes and the 2000 National Mixed Team Event. However, it will be so pleasing to see true national championship action over the course that has meant so much to me and my family over the years. Deerpark '04 will be another course that holds great memories for me. Successive St. Stephen's Club Outings in the 1970's brought us to the beautiful Killarney course, just a stone's throw from the Gaelic football stadium. This will be a new course for many players. They have a treat in store.

With the help of our national champions and some other prominent personalities who made the news in 2003, we're reliving some of the telling moments from the season gone by. We thank them all for their frank personal reminisces of memorable summer days in 2003. Indeed it's appropriate to thank each of our contributors as we arrive at the end of fifteen years of publication.

I had thought that this Editorial would be a valedictory piece from me, just as I thought I would be taking my leave of the National Executive at Convention. I have been prevailed upon to stick around for another year. However, other non Pitch and Putt commitments will make it impossible for me to continue to front this publication, administer the PPUI website, be the Secretary General of EPPA and report county, provincial and national competitions every weekend for six months of the year. In any event, I feel that the Public Relations effort within PPUI nationally needs freshening up and a new hand on the tiller. A ten year stint by any one individual is too long.

If re-elected at the Thurles Convention, I will relinquish the job of P.R.O. and the Editor's pen in December 2004. It will be a massive personal wrench but the time is right.

A Happy and a Holy Christmas to all our readers.

Until next month............
JOHN MANNING
EDITOR

FROM OFFALY TO DISNEY - the thoughts of our National Strokeplay Champion

We spoke to William Buckley Jnr. about joining the select band of Irish Pitch and Putt champions.

The dual Leinster champion of 2002 had also finished third in last year's National Strokeplay championship at E.S.B. No doubt he was getting nearer to the national holy grail. So how did the Clara man feel heading into the 2003 Irish Strokeplay renewal, to be played at the course he knew best after Erry? "Going into the national Strokeplay championship I was hopeful I could win. I was playing well coming into the championship but I knew there were a lot of good players feeling the same way. Some of those players had done it before," recalls William.

It must be difficult for the top players to peak for a particular event, given the intensity with which they compete on an almost weekly basis. It must be especially tough to decide hot to get ready for a championship on the course that's likely to render one's best chance yet to clinch a maiden major. William's preparation demonstrates that these matters were weighing on his mind. "I played a lot in the two weeks before the championship. On the championship week itself I played on three days and didn't play from Friday on. On the Strokeplay weekend itself, I deliberately stayed away from the course because the excitement was building. There was a lot of talk that I had a good chance of winning, but I knew it was going to be very hard."

William's 94 for the opening 36 holes at Tullamore was very good but on a low scoring day, it left the Offaly; man five shots back. More of a problem was the number of players that lay between him and the lead. One or two players might falter but it was difficult to foresee every one of the half dozen ahead of the pre-championship favourite, at that stage, stumbling. When did matters swing in his favour? "It's hard to say what the turning point was. I suppose it was the start I made in the final round. I made some good twos before the final group started but to tell the truth, I thought my chance had gone. Things just went my way, even the few drops of rain that arrived, waited until I had finished. That made it a little harder for the other players."

Although William got off to a fantastic start in the nine holes play-off and built up a commanding lead, he certainly wasn't taking anything for granted. "I only felt I had it when I put the ball on the ninth green in the play-off with Frank Dineen. I never like to get carried away too soon. Pitch and Putt can bite back very quickly and I was playing a very good player. Not alone is Frank a very good player but a very nice person. I was very sorry for Frank because I knew he wanted to win as much as I did but I don't know if I could have been as dignified as he was in defeat."

William Buckley's fellow competitor in the final round was Offaly colleague John Fleming of the host club. The Tullamore man is paid the following tribute. "If I wasn't playing with John Fleming in the final round, I don't think I'd have won. I was chasing him nearly the whole round. He had a chance to win as well and he was a pleasure to play with."

There are fulsome accolades too for the other two Leeside performers closely embroiled in the July 6 saga. "Frank O'Donoghue has nothing to prove to anybody. He is one of the best players in the country and is always very steady. John Walsh has set the standard of Pitch and Putt that we all want to achieve, for many years now. If you finish ahead of John in any competition, you are almost sure to win."

