Fresh off the fairways of Ballybunion, Sean Keelan, the new Irish Boys Champion, joins us to reveal the tactics and mental fortitude that powered his recent triumph. Our discussion with Sean is more than just a victory lap; it's a deep exploration into the world of competitive golf, where meticulous preparation meets the mental rigors of the sport. He opens up about his disciplined approach to the game, the pressures of maintaining peak performance, and the joy of celebrating these rare moments of success with a supportive family and community.
In this heartfelt conversation, we navigate the emotional contours of winning and the critical role support systems play in the lives of young athletes. Sean reflects on the exhilaration of his win and the nurturing influence of his parents, shedding light on the often-overlooked aspects of a golfer's journey. We also peer into Sean's transition from junior to men's golf, examining the camaraderie that bolsters his confidence and the aspirations that fuel his drive towards the future.
Strap in for an episode that's as much about strategy as it is about the spirit of the game. Sean shares his practical game insights, from on-course nutrition to the philosophy of adapting to the tools at hand during tournament play. He discusses his affection for courses that reward precision and a steady putter and lays out the challenges that links courses present. With an eye on upcoming tournaments and the pursuit of consistency, Sean's story is an inspiring roadmap for anyone looking to excel in golf or any field that requires a blend of strategic acumen and mental resilience.
Fresh off the fairways of Ballybunion, Sean Keelan, the new Irish Boys Champion, joins us to reveal the tactics and mental fortitude that powered his recent triumph. Our discussion with Sean is more than just a victory lap; it's a deep exploration into the world of competitive golf, where meticulous preparation meets the mental rigors of the sport. He opens up about his disciplined approach to the game, the pressures of maintaining peak performance, and the joy of celebrating these rare moments of success with a supportive family and community.
In this heartfelt conversation, we navigate the emotional contours of winning and the critical role support systems play in the lives of young athletes. Sean reflects on the exhilaration of his win and the nurturing influence of his parents, shedding light on the often-overlooked aspects of a golfer's journey. We also peer into Sean's transition from junior to men's golf, examining the camaraderie that bolsters his confidence and the aspirations that fuel his drive towards the future.
Strap in for an episode that's as much about strategy as it is about the spirit of the game. Sean shares his practical game insights, from on-course nutrition to the philosophy of adapting to the tools at hand during tournament play. He discusses his affection for courses that reward precision and a steady putter and lays out the challenges that links courses present. With an eye on upcoming tournaments and the pursuit of consistency, Sean's story is an inspiring roadmap for anyone looking to excel in golf or any field that requires a blend of strategic acumen and mental resilience.
okay, welcome back to the irish and podcast. In this episode I'm joined by sean keelan after his lovely win of the irish boys in ballybunion. Sean, how does that one feel?
Speaker 2:
irish boys champ yeah, it feels good, gary, nice to get a win in early, early in the season and nice one to have on the cv.
Speaker 1:
I guess ir Irish Boys champion yeah 100% the national title, and there's something very nice to have on the CV. This is one you air-macked a bit early, sean, was it?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah. I suppose I kind of got into the junior invitational and with that I kind of thought I'd have to decide between the West and Irish Boys. And as soon as my last year in boys off, I just just wanted to play the Irish Boys and see if I could, if I could win it yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1:
And I suppose, like you're not going to turn up at an event and like let's take the West, because it's like I know, like there's no way you were going up there not expecting to win it, I suppose, or at least contend in it, going up to Sligo almost with the Irish boys in the back of your mind, the prep was never going to be right for you, was it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I suppose. Yeah, it was just probably tiredness coming back from America and then if I was playing the West and then the Irish boys, it's not optimal, I guess, for your performance, I suppose performance and being optimal.
Speaker 1:
You ended up in Ballybunion a couple of days early. What did you learn?
Speaker 2:
we'll say in your two days before the tournament that kind of, I suppose, stood to you really well throughout the week. I suppose. To be fair, a lot of the rough was down, but if you did hit it offline, there was some spots where you could easily lose balls. So, just like most things, of course, it's just hitting the fairways. But, to be fair, the main thing was the greens are quite narrow, so your iron play had to be pretty good and you had to kind of just hit the middle of the greens where you could, and because there's a lot of runoffs on the side of the greens, so you can easily end up making kind of bogeys or double bogeys even from nowhere.
Speaker 1:
So yeah, approach play was probably the most important part of the course and I suppose going down, then you're kind of like you're there's no betting on boys golf but you're probably the favorite going down there. So, taking that mentality into the week, then I suppose, like is that something that once you get to kind of tee it up, that just goes over the back of the mind like are you just kind of there to play golf?
