From the all-action and bruising front row of a scrum in his professional playing career, to his coaching roles with Grenoble in France, Dragons in Wales, and Clontarf and Bective Rangers back home, Bernard Jackman has never been one to shy away from a hot topic, making his sharp insights and no-nonsense analysis become familiar to fans on both sides of the commentary box.
By his own admission, he’s a novice on the fairways, but he’s planning to throw himself into it over the summer with the same sort of steely determination that saw him become an Irish international and one of the lynchpins of Leinster’s 2009 European Cup winning side.
Handicap?
18.
Home Club?
Royal Dublin.
How did you get into golf?
It was through my father-in-law. I was late taking up the game – it was towards the end of my playing career – and my father-in-law is a former president of Royal Dublin, so he got me out there playing a bit.
I’d only just taken up the game and then I moved to France to take up a coaching role with Grenoble, so I didn’t play at all over there. The courses were around the Alps, so they were very hilly and I have bad knees from all the years playing rugby. Plus, I had very little time to actually play, so I fell away from golf completely. But in the last year or so, I’ve really gotten the bug back again.
The stimulus was that I got an invite to a corporate golf day in London and that really got me into it again. Now, I am really keen to get going this summer when the rugby season is over.
My wife plays in Leopardstown on a Tuesday, so hopefully it’s something we can both do in the summer and enjoy it with some other friends and couples.
I love watching golf on TV and I was lucky enough to meet Shane Lowry in Dubai last year, and I found him to be great company. It’s only really recently that I have gotten back into it, so my big driver this summer is to get back practicing and to make some gains.
Favourite club in the bag?
My pitching wedge is my most reliable, so I’ll say that.
Weakest part of the game?
Just consistency in my driving and my swing really, to be honest. I’m very much at the beginner stage. The problem is that a lot of my friends are very good, which is really frustrating. They are nearly all single-digit handicap golfers, so I find it quite difficult to play with them when I’m not at their level. So, I need to get more consistent.
Best golfer from Leinster/Ireland?
Jonathan Sexton is probably the best. I think he is around a scratch golfer. Lots of them play a lot and are really keen on it. Most of the ex-internationals – particularly the backs like Brian O’Driscoll, Fergus McFadden, Tommy Bowe, Ian Madigan and Rob Kearney – are very good golfers. Forwards less so. I don’t know why, maybe we are just too muscle bound or have too many injuries, but backs just seem to be better at golf.
What course is top of your bucket list?
I’d go for St Andrews. I know someone who gets to play there quite often, and the way he speaks about it just set it off in my mind, so it would be amazing to play there.
Who would join you in your dream fourball?
I’m into horse racing so I’ll go for Tony McCoy. Jack O’Shea was a hero of mine growing up, so I’ll pick him too, and for the fourth, I’ll go for Michael Jordan. I’ve heard he can be wild on the golf course!
Which is worse, first tee nerves or having a lineout on your own 5m line?
For me, it’s definitely first tee nerves! I had a fear of lineouts a lot of times but at least that was something I was accustomed to doing – that was my job. At the moment, I am very much trying to find my way in golf so yeah, first tee nerves by a mile.
You do a lot of charity work through golf?
Yeah, that was one of the main reasons I got back into golf. I was being asked to go to charity days to help raise money or raise awareness for a number of initiatives. I was a non-golfer for a while, so that was incredibly frustrating because it limits how you can help. I love being involved in days like that and its way more enjoyable and beneficial when you can play a part in it as well. I’m very fortunate to get asked to those charity golf days and to lend a helping hand in a small way.