We wondered if William had ever despaired of ever nailing down one of the national championships. "At times it crossed my mind but I always keep trying. I love Pitch and Putt on the big days, no matter what happens. I am glad to have won a national title. It felt very special"

William professes to know nothing of 2004 Strokeplay venue St. Stephen's. How will that affect his chances of defending? "You never know. I have never played the course. It will be very hard to win in Cork but I look forward to giving it my best shot," is his assessment if the chances of a Donnelly Cup defence.

Tullamore has been kind to William over the years and he is clearly keen on the place. "In my view, Tullamore is one of the best in the country, always in great condition all year round. I am very lucky to have a course like it so close to me. I love practicing on it."

What is the formula for William's extraordinary record in Scratch Cups? "I don't really know. I really enjoy playing the game and competing against good players and I also enjoy the craic you have with the people you meet every weekend."

Since he broke into the Faithful County set-up in the early 1990's, William Buckley has top scored for Offaly on five occasions and collected two bronze medals. "I love playing for Offaly, always enjoy it and try my best. Offaly have some really good players, especially young players and I think we will have a team capable of doing very well very soon. I hope I can keep my place when it does happen. I would love to play on a winning Inter-County team."

William Buckley Jnr. dominated the international trials process at McDonagh earlier in the year and was an automatic qualifier for the Ireland team to compete in Euro 2003. However, other priorities intervened. Any regrets? "It's an honour to play for Ireland and I would love to represent my country again. I didn't mind so much this year as I had promised my family long before the European championship came up that I would take them to Disneyland, Florida. I felt it a bit at the time, during the holiday. I wondered how it was going. However, I owed it to my family as they never mind when I got to play."

William has certainly served an appropriate apprenticeship. "I have been playing Pitch and Putt for about 18 years now although I did give it up for about three years or so. I started back playing in 1994 and am playing ever since."

Dad William Buckley Senior was several times a National Strokeplay contender and played for Offaly for many years. Senior has been a massive encouragement to Junior over the years. "He has been a huge influence on my career. I have always practiced with him throughout my career. He loves the game and I'd say he was the most excited person in Tullamore on the day. He deserved the medal more than I did. He is a great player and supporter."

Rather like Padraig Harrington in another code, WIlliam Buckley Junior plays Wilson. "I use a Wilson 1200 Power Sand Iron. My putter is a Wilson Control Feel." He is another golf ball traditionalist. "The ball is a Commando Plus."

Buckley's maiden National title at Tullamore 2003.

WHAT A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF O'REILLY!

Three down to David Hayden. Not a promising situation for any player, particularly not on the final night of Dublin Qualifying for the National Matchplay. That was precisely the position Darren O'Reilly found himself in back in May. " I was three down to him a lot of the way round. Then a few good pitches and a couple of chip-in got me back into the driving seat. That all happened in the space of nine holes," remembers our 2003 National Matchplay champion. Nine holes that arguably changed his life. "Over the years David has been one of the great players in Dublin and one of the players you'd look up to and aspire to be like," says the C.P.M. star clearly crediting that recovery (eventually winning by 3 & 2) against the two-time champion of the eighties and a personal hero, with affording tremendous ammunition for the battles to come.

"I felt I could do reasonably well. I play well up in Lucan generally, knowing the course as I do. I've played there a fair bit over the years. Realistically, I probably wasn't thinking of winning it but I did feel I could get a few rounds under my belt and at that stage, anything could happen," is Darren's assessment of his state of mind before teeing it up in the Matchplay.

Darren outlined for Backspin his advance championship plan of campaign. "I didn't go near Lucan until the week of the championship itself. I played 36 holes every day from Monday that week apart from Tuesday when we had a league match in Old County. I played a lot with Junior Smith (a fellow qualifier and the leading coach) that week. I'm the type of player that needs to get in a few practice rounds during the week of a competition to play well." As the June Bank Holiday fiesta opened. O'Reilly was content. "I was playing steadily at the beginning and my form improved as the week went on. I was pretty happy at the end of the practice rounds."

Although a late starter in Saturday's first round, Darren's innate enthusiasm for Pitch and Putt drew him to the championship venue early. "There were a couple of matches in the morning session I wanted to see so I went up and saw the end of those, then went home and had something to eat." A pattern he'd followed many times before unaware that a date with destiny awaited him on this particular weekend. First round chore complete, he tried to take things easy again. "I put in a good performance in the first round. I finished the match early and then watched some of the remaining matches. From then on you don't have too much time to relax, keep my head down and concentrate on my own matches,", says Darren of Sunday and Monday.