Speaker 2:
yeah, yes, you always kind of want to control your expectations and kind of block out any like outside noise and just kind of play your golf. I think that's that's where I'd play my best. It's just when I'm kind of just in my own zone and and just playing my game. Yeah, I think he's definitely attracted by expectations or outside things. So I think, just putting the head down and playing, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Putting the head down and playing. I suppose like all the hard yards were done in the first couple of days and like Ballybunion has a couple of, I suppose, funny tee shots. Like it's a kind of very traditional links where, like you have to pick the correct line and like, as you were saying, the rough is down a little bit but like it can still be. If you're a small bit off, the punishment can be fairly severe. Like so had you kind of a game plan early with, like where you wanted to tee off from and kind of like particular lines picked out for yourself?
Speaker 2:
yeah, there is a couple of like blind tee shots and dog legs and that. So, uh, yeah, getting the lines on, I think 16 and 17. They're kind of the main, I'd say the two you could say toughest tee shots where you have to pick a line. So, yeah, getting a practice round in and just making sure you're clear on what you're doing is important.
Speaker 1:
I suppose you get to the first tee on Wednesday. Yeah, you find yourself three under through four Again. I suppose, like talking about sticking to a process and keeping your expectations where they are, like getting off to a hot start. So how do you control the emotion like early in a round?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think when you get off to a good start, some people I don't know tend to maybe pull on the brakes and maybe panic a bit. But I think you always, if you're playing well and feeling good, you want to keep the foot down and make as many birdies as you can. So that's kind of what I felt on the day. I felt good, my swing felt in a good place, so I was just trying to kind of ride that wave and just make as many birdies as I could.
Speaker 1:
I guess and was that kind of the game plan already like just to be very aggressive.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, the first few holes me and Jeff were talking about it the first kind of six holes. You can kind of take advantage of them. There's two par fives you can reach and then there's two short par fours so you can kind of get a score going early. And then, yeah, the back nine gets a little tougher. So it's kind of one of them courses where where you try get make your score on the front nine and then hold on a little on the back yeah, and so as was going on in the back, like you were turning the 66 on day one, five under um, you're leading by four.
Speaker 1:
So then like what's the process? Suppose that evening going into the next round, are you just kind of that round is done and it's kind of start again tomorrow?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think you want to just bin it and start again the next day and just go again. You definitely don't want to get complacent or get ahead of yourself. You, you, just you try and move on as quick as you can, whether it's good or bad, and just just go again the next day, as as you do every day yeah, and I suppose like again would have been links and being this time here in ireland, like weather issues and kind of.
Speaker 1:
I suppose the wind is getting up down there a little bit as well. So you go, you go to following day. Um, again off to a decent start. I think you're two or three under, you're two under after five or six again. So you're kind of leading comfortable at this point and like you still think at this point that there's a third one gonna happen.
Speaker 2:
Yeah yeah, yeah, I'm adding a clue that it's gonna be two days.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so you're leading by. I think at the turn you were leading by about five or six at this point. So are you very much, then, just trying to focus on again the same thing, getting back into the house as low as you can, is it?
Speaker 2:
yeah, to be honest, I wasn't like looking at the leaderboard or anything, or I didn't didn't know how much I was leading by. I was just kind of trying to stay in my own bubble and just game plan and just see where that takes you.
Speaker 1:
Um, so yeah, you come in after the second round, sean, and you're leading by seven whispers, I suppose, start happening around clubhouse at that point that there's going to potentially be a third day. So what's the feeling like at that point?
Speaker 2:
yeah, it's strange because you don't want to almost uh think that there's the third day is going to be cancelled. At that point, um, I was kind of just trying to maybe keep away from from people and like just kind of get ready to play the third round, no matter what. So it's kind of strange one when it did get called off because I was in my head, own head, kind of trying to get myself, uh ready for day three, and then you just get told it's called off and and I won. So it was kind of a strange feeling, but it was. I was, I was still delighted, um, by the end of it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, 100, and I suppose, like that's the kind of thing like I suppose would have been a strange feeling, I suppose. Suppose so is there a kind of a delayed reaction to the kind of the enjoyment that you wanted, I suppose.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think there was definitely Like. At first it was kind of like I still hadn't sunk in or I hadn't realised it yet. It probably took an hour or two, but yeah, it was nice. We got back to the house and you're kind of just sitting there like you kind of dream of that as a kid, like to win the Irish Boys, and then realise that you've done it. It's nice, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Who's the first person that gets a phone call after you win it?
