Damien McGrane will be remembered as one of the most successful Irish professionals on the European Tour over the past 30 years. The 2008 Volvo China Open winner and two-time Irish Professional champion played with many of the greats, including Tiger Woods, but if he could go back, the popular PGA professional at Carlow Golf Club would love to team up with Jack Nicklaus and take on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka “to see what it’s all about.”
1. How’s your golf? I haven’t played since the Irish Open in September 2020. So let’s be honest, I’m obviously playing very well because I have no negative thoughts. I won’t be playing in the Carlow Pro-Am next month, for example, but I’ll be running the day.
2. How did you get started in the game? My grandmother gave me her pitch and putt clubs, and I started playing pitch and putt in about 1983. Then I met a guy at school who played golf, and I started playing with him, and I got competitive.
I just had a desire and hunger to improve. I was lucky enough to meet Joey Purcell, and he took me under his wing and taught me how to play golf at a better level.
3. Choose your weapon. Driver or putter? And why? Driver. I like hitting it, and I hit it very straight so I can stand up and thrash it, and it doesn’t cause me any anxiety. The putter can blow hot and cold.
4. Links or parkland? For me, links. I like the unpredictability of links golf and how you have to engage your brain a lot more, and how you have more options. Parkland tends to be one dimensional.
So links for me is by far the best, and that’s why I like it here in Carlow because right now, it plays like a links golf course. It’s firm and fast with the good weather.
5. When were you happiest on the golf course? When I was away on tour, once I had my family with me, I was always in good form. I wasn’t bored. We always had plans after the golf to do something touristy. The golf was what it was and it was competitive.
6. Who was your sporting hero as a kid? I would have been a huge fan of Seve Ballesteros. If there was a poster to be had, I would have had Seve up on the wall.
7. Name an opponent or rival you especially admired and why. The Irish guys all stuck together, and we all admired each other. For example, I’m a huge fan of Paul Dunne. I think he still has enormous talent and is probably the best player we have. So I’m just waiting for Paul to get his game back and all of a sudden start shooting the scores we know he can shoot.
Shane, when he came along, was a breath of fresh air and great fun. When I started on tour, we had Christy Junior and Paul McGinley, and those guys looked after us. I have fond memories, but as regards the guys, Pádraig was always the market leader. He was always number one in these conversations.
8. What’s your golfing ambition? Do you have one? No, no, not for me. I have none.
9. Name your dream fourball and name the venue. Right now, I would like to play with Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau and see what that is all about. For a third, I’d have Jack Nicklaus. The Koepka-DeChambeau thing is possibly blown out of proportion. They’re competitors, and they don’t need to be kissing and hugging at the end of the day.
You could’ve said the same thing about Garcia and Harrington 15 years ago, and we didn’t bother. Anyway, I’d have Jack as my partner – I have to go old-school – and we’d play Portmarnock Golf Club.
10. If you could change something about the modern game, what would it be? If anything, I’d like to see the Challenge Tour integrated more into the main tour. If the Challenge Tour players were playing alongside the main tour players and the Challenge Tour players were obviously playing for a Challenge Tour prize fund and the main tour boys were playing for the big money, if you integrated them,
I think the Challenge Tour guys would benefit greatly by seeing these other guys and what they do and how simple they make the game. I’d like to see that rather than having two tiers split up all the time. Even if it was only twice a year, it would make a huge impact on their lives.
11. If I gave you a mulligan in your golfing career, what would it be? I played the Indian Masters at Delhi Golf Club in 2008, and I missed the 17th green with an eight iron. If I had a mulligan, I would’ve had a 7-iron (laughs). I finished runner-up to SSP Chawrasia. A simple mistake on the 71st hole cost me the tournament because SSP birdied the last to win by a shot.
12. If you had just one more round to play, where would it be? If I was to finish with a round, I suppose I’d be rude if I didn’t say I’d like to see Augusta.
13. What’s your favourite par three? The 17th at Carlow. Christy O’Connor Jnr described it as the best par three in Ireland.
14. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I’d have to mellow a bit. I’m too serious and too aggressive. I have to mellow a little. (Laughs).
15. What’s your most treasured possession? If the house was burning down, what’s the first thing you’d save? I don’t think there’s anything. I’d just let it burn.
16. If you could change something about your golf, what would it be? There’s nothing about my golf, but if I could go back, I’d probably have focused on tour golf at an earlier age. I spent the first six or seven years trying to conquer the domestic scene, and I possibly should’ve spent only two or three. I was wasting my time. It was no good to me when I moved along. That held me back a little bit.
17. Who’s your favourite golfer of all time? Seve because he had the charisma, and he had that sparkle in his eye. He dressed great and back in the 80s, everyone admired him. He had the X-factor when nobody else had it.
When he passed away, we had a ceremony in Mallorca, and all the Irish guys attended. It was a great pity he passed away so young.
18. What’s your idea of perfect happiness? Being at home on the sofa watching the Discovery Channel with the feet up. When I came back from the tour, I did it for two years.
I never managed to make that trip to Antarctica I had planned, but we’re talking about going to the Masters next year so let’s see, let’s get that one over first.