When did he start to think he was in with a chance of winning overall? "In the quarter-final on the Sunday night, I played Eddie Carey. I knew it was going to be a tough match. I wasn't playing well really in that match and Eddie was ahead most of the way. Late on, he missed a couple of putts and I got a few putts at important stages. Suddenly, I was in the last four and when you're in the last four in any Matchplay you have a chance."

Interestingly, Darren picks an early round moment as a possible turning point in his championship success. "In the second match, I was two down playing Tony Broderick. My teeshot hit the wall on the ninth and ended up in the hole for a hole in one. When things like that happen you tend to think it could be your day or weekend or whatever."

Each of his six opponents at Lucan presented his own challenge. "All the matches were tough," remembers Darren. "Tony Broderick, result wise, was the toughest match as it went to the last hole. Paul Meighan hadn't played the course before and I knew it very well so the match went OK for me. I felt I had a bit of an advantage over Jason O'Regan in the last sixteen. He'd had a walkover in the previous round and I think that's a disadvantage. Eddie Carey is always going to be a tough match. I know Alan Hanlon a long time. I consider myself to be a dogged player. I hang in and keep going to the end. If there's one player more dogged than me, it's Alan Hanlon. I was probably lucky to get off to such a good start in the seni-final. I was six under after eight. Alan hadn't done much wrong but he was four or five down at that point. I just had to match him from there and I was so pleased to get that game out of the way. I didn't really know John Walsh too well before the final. Obviously, I knew from results that he's an absolutely brilliant player and a tough competitior. I'd have to work very hard and there wouldn't be anything easy. I really enjoyed the final. There wasn't much more than one in it the whole way. When I took a four from the edge of the thirteenth, it probably looked like he, as the more experienced player at that level, would take control. The hole in one at 14 was obviously a big turning point. To go two up on fifteen was a big plus. Standing on 16, I said to myself, -You're playing well. Just hit the ball as you've been hitting it all day- It worked.

A place in the Dublin squad was something long coveted by the Clondalkin man. "Every year, the first thing I look for is the venue for all the qualifying rounds and finals because it's your performances in these that bring you to the notice of the selectors. Ever since I came out of juveniles my one real dream I've had was to play for Dublin. When I made it, it was absolutely brilliant. Everything seemed to be happening at once - winning a major championship, being picked for Dublin and to be made captain as well. I really enjoyed it."

The European championship experience was another highlight. "I was obviously thrilled to make the international panel. With the Dublin team on my mind, I wasn't even thinking of being on the Irish team. People were saying that I was definitely going to be on the team as national champion. I didn't really think that. I felt I needed some good performances in the trials to cement a place. It didn't really work out like that but I was really delighted to get the wild card. I really, really enjoyed playing on the Irish team. I wasn't on tip top form coming into the championship weekend but I played a little better as the weekend progressed. Things went pretty well over the weeeknd. I gelled well with Liam O'Donovan. We had a good partnership. I enjoyed the final itself but a few holes towards the end of the singles took a bit of the gloss off it."

Just as Darren will enter the uncharted territory of defending a national title next June, the setting will also be unfamiliar. In contrast to his intimate knowledge of the Lucan layout, Darren is unacquainted with the rolling expanse of Deerpark. "I never played the course. I've never seen it, apart from a photograph in 'Backspin'," he laughs. I've rheard a lot about it - that it's a spacious layout. I'm definitely going to get down there to practice. To be actually already in the final is a luxury. I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully, I can put up a good defence of the title."

Darren professes a great love for the sport he has played for over 20 years. "I played the odd game on public courses with my Dad when I was about ten, reminisces Darren. "I joined C.P.M. when I was 13. In the early years, I played for about ten or eleven hours a day." Obviously, other commitments make that impossible these days but Darren still plays, "as much as I can."

Darren was pleased to be invloved in the recent "Irish Times" feature article. Even then, the competitive juices were flowing. National Ladies Strokeplay champion Geraldine Ward was four under and four ahead after nine as the Dublin pair played Portmarnock with journalist Paul Gallagher. The C.P.M. player shot 23 coming in to tie Ger on 50.

