Diarmuid Fraser ready to make his mark

One year down, two to go and for an ambitious young Cork golfer.

Diarmaid Fraser has been steeped in golf since the age of six and the 20-year-old from Millstreet, recently got his break in the professional ranks when he was offered an assistant’s contract by Killarney Golf Club head pro David Keating.

Now the Corkman has just completed his first year of a three-year Professional Golf Studies course at the University of Birmingham and is grateful at the start he has been given for what has the potential to be a life in the game.

“When I was 16 I had a meeting with the head professional in Killarney, David Keating,” Fraser said. “He advised me that if I wanted to go down this road, I had to have a huge passion for golf because I will be surrounded by it 24/7. I knew this wasn’t going to be an issue for me.

“One of the requirements to get into this course is that a golf club has to give you a contract. David Keating gave me this he also gave me lessons every two weeks when I was in the process of turning professional. He was able to use brilliant technology like TrackMan to help my game.”

TrackMan golf technology is a far cry from Fraser’s earliest golfing experiences at Millstreet Pitch and Putt course but he progressed steadily as a juvenile, through the Kerry Junior League and in the Fred Daly Trophy.

Clearly it proved good grounding for getting accepted onto the University of Birmingham’s three-year Professional Golf Studies course, which he studies through distance learning.

“To apply for this course you have to have a handicap of four or lower,” Fraser said. “A person also has to pass a playing ability test (in Dundalk, County Louth) where you have to shoot 13 over par or better over two rounds.

“Firstly I want to pass every college year and get my degree. Eventually I would like to get some experience in the States and work in the top golf clubs in Florida.”