Irish trio living it up down south

THE golf industry may be in a state of flux in the current economic climate but three young Irishmen are managing to find their way in some of the most ideal circumstances — an exclusive country club in America’s Deep South.

Corkmen Aaron O’Callaghan and David Daly, as well as Limerick’s Colin McNamara, are all on the staff at Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Country Club, attending to the golfing needs of a select membership fiercely protective of its Rees Jones-designed course.

Both O’Callaghan, from Douglas, and Muskerry member Daly are assistant professionals at “The Club” while McNamara is a summer intern there on secondment from Mississippi State University’s Professional Golf Management Programme, run in conjunction with the PGA of America.