IT’S a leap of faith that changed Shane O’Connell’s life.

In the summer of 2021, Kinsale golfer John Murphy, a childhood friend, was turning professional.

He wanted a familiar voice on his bag.

‘John rang me and asked if I wanted to use some annual leave to caddie for him at a couple of Challenge Tour events in France,’ Shane recalls.

He was 11 months into the Vodafone graduate programme in Dublin after graduating in UCC the previous year.

‘Myself and John grew up next to each other and we’ve been best friends since we were three years old,’ Shane says.

His own caddying story began when he was 15 years old, a summer job at the iconic Old Head of Kinsale. He was golf-obsessed and loved the outdoors – this was a dream job. 

‘My brother used to caddie there as a summer job and I followed him into it. I absolutely loved it. I did it for eight or nine summers through school and college and just loved being out there every day,’ he says.

‘When I finished college, I probably thought my caddying days were coming to an end.’

Then John Murphy rang. And Shane’s life changed.

Kinsale golfer John Murphy (right) and caddie Shane O'Connell forged a successful partnership together. (Photo: Niall O'Shea)

‘It was just after Covid, so I hadn’t used any annual leave because there was nowhere to go really. I thought, “Yeah, definitely, why not?”’ he says.

‘Two weeks into that I ended up quitting my full-time job. 

‘My parents probably thought it was just going to be a short-term thing or a quick sabbatical. But after those first couple of weeks I was completely hooked.

‘John finished 11th in France that first trip and from then on I just thought, “I don’t want to walk away from this.”

‘Looking back now, it really was a sliding doors moment. If I hadn’t taken that chance, who knows where life would have gone.

‘At the time I was probably 22 or 23 and trusted my gut really. I never expected it to lead to all the places it has or all the experiences I’ve had since.

‘Honestly, if someone had told me back then how it was all going to pan out, I’d never have believed them.’

Shane’s caddying career snowballed from there. 

‘It started carrying bags for tourists in Old Head and then suddenly I was travelling the world caddying professionally. It’s been a mad rollercoaster, but I’ve absolutely loved every bit of it,’ he says, currently on his sixth season on tour.

He spent three seasons with John Murphy – we’ll return to their adventures. Next Shane was with English golfer Garrick Porteous; together the latter won the Abu Dhabi Challenge in April 2024. Shane also worked with Scottish golfer David Law and Sweden’s Simon Forsström before jumping at the opportunity to team up with Leona Maguire in America. 

‘It was brilliant working with another Irish golfer and it was something completely different too, going into the women’s game. I loved every bit of it,’ he says.

These days, Shane is caddying for Scottish golfer Grant Forrest, and they’ve had success already, winning their first event together last season, the DP World Tour Nexo Championship in Scotland.

‘To hit the ground running like that was unreal, especially because all his family were there. We’ve been together since last August and hopefully now we can keep building for the rest of the season,’ says Shane.

He is living his dream. 

Not bad for a lad who started out carrying bags at Old Head.

‘It was kind of funny because neither of my parents actually played golf. We were into every sport growing up – soccer, rugby, football, hurling – but my older brother started golfing when he was about 12. Naturally enough anything he was doing, I wanted to do as well.

‘So I started when I was ten and just loved it immediately.

‘There was a brilliant group of us around the same age in Kinsale Golf Club and the club was unbelievable to us as juveniles. We were always welcome and we practically lived out there morning, noon and night.

‘We’d be playing, practising, having putting competitions, chipping competitions, all that kind of stuff. We spent endless hours out there.

‘There were some seriously good players too. John Murphy, Cathal Butler and Gary Ward were probably the standout lads and the rest of us were always chasing after them or trying to keep up with them. We were all around the same age and all in school together, so it became this massive social thing too. I think that’s really where it all took off.’

Shane’s obsession with golf included hosting his own weekly podcast relating to all things Irish golf, Talk Birdie To Me. But caddying was his calling.

‘It’s probably as close to the action as you can get without actually playing yourself. Every week you’re beside people who are trying to make a living and chase their dreams at the highest level,’ he says.

‘Everyone wants something slightly different from a caddie, so I suppose you’re constantly adapting. I’d say I’m a bit of a people person and that definitely helps because you’re trying to figure out what each golfer needs from you.

