Cork golfer John Doyle looks to build on his breakthrough campaign

He turned the page on his new A4 notepad, put pen to paper and started to write. 

It was January 2023 and John Doyle began to chart his journey to the top.

Three years later, the 18-year-old is on the precipice of his most important season yet, he recently mastered a breakthrough year and will look to back that up and make further progress in the men’s ranks.

It will be difficult to maintain his sharp rise - he played in an Amgen Irish Open, a Junior Ryder Cup and represented Ireland at a European Team Championships in Killarney.

But the platform is there, and it starts this weekend at the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship in Seapoint, where he will write the latest chapter.

“I have my reflections from every event in the last three years in it, which is a cool thing to look at,” said Doyle.

“It’s easy to forget how you felt in a certain tournament after a couple of months, but I can look back and see. I plan out practice sessions in it too, it’s quite beneficial.

“I set it up because I like writing down my thoughts. It’s more beneficial to write down what you’re thinking than just saying it.” 

This year does have its own significance, with a Walker Cup in Lahinch to the forefront for all of the men operating in the Golf Ireland High Performance environs.

But before Doyle can even begin to think of what that opportunity might look like, he has his own domestic campaign to look after, along with a Leaving Cert.

The CBS Mitchelstown teenager studies six subjects and having negotiated the French and Irish Orals over Easter, his attention turned to the papers he will sit this summer.

“When I finish school, I have after school study at 6pm, go to the gym until 7pm and then home and probably do more homework,” said Doyle.

“The odd night I’ll skip study and just go to a golf course as the evenings are getting brighter. It’s pretty hectic but it’s good. I’d much rather finish school than having dropped out.” 

And while he zones in on his exams he has time to compartmentalise and remember that there is potentially a golfing career awaiting on the other end.

Doyle will go to Louisiana State University, following in the footsteps of Áine Donegan among others, no doubt hoping for a similar route to the professional ranks in the years to come.

Gym work has become a non-negotiable in recent years and after a tough campaign, where he lost six kilogrammes golfing his way through his last season in the boys game, he is even better prepared to last the long weekends.

“It’s a huge focus. If you’re not doing strength and conditioning, you’re losing out because everyone’s getting faster and stronger,” said Doyle.

“The stronger and better I feel about my body, the better I swing the club, as well as speed. Last summer, I lost weight just from playing 36 hole days a lot, and not eating as much.

“I felt my swing got worse as the year went on. I think losing weight was a pretty big contributor. (Adding muscle) makes it better. It means I can hold my positions and my swing easier, and be stronger in general.

“You need to be flexible too. You can’t just be a block of disco muscles, which I’m not really trying to be. 

"I’m trying to be flexible and strong.” 

Doyle started strong last year, when he claimed back-to-back titles with the Flogas Irish Boys’ Amateur Open Championship and Munster Men’s Stroke Play Amateur Open Championship, both in Cork.

This year he needs to pick and choose his events as he gives preference to this exams but also the need to stay fresh and mentally available for the highlights in his calendar.

“It’s difficult because there’s probably more pressure on you to play well when you do play,” said Doyle.

“This year, I’ve been going from no golf to playing a tournament, then back to no golf and then play another tournament, which is not ideal. It’s nice to be even just messing around in the summertime when you’re not playing.

“At least when you’re not playing competitions you’re still playing at home, and you don’t have your days filled up at school. 

"That’s certainly one thing I’m looking forward to about the summer. I can cut loose from school and go fully on golf.

“It was a good season last year and I had good progression into playing in a nice bit of men’s golf, which is what my goal was at the start of the year, to play golf with the men’s team, I love being around the team.

“The atmosphere on the trips is always great and that’s one thing I really, really enjoyed. I’d say the Europeans in Killarney was my favourite week of last year. So much good craic and good golf as well.” 

The highlight of that experience was likely the 35-footer he sunk against Denmark in the semi-finals, before Ireland suffered heartbreak later that day.

“That week in Killarney was so cool,” said Doyle.

“That putt was unbelievable, because the day before with Matt McClean in the foursomes, we needed a two-putt on 17 to keep the match going and I blew one 10-feet by, and we lost the match there.

“Then I was hoping I wouldn’t do that again against Denmark, which wouldn’t have been good. But it was such a cool moment to make that putt especially being young on the team.

“It’s is nice to do something like that to let people know that maybe you should be there.” 

Doyle has worked even more on his putting in the off-season and that helped him secure the Lee Valley Scratch Cup in April, before a fifth place finish in Lytham last week.

He is in strong form heading back to Seapoint but even with a home Walker Cup on the horizon, he refuses to get carried away.

“You just need really, really consistent golf and good decision making, which I’m always working on,” said Doyle.

“Just making less mistakes in my course management. That’s a big thing when it comes to longer four round events.

“It’s just how you can minimize your silly mistakes and that’s what I'll be trying to do.”