Rock’s road to The PGA, paved by Parkinson’s, perseverance and grit

A story of perseverance, determination, and belief. Having been told that he couldn’t do something, told to sit in a toll booth, to give up, David Rock has shown there is a life after Parkinson’s and he hopes to raise awareness on a global stage.

PGA Professional David Rock was just 18 years of age when he visited Dr Donal Costigan in the Mater private after a troublesome tremor in his hand started to hamper his putting.

Assuming it was nothing more than a trapped nerve, the teenager arrived to Dr Costigan without any great concern only to receive a diagnosis that would change his life forever. Rock was told by the neurologist that he had Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that leads to shaking and imbalance, the symptoms of which generally worsen over time.

Given his young age, Rock was understandably shocked by the news. Rock was barely an adult. Parkinson’s attacked the elderly. The diagnosis simply didn’t compute. But rather than allow the condition to control his life, Rock has embraced the challenge, and more than twenty years later, he is thriving both in his home life, where he has raised a beautiful family, and in his golf career, where he is chasing his dream of playing professionally on the ever-evolving EDGA Tour.

“About a year after I was diagnosed I was told by occupational therapists that I should look for a different job like in a toll booth or something,” Rock recalls.

“I looked at them thinking, ‘What are you on about? I have Parkinson’s but I can still do stuff!’ The doctors were all saying I should look at different careers and stuff like that.

“I have had Parkinson’s for more than half my life but unless you were actually looking for it, you wouldn’t know. If anyone ever asks me about it I have no problem talking about my condition. Sometimes people are afraid to mention it in case it upsets me but I always encourage people to ask questions.

“I’m never going to be a brain surgeon. You have to just adapt to it. If someone tells you that you can’t do this because you have Parkinson’s, you have to just get on with it. There’s no point dwelling on it or worrying about it. Just do what you can.”

Rock has been doing what he can, and more, for the best part of twenty years. Despite recommendations to seek employment further afield, he strived to carve out a career in the golf space, determined to ensure his condition wouldn’t direct his future.

He developed a friendship that would shape his life forever when he first met Robin Machin at the Open Golf Centre in 1998. Rock was adamant that he was going to earn his PGA qualifications and after Machin became the Head Professional at Co Meath Golf Club in 2000, it looked like Rock might just fulfil his ambition when he joined the team.

However, despite his enthusiasm and unwavering positivity, it wasn’t straight-forward. Cracks in the plan appeared and when Rock was once again encouraged to give up the day job and focus on something else, this time he reluctantly listened. He began working in JJB Sports in Blanchardstown before a second chance in the golf industry came his way in McGuirks and the world of custom fitting, where he was soon promoted to the role of Custom Fitting Manager in 2002.

Rock enjoyed well over a decade of success in the role but as it transpired, the job wasn’t the right fit. The amount of travel involved meant too much time away from his young family and Rock soon found himself at another crossroads in life. Empowered by persistence, and buoyed by the encouragement of his peers, Rock was convinced to go down the PGA route and try earn his qualifications again in 2016.

If nothing else, it was another opportunity for Rock to prove to people that the impossible is possible, whether you have Parkinson’s or not.

“I decided I would give the PGA training another go and I was back with Robin at the time in Co Meath,” he remembers.

“If nothing else, I thought that if I got through it, I could show others that it can be done. My sister and brother have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well and whether I like it or not, my children and their children might have Parkinson’s too. I just think if I can do something now, it might help them going forward to know that it didn’t stop me.”

Far from a one man mission, Rock remains grateful for the guidance and patience provided to him by the PGA in Ireland. His case was a unique one but aided by ferocious support from the region, Rock followed through to earn his PGA credentials and carve out a career in golf that many people, given his circumstances, previously predicted he couldn’t.

“In fairness, the PGA and Robin were great with me. The PGA gave me all the time I needed to do it, and we got through it,” says Rock, rightly proud of everything his journey represents:

“I never went out of my way to ask the PGA for anything. I have a Parkinson’s logo on my bag, I have never hidden away from showing that I have it. It shows if I can get on with my life, so can you.

“The PGA have gone out of their way for me. They understand that I won’t be able to do certain things so they have given me an extended period of time, and then on the playing side, hitting the fairway isn’t an issue but once you are within two or three feet of a hole, there are days where the shaking is a big thing. It doesn’t take much movement of a putter to miss a putt. So they have told me I don’t have to put many scores in so they let me pass on all that.

“They never came across this situation, but they adapted to it so well. The guys in the UK and Michael McCumiskey in Ireland were all fantastic. When I go to a tournament, I’m treated like anybody else and they support me every step of the journey. David Higgins, whose father had Parkinson’s, reached out to me and he’s a well-established member of the PGA.

“They could have easily said they didn’t have the systems in place to help me but they’ve been brilliant with me. Without the PGA, Robin and Michael McCumiskey, I would not be qualified as a PGA pro. God knows where I would be.”

With his determination, there’s no doubt Rock would’ve been a success at whatever he lent his hand to. It just so happens, the Dubliner’s prints are making their mark on golf. 

Having returned to Co Meath in 2016, Rock was soon on the move again, taking up a teaching job at neighbouring Moyvalley in 2017 where, little did he realise, that two months later he was going to be at the wheel of the club’s golf operations team.