Speaker 2:
My mum and dad.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and I suppose, like as young as you are and I think I said it to you in the last part as well like there's a lot of work goes on in the background to get you, I suppose, prepped for for these events. There's a lot of time and kind of, I suppose, your own time given up in the time of others, like so like to be able to, I suppose, bring your parents and kind of I'm not going to say a reward for all the hard work, I think, because you're still very early in your career, but like certainly a great reward for the work that's been done so far.
Speaker 2:
So like it must be very nice to kind of share it with them early yeah, definitely, like I mean in golf, you you put in so much work and it's very rare that you get kind of get rewarded for that. Only it's it's unlike other sports where you you don't win very often.
Speaker 1:
So when you do, you want to, you want to enjoy it as much as you can, definitely with the, with the people that help you get there yeah, and I suppose, like even with that one, that's something that I think, like a lot of people, I suppose, take for granted sometimes, that, like you can do everything right a lot of the time, um, and so how do you manage your expectations then, sean? I suppose that's probably what I'm getting to with it, like that one, knowing that you can't win every event, but like, is it a case of looking at, looking at the results after an event and kind of saying, okay, I done what I could do. That's kind of the reward or the prize, almost yeah, I mean it's.
Speaker 2:
It's kind of, as long as you keep on doing the right things on and off the golf course and like your mindset's good and you've prepared well and you've once you've done all the right things, I don't think you can have any regret looking back, no matter how you do, because some some, some weeks, you can do everything right and it just just doesn't happen. And so I think I'd say in your analysis of events, it's probably better to look at, uh, how your mindset was. Did you prepare well? Where was your process on the course good and and were you eating well and all this stuff, because sometimes you just can't control how you play, you just have to take it as it comes.
Speaker 1:
I guess that's actually kind of an interesting one. I suppose Would you have five or six points that you're kind of, I don't know, taking notes of or just kind of mentally recording as a tournament goes on and you're kind of yourself against Demi Tweek is it Kind of.
Speaker 2:
I wouldn't say there's like any like exact points, but you'd have kind of areas of your game like was your? Were you disciplined, did you stick to your game plan?
Speaker 1:
did you react well well to mistakes, all this kind of sort of stuff, that kind of, I guess, process, rather than just looking at the result we're very much in a crossover period of your golf, if you want to call it that kind of still young enough to play boys and obviously very, very talented and well able to play men's golf. So, like what does the rest of the season look like for you then in terms of like? Will you play more men's golf from now on, or is it going to be trying to dominate the boys for the last year?
Speaker 2:
No, I think the only other boys' events I'll play this year I think it's just the British boys and maybe the US junior. Apart from that it's all just men's. So try and get a win or two in the men's would be nice.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and you were named on the Euro Nations team coming up with one of your academy members. You fully Matt McLean and Jack Horn. So I suppose, again looking at your progression the last couple of years, like it must be very rewarding for you to be, I suppose, selected alongside them and kind of a nice reward for your own golf, I suppose.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's always so. It's nice getting the uh team team events, and especially with Hugh uh, first time playing for Ireland with Hugh and I've known Hugh for probably I don't know eight or nine years by now and so it's nice kind of both of us now playing. Playing on the same men's team together would be be fun week for sure.
Speaker 1:
I'd say so there'll be a bit of a side in Eaglesone who has the lowest score kind of in the week, I take it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, it's always competitive, I guess, yeah.
Speaker 1:
And that's always kind of, I suppose, like as part of that academy and stuff, like you have kind of within events, like you're all very supportive each other. And I kind of noticed it again at the West and I kind of like I suppose I'm asking you about it, even though you weren't at the West like whenever one of the lads was knocked out or if there was a match continuing, we'd say kind of pretty much all the lads would go up and follow and kind of see how support around each other.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it definitely is. Yeah, Golf can be kind of a lonely sport at times, so it's nice to have kind of mates or people that you share the moments with, I guess.
Speaker 1:
And then, I suppose, for the rest of the year, sean, what would you be looking at as, I suppose? A successful 2024.
Speaker 2:
From this point on, we'll say I'd say I'd love to win a men's event and make teams like, say, st Andrew's Trophy European teams. I just kind of want to improve my game and kind of add a little bit more consistency. I feel like maybe sometimes I can be hot and cold, so it'd be nice to kind of get more of a level, kind of just consistent year. So yeah, that's kind of the goal, yeah so talking consistency, the magic word in golf.
Speaker 1:
I suppose everyone kind of chases this magic consistency and this kind of level playing field, I suppose in their own ability. What's the process at the moment in terms of you looking at trying to help you with that?
