Irish/Australian comedian Jimeoin is one of showbiz’s true workhorses. When he agreed to sit down for an interview, a peek at his tour schedule revealed a gruelling 50 shows in just two months throughout October and November. Yet, between those back-to-back nights on stage, where he holds the audience with nothing more than himself and a microphone, one can’t help but wonder if the pressure of golf could ever faze the Irish star.
In the intricate comedy of existence, where golf and mirth join hands for a spirited jig on any given day, it is clear that Ireland and golf share a connection as endless as the glee one derives from observing an amateur’s slapstick routine on the links, zigzagging in a bewildered quest for fortune, forever convinced they’re a swing away from striking gold, even when gold lies in the opposite direction. Jimeoin is no rogue amateur however, having been schooled in the game as a youngster in Ireland, flirting with the fringes of the ’A grade status’, he might just take a ‘tenner’ off you if he can get the flatstick working.
Can you remember your first game of golf, who got you into it?
Jimeoin: My Dad got me into golf. My first time was probably not even a full game. Once we got away from the clubhouse my father would let me have a crack. Then we used to sneak on at the second hole, as kids.
I’m from Portstewart. The Irish Open has been played there. Portrush is three miles away, where Shane Lowry won The Open in 2019. Believe it or not, back then golf was a very accessible, cheap game…especially when you didn’t pay and sneaked on at the second hole.
Have you ever had a beer with Shane Lowry or any of the other Irish champions?
Jimeoin: I went to school when Heather, Darren Clarke’s wife who unfortunately passed away from cancer. I’ve met Darren as he lives in Portrush. But we didn’t really talk about golf to be honest.
Like some of the sports stars we have interviewed recently, is golf something you tend to do to relax while on tour?
Jimeoin: Yes, it’s one of the few sports I can still play and I really enjoy it. Can be really annoying as well. I’m in Ireland as we speak and I’m playing Portrush on Thursday. I had a putt for a birdie the last time I played there on the first hole. Got a par. But Rory McIlroy took an 11 there, so I beat him by 7 shots.
Can you name some great courses you have played around the world?
Jimeoin: Portstewarts, Portrush, Castlerock, Bonville. All the Melbourne sand belt courses. That one on Hamilton Island. That’s ridiculously hard, but beautiful. Cottesloe in WA. The Heritage, The National. I could go on.
You must have a funny golf story or two….
Jimeoin: Lucas Parsons (Former Australian tournament professional ) gave me a driver at “The Jack” that he couldn’t hit. All he could do was slice it. I couldn’t believe my luck until I played with it and nothing but slices. I gave it to my father who took it back to Ireland and could do nothing but slice it, so he traded it in for a putter. The following week he played in a competition match play, with a guy he had never met before. The guy at Portstewart sliced his drive onto the beach and turned to my father and said ‘that bloody driver, I just bought it in the Pro shop second hand.’ It was the same one that Lucas gave me. It had been around the world slicing the whole way.
Can you tell us about your relationship with the late Jack Newton, how many times you may have played ‘The Jack’ and perhaps a story from that event.
Jimeoin: I played in the Jack originally in 1991 or ‘92 and have known the family since then. Clint was a little shit at nine or 10. Anyway he’s alright now that’s the main thing. I loved Jack’s stories that I would sometimes pretend I wasn’t listening to, but really I was as they were gold. Jack Newton was quite the storyteller. Like the time he broke the Irish golfer Christy O’Connor Jnr‘s ribs in a bear hug as Christy had accidentally hit him….and then his father and Christy O’Connor senior nearly came to blows over. Laughed my head off.
Do you get invited to play any other celebrity ‘pro-ams’, and who are some of the professional golfers and celebrity types that you have played with?
Jimeoin: I marked Wayne Grady‘s card once at “The Jack” as we played together. I’ve played the Australian Masters on the Wednesday a few times and performed at a black-tie function for the Greg Norman event. There was a dancefloor in front of the stage, and John Daly wandered in a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt holding a six pack, and stood on the dancefloor, listening to me and laughing.
Lowest handicap?
Jimeoin: A 77 was my best score. I’ve had two hole in one’s. One of them, I had a journalist and a photographer with me, at the 17th Barwon Heads, Victoria. The second one was at Noosa Springs. 10.6 is my lowest handicap.
Are you more likely to be ‘chipping for par’ than putting for birdie?
Jimeoin: Can’t chip. Shaking in my boots with a pitching wedge in my hand. Prefer the Texas wedge.
Can you see some sort of similarity with the pressure a pro golfers feels to what you feel on stage?
Jimeoin: Dion Kipling (a great golfer) saw me going on stage once, and said there is a level of focus there that is not unfamiliar to a golfer teeing up in a tournament. I see the life of a pro golfer very similar to that of a touring comedian. Hotel rooms, trying to make a living out of it, and the subtlety of something working or not working in your act. Some jokes you could just be overswinging on it.
When back in Australia, where are you most likely to play golf?
Jimeoin: The Heritage, Metropolitan or Royal Melbourne.
If you could have a round with anyone, name an ideal group?
Jimeoin: Alice Cooper is good. I like playing with my friends that I went to school with. That would be my ideal game and I’ve done it a lot.
You are playing a bunch of gigs in Australia in December?
Jimeoin: jimeoin.com will give you details of where I’m performing. But the big one is “The Jack” in December. Mate, see you there.
The Jack
The Jack Newton Celebrity Classic is the longest running and most successful celebrity pro-am golf tournament in Australia, with the inaugural event held in December 1979 at the Tewantin Noosa Golf Club on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
A two-day event, ‘The Jack’ features plenty of fun both on and off the course, while supporting Diabetes (ENDIA) and the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation, with over $7million raised for two charities which were close to Jack’s heart.
Jack Newton passed away in April of 2022, however the event which pairs celebrities, golf professionals and those looking for a unique golfing experience, continues in 2023.
Jimeoin is one of a number of celebrities who have been a long-time supporters of The Jack.
This year scheduled for December 18/19/20 at the Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort in the NSW Hunter Valley, anyone interested in taking part can access more information or entry forms from the tournament website at www.thejackclassic.com.au
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