Frank Dineen analyses his Irish Open wins
We reminded Frank Dineen that a decade has elapsed since he was first crowned Irish Open champion in Dublin and were thrilled that the ebullient Irishman gave us this reaction.
It’s just 10 years since your win at the Irish Open in R.G.S.C. What are your memories of that weekend?
Its hard to believe that it's 10 years – it only feels like yesterday. It was unfortunate that there was a volcanic cloud that prevented many overseas players from playing –looking back, that felt like a huge incident – oh how it fades compared to the world today! So in R.G.S.C. I was lucky to only be playing the Irish, mostly.
I remember the course being very firm on the Saturday and while I didn’t pitch particularly well, my putter was magic that weekend. I got a lot of putts and found myself leading overnight by three shots. Then on Sunday, I was again struggling with my pitching. On the 5th, over the trees into the corner, I caught a branch and ended up under the tree. I chipped to the front edge of the green and then sank a 30ft. putt for par. On the 6th hole, I hit perhaps one of the worst pitches of my life, snap hooking the ball towards the Out of Bounds fence on the left (an almost impossible shot to manage)! But in the air the ball hit a power cable, shot back across the course, and rested almost on the green. The great Eamon Birchall (R.I.P.), amidst howls of laughter, asked if I wanted to replay the shot, as it had struck an overhead wire. When I answered "No, I think I’m lucky enough to be just there," he agreed with a comment, "Good choice!" When I then putted into the hole for a two, I then realised that maybe my name was on the cup. I felt sorry for Stephen Murray who played fantastically to get into a playoff but somehow I felt fate was on my side. Some days are just lucky days. This was one for me.
How did your subsequent Irish Open win compare?
Well, it was the exact opposite in Rocklodge. For two days I had watched closely as Damien Fleming and Bryan Delaney had hit shot for shot against each other and had led the entire field at a fantastic Rocklodge course. I was just trying to hang on to their coat tails. I recall waiting to putt on the 13th and Bryan missed a shortish putt on the 12th above me. I felt if I could just get a few I could get close. I then hit some very good shots on the way home and found myself birdieing every hole coming in including a chip in on the 17th - truth be told I was just trying to chip it onto the green! I got some good putts and found myself in the lead and winning. As an added bonus, my children were there that day watching and that was a huge bonus for me.
You like your Pitch and Putt statistics. Can you quote any interesting stats from either or both of your Irish Open victories.
Well, both events feature very high on my putting statistics hall of fame – I completed the 2nd round at R.G.S.C. in 17 one putts and one two putt. That maybe highlights how poor my pitching was that day – shooting -9 for the round.
The Rocklodge final round was exactly the same putting wise – only a single missed putt in the round – including a monster get on the 15th hole.
Also in R.G.S.C., I had no four in the opening 54 holes (breaking that stat in the 3 hole playoff with a four on the first) but the 54 hole play was more down to miracle putting than anything else.
When the putter is hot, I will not be far away – most times. But l have to remember that compared to the top top players I play a different game – I do not have the skills they have and I have to work harder – I always rate myself as a good player who sometimes takes advantage.
I will make one comment about my wins in the Irish Opens. If I am within striking distance of a victory I believe I have the mental capability to win – that is a huge difference to earlier on in my career (e.g.2003 and 2004) where I may not have finished as well as I could have. It just goes to show that everyone can strive for the top and can win some of the biggest tournaments. If I can, anyone can!
You recently reintroduced the excellent Pitch and Putt radio. How much do you enjoy presenting that and do you have plans for more episodes?
The Radio Pitch and Putt Project was something I started a long time ago and it got a very good reaction at the time – due to a number of reasons it faded – but with the current lockdown situation I thought it would be a good idea to hear the thoughts of some people within the game. We recently did a show with John Manning, John O Leary and Anthony 'Skinner' Malone, which I feel was the best ever show.
https://youtu.be/gOweYjX5Q6A (Part 1) & https://youtu.be/XYmJr_PYsVA Part 2 (Part 2)
Yes there are plans for more and maybe if there is an appetite we might try and manage a monthly show into the future.
Do you think there is any chance we will see some Pitch and Putt action on the course this year?
Giving a completely personal opinion. We have a game that by its very nature is capable of following social distancing guidelines. The mental health benefits of our game are superb. We have a game that is outdoors and that encourages physical movement, moments of intense concentration as well as instances of distraction. Secure mechanical muscle memory tasks. Everything we could ask for as an activity to get people back in life.
I know it is very tough and necessary to lockdown to flatten the curve but lockdown longer than six weeks is unsustainable on a population without severe mental wellbeing considerations.
Additionally, I believe that we could restart competitive play (maintaining social distancing rules) almost immediately. Maybe if we were to make face masks mandatory for competitive play we would achieve the safety levels required.
I honestly believe we will have the blue riband national events and I really hope the Irish Open 2020 will be played as well. I am positive there will be many national and club events that will not happen this year but if we can all pull together I believe that we can get through this and based on some levels of interest from ex-players – hopefully we will have some new and ex-players joining us on the courses.
Please stay safe. I wish all players and their families the best as we all struggle with a new way of life for us all.
