Kinsella dynasty on course to clock up 250 years of PGA service

There are several examples of sons following their fathers and grandfathers in becoming PGA Professionals and creating a golfing dynasty.

Percy, Peter and Gary Alliss is one; Fred, Albert and Cyril Whiting another.

In terms of clocking up combined years of service, however, Ireland’s Kinsella family takes some beating.

Indeed, the late Bill Kinsella cannot have imagined that when he started work at the Skerries Golf Club in 1930, his sons Jimmy, William and David plus grandson Bobby would follow in his footsteps as PGA pros.

Neither can he possibly have foreseen that, come this Spring, his progeny would have racked up 200 years of PGA membership between them and the Kinsella name would still be above the Skerries pro shop door.

Add in Bill’s 46 years of service before he handed over the reins at Skerries to Jimmy and that’s a combined total of close on 250 years.

Jimmy succeeded his father in 1976 having turned pro at the age of 15 when, with an aversion to school, he headed for England to work for two time Ryder Cup player Bill Cox at Fulwell Golf Club, Twickenham.

He had been recommended for the position by Joe Carr, the first Irishman to be appointed R&A Captain, and three months on a chance meeting with another member of Ireland’s golfing royalty, Christy O’Connor Sr, resulted in him becoming his assistant at Bundoran.

Jimmy was there for six years before he moved to Castle Golf Club, Dublin, to work for Willie Holley, succeeding him as head professional in 1966 when David joined him as his assistant.

David, who arrived at Castle with a burgeoning reputation as a player, recalled: “I won the Joe Carr Trophy at Bettystown the first time it was played and then in 1963 I won the Lord Mayor’s Cup and the Barton Cup with Skerries.

“That’s all I ever did as an amateur. I went to Castle at 16 to be the assistant to Jimmy. For whatever reason, I thought I was good but it never happened for me as a tournament player so I became the pro there at 22 because Jimmy was keen on playing the tour. They offered me the job on the proviso I didn’t travel the world.”

Staying put resulted in David becoming  one of Ireland’s most accomplished coaches and boasting a roster of clients that included future European Tour winners Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane and Peter Lawrie. He also coached Leinster for a dozen years, captained the PGA in Ireland,  and served Castle for half a century before retiring in 2015.

William, the second oldest of the three golfing siblings and better known as Billy, was similarly long-serving as the head PGA Professional at Woodbrook Golf Club.

He held the position for 43 years before retiring in 2006 after a career in which he met and played with some of the world’s most accomplished players.

Not least a young Nick Faldo in the third round of the Irish Open at Portmarnock in 1977.

"Even then, as a 20-year-old in only his second season on tour, Faldo's ball-striking and temperament were unbelievable and it was no surprise he became a multiple major winner," Billy recalled.

Faldo went on to win the Open three times and Billy saw 10 of the Englishman’s predecessors in action at Woodbrook .

 “I met them all,” he said. “Bobby Locke, Fred Daly, Max Faulkner, Kel Nagle, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Roberto di Vicenzo, Gary Player, Tony Jacklin and Tom Watson.”

In Billy’s eyes, however, that stellar cast of visitors was topped by O’Connor Sr and he added: “Christy loved Woodbrook and he drew great crowds here. He was a remarkable golfer."

Both O’Connors, Senior and Junior, however, were members of a star-studded posse that finished behind Jimmy when he won the Madrid Open in 1972. In doing so, he became the first Irishman to win on the fledgling European Tour, earned £1,500 and was embraced by the future King Juan Carlos after holing the decisive putt.

Jimmy also won the Irish Professional Championship twice and represented Ireland four times in the World Cup but his time on the tour proved brief.

Heart trouble forced him to give up competing on it in 1975 but, almost half a century on and at the age of 82, he still displays the skills that enabled to him hold his own against the likes of fellow PGA pros Peter Butler, Neil Coles and Bernard Hunt.

“He probably shoots close to level par here at Skerries,” confirmed Bobby, his son.  “He’ll go round in 73, no problem. He’d be very disappointed if he didn’t shoot much lower than his age!”

Bobby succeeded his father as head pro at Skerries in 2006 and prior to that there were times three generations of the family could be found in the pro shop when he was learning the trade.

“I left school when I was 15 and started working with my dad,” Bobby recalled.

“In those days my granddad was often here helping my dad out. He’d be fixing all the clubs and he’d be telling me how to do it.

“He was famous for repairing clubs and I learned how to do it from watching him. Sadly, there’s not much call for club repairs now.

“The job has changed totally. There were more chances to play 20 years ago but most of the time now is spent working in the shop or giving lessons.”

All of which is counting against at least one of Bobby’s three children following the family tradition and extending the Kinsella’s association with Skerries into its second century.

“I’ve got two boys, Calvin and Kyle, and a daughter, Sophia,” continued Bobby who, now aged 50, is on course to be at the club when the Kinsellas clock up a century of service there in eight years time.

“They all play golf but Calvin, the eldest who is 12, has said he doesn’t want to be stuck in a shop. I guess that could change.”

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