‘You’re seeing everything up close – the best days and the worst days. If you can help someone in even a small way, that’s the part of it you really love. Then when there’s a win or a big result, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

‘What I love too is that no two weeks are ever the same. Even when you go back to the same golf course three or four times, it never feels repetitive. One day it’s windy, the next day it’s soft, the next day it’s firm and fast. Different shots, different conditions, different moments. Every week throws up something different.

‘There’s always something going on and you’d genuinely never get bored. You’re never wishing a week away because there’s always something fun happening or something that has to be done.’

Fun is the word that keeps coming up when Shane talks about his years alongside John Murphy. He admits he didn’t know what he was getting himself into, but what followed was an incredible three years together.

In his own words, ‘unbelievable.’ 

In November 2022, Murphy secured his DP World Tour card through qualifying school. That was a peak moment.

‘To see someone from this corner of the country doing that was huge,’ Shane says.

‘There were so many great memories though. I remember being out in Girona near the end of his first season as a pro. There was no Q-School that year, so it was vital that he had a couple of really good finishes to earn Challenge Tour status through the rankings.

‘He finished third that week and got himself into the top 70 which secured his card. That was massive because it was his only route through at the time. What he did that year off limited invites was seriously impressive. Then the following year he goes and earns the DP World Tour card.’

‘It almost felt like the two of us were living in a bubble for a few years because we were rooming together, travelling together, basically living in each other’s pockets. But they were amazing years and I absolutely loved them.’

John Murphy and Shane O'Connell celebrate after John won his DP World Tour card in November 2022.

Life has moved on for both Kinsale men, but that bond will last.

‘As soon as I asked Shane to caddie for me, I knew it was something he’d be interested in doing long-term,’ says Murphy, still smiling when he thinks back on those years together.

‘I also knew he’d leave absolutely no stone unturned. He was always going to take the opportunity seriously and try to learn as much as he possibly could, as quickly as he could, about the profession.

‘What he’s achieved as a caddie is a testament to that. It’s not something that just happened. He took every opportunity in the best way possible and he works incredibly hard at it.’

But what makes a good caddie? 

‘Every golfer wants something slightly different, so I think adaptability is probably one of the biggest things,’ explains Shane, now 28 years old.

‘You obviously need the basics – hard work, preparation, communication – but there’s definitely a psychological side to it too. You’re trying to keep someone calm when they’re under serious pressure.

‘You spend eight or nine hours a day together, so the relationship becomes massive. It’s almost like a marriage in some ways.

‘A huge part of the job is trying not to let them get too high when things are going great or too low when things are going badly. You’re trying to keep them steady all the time.

‘Sometimes your role is actually to take their mind away from golf. You spend hours talking about everything under the sun because golf is such an easy game to overanalyse and disappear down rabbit holes with.’

Trust is huge, too. Think back to Rory McIlroy’s latest US Masters triumph at Augusta. The 12th hole is always difficult to judge where the wind is. In the final round, with McIlroy one shot ahead, Harry Diamond showed the watching world the worth of a top-class caddie. Taking control, he stepped forward on the tee box to confirm the wind direction. McIlroy went on to play a superb shot on his way to a birdie.

At the time, Paul McGinley said: ‘For me, that summed up a lot about where Rory is and the relationship with Harry, and how much your caddie can be influential in key moments.’

Watching at home, Shane appreciated the value of Diamond’s work more than most.

‘Nothing was rushed. He took his time, threw up the grass, confirmed exactly what they were thinking and then Rory hit an unbelievable golf shot,’ he says.

‘That’s what you’re trying to build with a player all the time. You want them to trust your information completely.

‘Even as a caddie you need to stay calm in those moments because if you panic or rush, the player feels it straight away.’

While Diamond’s crucial role on the 12th at Augusta was captured on camera, caddies like Shane undertake so much unseen work in the background. They’re out on the course early the week of the tournament before their golfer even arrives, checking how firm the fairways are, how thick the rough is, what the greens are like and where the slopes are around the greens. 

‘You collect the yardage book and honestly it becomes your bible for the week,’ Shane says.

‘You’re also constantly checking weather forecasts because a golf course can play completely differently depending on the wind direction.

‘At the end of the day, when your player asks you a question during a tournament, you want to answer with 99 percent certainty. If you hesitate or give a half-answer, that creates doubt immediately and that’s the last thing you want.’

Six years in, Shane is still learning all the time, and still loving his job that takes him to all corners of the world. For a golf nut, he is living the dream. 

One phone call from John Murphy changed everything.