Darren normally prefers Matchplay to Strokeplay. "Although my concentration is generally good, I tend to be able concentrate more on the match as I just have to focus on one opponent. I know what I have to do on each particular hole. Sometimes in Strokeplay, you tend not to put 100% into it all the time. My approach doesn't differ; I just seem to do better in Matchplay,"reveals the man whose other major title was also in the "mano a mano" code - the Dublin Senior Matchplay of 1995.

Darren O'Reilly favours pretty contemporary equipment. He acquired his Ping Eye 2 Sand Wedge some years ago after his original pitching wedge went missing. The trusty Sand Wedge is complemented by a Ping Anser Putter. He plays the Callaway Blue CTU golf ball.

CROWD PLEASER FRANK CHRONICLES HIS BEST SEASON YET

Alan Hanlon told Backspin it was what he and partner Camilla fed Frank Dineen during National Strokeplay weekend! A number of Cork stars stayed with Alan and Camilla for the Tullamore championship. To what does Frank attribute his outstanding form at Tullamore? "It was excellent food and fantastic friends. Darren Collins, Ray Murphy and I had a brilliant weekend. I think it was because we beat Alan Hanlon at soccer and Paul Bray at snooker that gave the Cork players that extra confidence we needed."

Taking some time out from his job as Manager of Cork's Mercier Bookshop, Frank Dineen recalled for us his thoughts coming into the national strokeplay championship. "Although I was hopeful of doing reasonably well, I never imagined I would do as well as I did. I had played in a National Matchplay (Intermediate) final on the course in 1990. I feel that having played a championship on a course that suited my game (long shots and big greens). On the weekend it was in perfect condition and a pleasure to play on."

Frank's pre-tournament preparation was all about quality, not quantity. "I don't get much chance to play a lot, but I try to practice with a purpose. I pick the Scratch Cups I play in carefully and when I practice I try to work on specific parts of my game one at a time. On the Strokeplay weekend itself, I tried to relax and enjoy the experience. I love playing the game and enjoy the company of the friends I have made through the sport. I always where possible hit a few balls on the morning of the event. When in Tullamore I went to Kilbeggan just to warm up. Other than that my philosophy is to enjoy it."

We were curious as to what was in Frank's mind before that par putt on 15 in the final round. "I spoke to Barry Morrissey and Kevin Wall while playing on the 14th green and I said to them - this is a great position to be in. This is why I play the game-. I had got helpful support from Kevin Wall, Brendan Meade, Darren Collins and other friends and supporters from St. Anne's and Cork. I was really enjoying it and was very relaxed." How did he deal with what we felt must have been a crushing blow - to take a bogey on 15 after recovering so well? "I'm serious when I say that it didn't matter - if I can play 54 holes of Pitch and Putt and only hit one bad stroke all day then I've had a good day. Much more important for me was the putt on the 16th. I had pulled the pitch left and chipped weakly. The rain was in my face and I had a 4ft putt left. That putt was much more important and pressurised, the ball flew in the hole and that was a relief. I was getting tense. I just had to remember where I was and enjoy it. I relaxed then and felt I could have gotten one of the last 2 but it was not meant to be."

Frank assesses his fellow performers in that July 6 drama.

"William Buckley is a true gentleman - he deserved his national title. It was an amazing final 18 holes in Tullamore. Before he started he knew he would have to do at least 12 under to have any chance. It's one thing doing that. It's another when you know you have to. An amazing round, pity he had to do it this year!"

"I don't know John Fleming well but it was a fantastic final 18. With that form I expect to see more of him, I hope he does well in St. Stephens."

"Frank O'Donoghue is one of the game's great players, back to his best this year. Frank will always be there or thereabouts and he is very encouraging to all other players, a super ambassador for the game."

"John Walsh and I have had some epic clashes over the years. He is a tremendous competitor, and how he raises his games time after time is amazing. In Tullamore, I was in the perfect position playing with him and I felt that if I could get the upper hand in our match that I would go very close. However that is easier said than done. John was very unlucky on a number of holes in the playoff and could have easily won it."

