What a load of cack

Jun 15 2008 By Euan Mclean

John Has Proved Doubters Wrong

FOR years John Gallagher put up with doubters telling him to change because he would never achieve anything with "that cack-handed grip".

Take a look at the Scottish Amateur champion's schedule for the next month and decide for yourself who was talking cack.

This week Gallagher tees up at Turnberry hoping to win The Amateur Championship he came agonisingly close to clinching three years ago as a beaten finalist at Birkdale.

Then on July 10 he'll be rubbing shoulders with Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els at Loch Lomond when he makes a dream debut in the Barclays Scottish Open.

That special invite to the Bonnie Banks is arguably John's biggest reward for his national title success at Prestwick last summer - and the final proof to every dissenting voice who told him he'd never amount to anything with his unorthodox grip.

Holding a club with the left hand below the right is one of the most common faults among beginners and usually the first to be hammered out of kids by horrified coaches.

But Gallagher never had the luxury of a coach or the guidance of an adult member when he started swinging a club aged 14 at Swanston on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

And by the time he'd improved to a standard where people began to take notice John was far too comfortable to change.

The rest is history as Gallagher made some of his own by becoming the first cack - handed golfer to be crowned Scottish Amateur champion - and presumably the first Mickelson will have ever seen playing on tour.

Gallagher said: "I am the only cack-handed golfer I knowof at this level. I believe there was one who played the European Tour in the 70s and I think I'm the first to represent Scotland in about 50 years.

"Kids picking up a club for the first time tend to hold it cack-handed and it needs an adult to correct.

"I never had that and just got on with it. I hit balls in a way that felt comfortable and the more I practised the lower my handicap became.

"When I got down to five I'd have people saying you need to change your grip to reach scratch.

"Then when I got into plus figures they said 'You'll never get a cap for Scotland with a cack-handed grip'.

"But it's not an issue for me and most folk I play with don't even notice. I like being unique and it hasn't held me back."

You can sense the 27-year-old's mouth watering at the first mention of his invite to one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar as Loch Lomond beckons next month.

The prospect of stepping out among the 80,000 crowds is a long way from the first time he tried to play the course.

John laughed: "About eight years ago I worked part-time as a green keeper and you got the courtesy of golf courses all over Scotland.

"But there was only one place I ever paid for a round and that was Loch Lomond before the current owners took over and made it impossible to buy your way on.

"I had paid my £85 then got a call saying the course was closed because of heavy rain. I was gutted.

"It has always been a course I wanted to play especially after I followed my friend David Drysdale round there in the 2005 Scottish Open. I've had a few invites since then, the latest being last Tuesday when I shot three-over in windy conditions without driving well.

"That was encouraging and if I can hit the ball well during the tournament I should get below par."

Gallagher must first turn his attention to this week's challenge in The Amateur where victory would guarantee even greater adventures.

Last man standing in the 288 strong field will be guaranteed a place at this year's Open at Birkdale and next year's US Masters.

It's a prize John came tantalisingly close to in 2005 and one he feels better equipped to win after that final defeat by Brian McElhinney.

He said: "It was a real tough one but I took a lot from it.

"I played okay in the final but didn't sleep the night before because every time I shut my eyes I'd think about the US Masters.

"I'll turn pro at the end of the year but the only thing that could keep me amateur is winning at Turnberry this week - it's every boy's dream to play The Open and Masters."