Just like with his condition, Rock didn’t shy away from the challenge. Instead he embraced it, turning a potentially difficult position into a positively fruitful one before eyeing up his next venture.

“At the time we were losing quite a lot of money on the golf course and my aim was to break even on the golf course over a few years,” he says.

“In our second year we made up to 50 grand. Our membership doubled, we had PGA Championships and Irish Open qualifiers, we were voted Leinster Hotel Golf Resort of the Year.

“I became more and more involved in the admin side of things which isn’t what I wanted to be doing. Moyvalley is a fantastic place with an amazing golf course but I didn’t want to sit behind a desk. I had to make a decision on what was best for me in terms of what I wanted to achieve.”

Always striving for more, Rock’s latest move saw him appointed as Head Professional at Ballykisteen Golf Club in Tipperary in March; a position he was never previously attracted to having fallen in love with custom fitting and the teaching side of the game. However, after a series of lengthy conversations with mentor Robin over lockdown, Rock’s head was soon turned to Ballykisteen, and sure enough, it’s been a match made in heaven ever since.

“I always said to Robin that I never wanted to be a club pro,” Rock admits. “I love teaching and doing custom fitting and meeting people, but I didn’t want to be going home worrying about 60-70 grand worth of stock in a shop during Covid.

“But over that time just through conversations with Robin, I was thinking maybe it is something I should look at. I don’t want to look back on things and wish I did this or that and then the opportunity in Ballykisteen came up which was a big move.

“They held the EuroPro Tour in 2017 so I thought I’d apply for it, why not? Fortunately, they selected me and I moved the family down to Tipperary. It was a big move but to be fair it has been great. The kids have adapted well and things in the golf club are going well. I’m glad I did it, I was worried about the business side of things but all my previous experience gave me a head-start. I do love it.

“I am starting to teach more and I have taken up a more Director of Golf role so I have a good handle on the day-to-day running of the club which I am enjoying. I am getting the best of both worlds.

“It is a wonderful golf course, always in good condition, great facilities and a great location just a half an hour from Limerick City, and Limerick junction train station is five minutes down the road.

“It’s been a long route to get here but I’m really happy I made the move. It’s fantastic, and the club has a lot of potential.”

While Rock moved between clubs, gaining valuable experience on all industry matters off the fairway, another opportunity was brewing on the course, and one that would further aid Rock’s mission to break down barriers in relation to Parkinson’s disease.

The European Disabled Golf Association has been gathering momentum, particularly since Dundalk’s Brendan Lawlor burst onto the scene, and clearly inspired by Brendan’s success, Rock recognises a potential platform to compete like never before, and another chance to prove that adversity can be overcome by attitude and perseverance.

“It’s after exploding,” Rocks says of the newly-named Golf for Disabled (G4D) Tour, with events in Mount Juliet and Galgorm part of an expanded 2022 schedule.

“I came across the tour years ago and it wasn’t that big. They had one or two events abroad in Holland and other places so it wasn’t something that appealed to me but now with the likes of Brendan Lawlor being on TV all the time, there are more events and exposure.

“I know Conor Stone who plays in them. I was going to play in Portugal in February but with work commitments, I couldn’t go. My first one will be in Chester in July so I’ll go to that and see what happens. If it’s for me, I’ll give it a go.”

Disability Golf is very much on the rise with a series of badged events affording Rock the chance to qualify for the seven tournaments this season on the G4D Tour. By competing, Rock’s goal is to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and send a message that you can still live a normal life with a positive attitude, as well as qualify for the G4D Tour, where he hopes to make a sustainable living.

“The way things are going with the EDGA, it’s a great way to raise awareness,” says the Dubliner.

“It’s quite popular. There are quite a few in the UK and they stretch as far as Australia and South Africa and then the US do their own thing. The problem is where they are based, places like Holland and Norway, but it’s great to have a few in the UK and then Ireland are hosting one in Roganstown in July. The other stuff will depend on how I play, and then my work commitments as a pro which isn’t easy to get away from.

“Brendan [Lawlor] is the best EDGA golfer in the world but all he gets is the silver platter we saw in Dubai which is fine, but he wants to earn a living from this. They aren’t far away from making it a sustainable tour from what I’ve heard.

“The DP World Tour have said they will put money into it. When you hear that you think I might as well give it a go - I won’t have many more opportunities to do something like that.

“If that happens great, if not, at least it raises awareness for Parkinson’s and people with Parkinson’s. It’s a win, win situation.”

Given all the stepping-stones he’s strived to reach over the past two decades, Rock won’t be satisfied to raise awareness simply by teeing it up. He knows in order to maximise his publicity and qualify for the main EDGA events, he’ll need to perform. And with a track record of clearing every hurdle put in front of him, there’s no reason why this latest challenge should be treated any other way.

“To play in the bigger events I need to perform well in the badged events so a lot of what happens depends on how well I play obviously,” he says. “I accept I will have days where I struggle because of the shakiness and stuff like that but I can deal with it.

“It’s just getting out there and showing people that there is more to life than having Parkinson’s and just sitting at home waiting on miracle cures. That’s never been me. I want to keep going.”

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