We wondered where Frank's very endearing attitude to playing Pitch and Putt come from. "It comes from years of nearly being there. I always felt I had the game to compete at the top but doing it was very difficult. I'd play well and then let myself down badly. The real reason was that I was trying too hard. I was trying to will the ball into the hole instead of playing the game for enjoyment. So enjoy it; a win is a bonus. So I tried to just relax and play an enjoyable game and not worry about winning or losing. That is easier said than done, but I started to play really well and as long as I remember not to get hyper about it and enjoy my game I have been exceeding all my expectations, but more importantly I have been having fun and making friends."

Frank is already looking ahead to 2004 and has been spotted practising at St. Stephens "I live close to the course and it is the easiest one for me to practice on. I'm not the only one, John Walsh has also been spotted and John Cahill and his family have been members there for a long time. I played a game during the year against Chris Scannell on the course and if he repeats the form he showed that day he will have another Irish title."

The St. Anne's stalwart humorously weighs up his chances in Sarsfield Court next July. "My record in the strokeplay over the last 3 years has been very good - 6th in Stackallen, 5th in ESB and 2nd this year. I reckon by 2008 I'll be a banker!!! I enjoy St. Stephens and the course has been in excellent condition for a while now. I just wish them the best for the championship. It is great being pre-qualified and I hope I can do well. There are so many super players around now. Any one of a dozen players could win in St. Stephens."

This proud son of Leeside neatly articulated the frustration of waiting for his Inter-County opportunity and the absolute delight he takes in wearing the famous "Blood and Bandage" colours. "Every time I play I don't just represent myself but my clubmates and friends and family. To play for the Cork team and represent the county is a great honour for me. To get on the Cork team is really difficult because of the standard locally. I was trying for eleven years to make it. Cork could field two or three teams and still be competitive. It's great to play for your county and I think especially so for someone who has been trying as long as I have to make the breakthrough."

Clearly Sunday September 7, 2003 was a fantastic day for Frank Dineen. "It was a fantastic day for me. We had a great team and everyone was playing well in advance. We were very well prepared and catered for by the Cork Co. Board officials. At the moment it's easy to feel Cork have a super chance at inter-county championship. It's just performing on the day that matters. As a team, we had come so close in Seapoint last year. We had all been waiting a year to try again. It was a truly team effort - John Walsh got off to a flyer and I think that settled the whole team down. After that it was about supporting each other. On the day I was having great fun and the putts started to fall. That takes the pressure off your pitching and I started pitching well and putting well. If only it could be like that all the time. I had an amazing run at the start of the second round, and I was glad to be able to help the team."

It was no obstacle that the Strokeplay and Inter-County were played on layouts that complement Dineen's game. "Tullamore and Ryston are brilliant courses - both in fantastic condition this year. They're nice and long with super fast greens, perfect. The courses are similar and certainly suit me. I have played very well on both courses in the past. I must say both clubs are very hospitable and welcoming."

A familiar theme in Backspin's interviews with out top players is the sport's appeal, particularly to the young player. Frank Dineen's views are forthright. "We have a fantastic product to market to both young and old alike. Coaching is a vital aspect of the game for people of all levels and a great chance to encourage people to play our game. Support for coaches is a terrific way forward. New players who are coached are more likely to continue with the sport."

Frank suggests that the P.P.U.I. capitalise on its main asset - the national showpieces. "We have magnificent championships played at a very high standard and I feel that we could assist people who are new to the game or people who don't play, to enjoy the spectacle of the championships; it would help develop an interest. I really became enthusiastic about playing having seen the National Matchplay Finals in Lakewood in 1987. If championships were promoted for spectators locally and spectators catered for at championships by proper walkways and details of the game I feel it would help."

Frank speaks of the origins of his involvement in the sport and of his beloved St. Anne's. "I started playing in the mid 1980's and loved it from the start. During summer holidays we used to spend most of our days playing in St. Anne's, followed by a game of soccer in the field. It is a great amenity in the middle of Cork City."

Frank wields a Wilson X31 Sand Wedge -he doesn't think they make them anymore. His putter is a camber faced True Roll. It's fairly new after his old one got murdered by a passing car one day! In the matter of the ball, the Cork northsider is a traditionalist. "I am one of the few Commando "Old Faithfuls." They are very hard to get and I'm down to my last few so I'd better not lose any more!"

Dineen was certainly a banker by 2008!
Dineen captured the National title when the championship returned to Tullamore in 2008