Speaker 2:
I think a lot of it's on the golf course in terms of decision-making on your shots. At times I can maybe be a little bit too aggressive, so it's kind of just picking the right times to be aggressive and then picking the right times just to maybe take your medicine, hit the middle of the green. So, yeah, it's kind of just trying to limit the mistakes and the birdies will come.
Speaker 1:
So yeah, so we mentioned the EuroNations come up. That's next week, I think. So then what's the next two events after that for you? So we mentioned the Euro Nations come up, that's next week, I think.
Speaker 2:
So then what's the next two events after that for you? So it's Euro Nations and then Lytham and Irish Arm. So it does get busy.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it becomes very busy and I suppose, like that kind of the next eight weeks after that or kind of starting at that point, I suppose, is pretty much golf every 10 days, kind of two weeks, really isn't it?
Speaker 2:
Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of hectic around that kind of end of May June time.
Speaker 1:
And then like spending that much time, I suppose, constantly prepping for tournaments and like trying to organise travel and everything else that goes on with it. How do you stay one very focused on your golf and just even commit it, all the work you're doing in the background?
Speaker 2:
uh, it's just kind of time management. Uh, I guess in between the tournaments you might have a day off after the event just to kind of get your body and mind back into the right place and then and it's just using the time you have to, I don't know, maybe work on your work on your swing or your short game or whatever's uh annoying you in your game maybe, and then making sure your body's right as well in the gym.
Speaker 1:
Um, so, it's kind of just just time management, I guess, using using the time you have someone asked me a question, day to day actually, and I kind of something I might start putting to more players on the pod is what's your go-to snack on the course?
Speaker 2:
Hmm, good question. I normally have at least one or two bananas, and then I'd have like a protein bar, maybe some nuts, but I'd say every round I play I'd have like a protein bar, maybe some nuts, but I'd say every round I'd play I'd have a banana anyway.
Speaker 1:
That's probably the number one thing I think bananas are staples of golf.
Speaker 1:
At this point, I think if you go through a golfer's bag, you have a very good chance of finding a fairly rotten one at the bottom of it as well, yeah, but I suppose then, sean, with all that and again, the year is going to become extremely busy and you're talking about things that can potentially annoy you in your game and then trying to fix them throughout. But is it a case of tournament week or the week before that? Are you a guy that you almost have what you have, or would you still be willing to work on stuff on the range leading up to a tournament?
Speaker 2:
I think when you get to a tournament, I think you just play with what you have. I don't think there's any point in trying to change things at a tournament. But I'd say it's more in between or after a tournament. But definitely when you get to the event, just kind of play with what you have and try to get the best out of that.
Speaker 1:
I think I might have mentioned this the last minute we were chatting about last year again, just, you're sitting there in the Ballyliffin gear the amateur in Ballyliffin. So how many times would you have played Ballyliffin in the last two or three years?
Speaker 2:
I'd say maybe six, seven, around that, probably close to.
Speaker 1:
Favourite hole on the course.
Speaker 2:
Good question. I, I, I like the 18th. For some reason I birdied. I birdied the 18th, I think, almost every time I played it, so it's probably one of my goals yeah, it's a.
Speaker 1:
It's a nice goal and, to be fair, it's a lovely place in general. But it's definitely a kind of the second shot into it and I suppose, like looking at the amateur being up there this year, like what would you think is what kind of game is suited to that course, I suppose I think the rough's going to be up that time of year, I'm guessing.
Speaker 2:
So straight off the tee, that's probably the most important part, I'd say. And then obviously putting's always important. But I'd say, if you're straight off the tee and you can putt well, then that'll probably be the main things.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's something I took away from it. The last was up there. I think, like the straight off the tee part is obviously important. It's important most places, but it can be highly important at links. But looking at some of the second shots into the green, like if you're not going to give yourself the opportunity to be able to spin a ball into a lot of the greens up there, like it could become a very kind of tough challenge I suppose yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:
Um, the greens are pretty flat, so if you, if you are in the greens, you can hold putts. Yeah, yeah, so I think definitely, if the rough's up, you'll need to be in it straight that week yeah, because like, holding greens like is kind of I don't know, just like.
Speaker 1:
I've only seen it for a couple of days, but like that was something that I took away at the time the wind was up and it just seemed, I suppose, bumpy, like Lynx is, but it was kind of very hard to hold the surfaces. So, sean, nice quick chat. Best of luck in Euronation next week, my man. Thanks, gary. I'm sure I'll catch you in County Sligo in a couple of weeks.