Grassroots work paying off for MacIndoe

IT’S not just the storms of winter or the drought of early summer that have caused problems for David MacIndoe, the course superintendent at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.

He was slightly late for our appointment yesterday because he was just after hearing that a red deer had run across the ninth green an hour or so earlier and “done a wee bit of damage”. Typically unfazed, MacIndoe and his expert team were on the job and in no time at all you would never have imagined that such a thing had happened. However, as the cream of European golf assembled for the 3 Irish Open starting over the Killeen Course on Thursday, there was considerable speculation that the 7,161 yards, par 71 layout would be taken to the cleaners.

There have even been suggestions that the first sub-60 round in the history of the European Tour would make for a good wager this week. McIndoe has heard that kind of talk as well but simply commented: “I wouldn’t be betting on it anyway. I’m a Scotsman and I work too hard for my money to give it away to the bookies. And if someone does shoot 59, wouldn’t it be nice, at least we’d be famous for something.”