KINSALE Golf Club is John Murphy’s happy place. He loves it there. It’s home.

Any time he’s back in Kinsale, Murphy will make it his business to play on his home course. 

‘Sometimes during the summer I’ll head out in the evening at seven or eight o’clock, when the course is quiet, and I’ll go down to a corner of the course with a few golf balls and just hit shots in peace,’ he says, having been a member there since he first swung a golf club.

‘It probably is my happy place. I can be down there on my own, listening to the birds and just enjoying the serenity of the place.

‘It’s a lovely place to practise and to think, and I probably do take it for granted sometimes that this is what I get to do for a living.’

Ask Murphy to pick his favourite hole at Kinsale Golf Club and it quickly reveals his affection for the place. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favourite child.

‘The 15th is probably the feature hole. I’m sure loads of people say that,’ he starts.

‘But there are plenty of others I love too. The fifth is a short risk-and-reward hole where you’re hitting over out-of-bounds, so that’s always exciting.

‘I think the first is a great opening hole. They’ve also made significant improvements to the course over the last few years with new bunkers and other changes that have really strengthened it.

‘The eighth is another hole where they’ve added a few bunkers and made changes, and I think it’s become a really strong par five now, again with that risk-and-reward element.

‘I could keep talking about holes there all day.’

Kinsale golfer John Murphy in action.

Kinsale Golf Club has always held an important place in Murphy’s own story. It was his nursery ground, then his training ground as he rose to earn his place on the DP World Tour in 2023. That was the high point. A dream realised. 

But the climb brought its own struggles. 

The Kinsale man was back on the Challenge Tour in 2024, fighting hard to survive. It was a lot to deal with, especially since he had only turned pro in 2021. He was learning his trade on the job.

‘There were definitely a few tournaments towards the end of 2024 and maybe the start of 2025 where I’d almost walk off the course just feeling completely unsure,’ Murphy admits.

‘I’d turn up every day not really knowing what was going to happen or what version of my game was going to show up. I wasn’t prepared for that uncertainty and I wasn’t dealing with it very well.

‘I could get to the first tee and feel uncomfortable over the first shot, or the second shot, or whatever it might be. I think the biggest difference now is that I’m much better equipped to deal with the unknown.

‘I feel able to accept that not every day is going to feel perfect and I’m much more prepared for whatever comes my way on a given day.

‘There are far fewer extremes in my golf now. On the good days, I don’t let things get too good, and on the bad days I definitely don’t let them get too bad.

‘I just feel I have a much better handle now on controlling the bad days. It’s a really nice feeling knowing I can go out on the course, things might not go how I want, and I’ll still be okay with that.

‘Likewise, things might go exactly how I want and I’ll still stay level-headed. The main thing for me now is staying on top of my behaviours and practices rather than focusing too much on the number written at the bottom of the scorecard.’

John Murphy is excited for the future.

These days, Murphy, still just 27 years old, finds himself in a better place.

Murphy is competing on the Clutch Pro Tour as he works his way back towards the Challenge Tour, now rebranded as the HotelPlanner Tour. This is where he hopes to build momentum. Recent results have been very encouraging, including his win at the Crondon Park Classic earlier this month; it was his first tournament win in five years.

He is having fun again.

‘I’m genuinely enjoying golf again,’ he smiles.

‘I’m enjoying practicing, enjoying going out with friends and having a knock around when I am home in Kinsale. I can’t honestly say that was the case over the last couple of years.

‘Now, getting to play in Kinsale again and feel like kids again out on the course is a really fulfilling place for me to be,’ he adds, bringing it back to where it all started.

That enjoyment can help Murphy get to where he wants to be. 

‘I know it’s probably a cliché sporting answer, but honestly, I’ve said to a lot of people that I’d rather be playing on third-tier tours and feeling good about my game and where I’m heading than be playing on the DP World Tour and not feeling good about my golf,’ he admits.

‘The main aim for me is to feel as good as I possibly can about my game and the direction I’m going in. I firmly believe that everything else will take care of itself if that side of things is moving in the right direction, and I genuinely feel that it is. My number one priority now is just continuing to work with the people around me and staying on track with the process we’ve put in place.’

Going through those struggles and learning to deal with them has helped Murphy understand himself better. He insists that will stand to him in the long run.

‘I think the good times will feel even better again,’ he says. 

‘I feel very fortunate because, while I’m still young by tour standards, I’ve already experienced a huge amount in my career.

‘I got to experience a lot of success very early on and I absolutely think that will stand to me. At the same time, when things were going really well, I probably didn’t have the perspective to appreciate just how good things were because I hadn’t experienced the other side of it yet.’

John Murphy receiving a West Cork Sports Star award at Kinsale Golf Club.

Murphy has seen both sides of life as a pro golfer now, so has had to grow up faster. But when he gets the chance to play Kinsale Golf Club, he loves how it transports him back to when he was learning his trade.

‘Every time I’m home, I try to get out for a few games,’ he says.

‘That’s the beauty of golf. I can go out with friends who might be three or four handicappers, they start ten-under and I start level par, and we just have a great battle.

‘Being able to do that while also spending time socially with your friends is something I appreciate now more than ever.’

There is no place like home. It is his happy place after all.