Chasing the sun: The Offaly man grinding to keep pro golf dream alive

Stellar Offaly amateur Stuart Grehan turned professional in 2017. How much longer he can keep it going is a question he's asked himself many times.

FEELING THE HEAT: Stuart Grehan at last May's UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach GC in Abu Dhabi. Pic: Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Late last year, Stuart Grehan didn't think he'd be here, ready to pursue his professional golf dream for another season. Then he started playing well.

He finished second in the order of merit on the Winter Tour in Spain, winning once, and also winning a tournament on the Toro Tour by 12 shots.

“Three or four months ago, I didn't even know if I was going to be playing this year,” says Grehan, the 1,364th-ranked golfer in the world, “because I didn't know how Spain was going to go.” 

The Offaly man turned pro in late 2017 after a season that had him ranked as Ireland’s No 1 amateur. Growing up in Tullamore, pitch and putt was his gateway drug.

“I started playing golf quite late at 13, compared to everyone now where they're nearly off scratch at that age,” he says. “It was probably around 15 or 16 [when I started to take golf seriously]. I just loved it and I wanted to play every day.

“When I got down to a two or three handicap, I thought 'Jeez, maybe I'll give this a go'. Then I had a really good year when I was 17 or 18 and I got from a three-handicap into the plus figures.”  

Going to college in the States on a golf scholarship had developed into one of Grehan’s ambitions. He took a year out to assess his options and then accepted an offer to enrol at East Michigan University in 2013.

“Any opportunity that came my way I was going to take,” he says. “They were the first ones to offer me a scholarship - four years.

“When I went out there, I'll never forget coming off the plane. I started in January and there was three-feet of snow. I was like, 'What am I doing here?'” 

Despite his initial reservations, and the fact that he stayed there for just a year, Grehan did enjoy his time in the US. There was structure to his days. He won a tournament. But there are good reasons why so many of the world’s top golfers choose Florida as their base and not the frigid midwest.

Grehan at last year's Dormy Open in Askersund, Sweden. (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)

“I just didn't feel it was the right fit,” says Grehan, “with the weather, there wasn't much golf going on. There was a lot of indoor stuff. Just from a development standpoint, it didn't suit me at the time. ” 

While in America, an opportunity closer to home arose, a chance to attend Maynooth University.

“Maynooth have the best [golf] scholarship programme in Ireland; my heart was set on that,” he says. “I loved it in Maynooth. It's very like an American college, the way the structure is with gym, yoga, psychology.” 

That was 2014. Three years later, Grehan knew he was going to turn pro. He won the East of Ireland Championship, the South of Ireland Championship, the Mullingar Scratch Cup; he played for Ireland, Great Britain and Ireland, and Europe. Virtually all the amateur golfer boxes ticked, bar playing in the Walker Cup, an ambition hampered by injury.

“It was a big decision to turn pro," he says, "it was just whether all the ducks were in line. Number one, you need good financial backing. I was Ok because I had Golf Ireland looking after me and then Maynooth were backing me and I had a couple of private guys as well. You need a good team around you - swing coach, putting coach.

“If you get those things right, it's still the same game, you still have to go out and shoot in the 60s no matter what tournament it is.” 

He played in the qualifying school for the then European (now DP World) Tour. It didn’t go well so he joined the now defunct EuroPro Tour.

In his first event, the Motocaddy Masters at Frilford Heath in Oxford, he finished second, losing out to Paul O’Hara by two shots. The Scot carded a five-under final round to overtake Grehan. Still, his bank account bulged with £6,000. He felt rich.

“I was riding a nice bit of confidence there,” he recalls. “I made a big mistake because I had a few opportunities on Challenge Tour coming up which I took. It was a weird one. I did feel like, 'Yeah, I can get off this tour pretty easy'. Then I went to Challenge Tour and missed a few cuts by a shot and went, 'Maybe this is a bit more difficult than I thought'.

“Looking back now, I should have just stuck to EuroPro and got my full card instead of going for the bigger opportunities because if you only have a few starts, it's very difficult. That was big learning curve.” 

Grehan is an aviation geek so he doesn’t mind the travel aspect of being a professional golfer, but it can be lonely at times. However the Irish players stay together and go out for meals as a group.

Time is a resource golfers have in abundance. And it can lead to over-thinking. In his second season, Grehan went chasing the holy grail of golf: The perfect swing.

Stuart Grehan (Offaly), Maynooth University at the 2015 World University Games. Picture: ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

A downturn in his form followed as he missed ten of 16 cuts in 2019, and nine of 15 cuts in 2021. It has taken time but he’s slowly realised the pursuit of perfection is a poisoned chalice but it hasn’t halted his desire to polish up his game.

David Ruddy is his swing coach, Gordon Smith his putting coach and Robbie Cannon takes care of his strength and conditioning programme. When he’s in Ireland, Termonfeckin is now home. He’s a member at Baltray where he’ll be practice four hours a day, maybe six times a week when he’s not abroad.

In golf, the feeling that things are getting better is never more than a shot away.

“When I play with better players, I always ask them, 'What do you think I did well today? What do you think I can improve?'” he says. “I only ask people if I really know them or have a decent relationship with them. You learn so much from playing with really good players. I've played with some of the best players in the world. Seeing where they were at the time and where they are now is incredible.” 

He’s studying to become a financial advisor, adding to his degree in entrepreneurship from Maynooth. Last year, he got married. There’s a baby on the way. Life is no longer just about him and his dream. On several occasions he's had that hard chat with himself: 'How much longer can I keep this going without being in the top tier of professional golf?'

“I had that talk in 2021 and I had that talk four or five months ago. I've had that talk many a time,” he says. “At the end of 2021, I had a good chat with the people around me. I had a bad year, only one top ten. The biggest thing is finances. That's a huge thing. It can be difficult.” 

What kept him going was the best season of his career. In 2022, he won the K-Club Pro-Am, a EuroPro Tour event, and he had four other top ten finishes. What will keep him going this year is the form he’s shown in Spain and having secured sponsorship from Mitsubishi Electric Ireland.

“Last year, I felt like I did ok at times,” he says. “I had Challenge Tour status but it wasn't very strong. I got eight or nine starts. I think I missed four or five cuts by a shot and other than that, there were some steady performances in there.

“I've actually lost my status for Challenge Tour this year. It's a stepping stone. I'd like a full run there, just to see if I can finish top 20 in the order or merit and get a full card for the DP. I'd need to get to the Challenge Tour first and go on from there.

“To be honest, if I just play a little bit better, I should be alright to get on it this year. I'm going to be playing golf the whole time, it’s just whether it's on Challenge Tour or the Clutch Tour is the question.

“I'm 31 now. I'd have to reassess it at the end of the year. If I felt like I haven't got much better then it's very difficult to keep pushing yourself."