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15th Apr 2014

Video: New Setanta documentary explores the harsh realities of life as a journeyman golfer

The two-part documentary, ‘The Long Walk’ airs on Setanta tomorrow night and looks as if it’s well worth a watch.

Conor Heneghan

The two-part documentary, ‘The Long Walk’ airs on Setanta tomorrow night and looks as if it’s well worth a watch.

Anyone watching The Masters at the weekend, staged on probably the most plush, most beautiful and most exclusive golf club in the world, would have got the impression that life as a professional golfer is the bee’s knees altogether.

While that may be true of a select group at the top of the game, the reality is a whole lot different for the many professional golfers chasing a Tour card in an attempt to make a decent living from the game they love.

The existence of those golfers is the subject of a two-part documentary directed by Garry Keane (IFTA 2011 Director of the year) and produced by Jamie D’Alton (Winner of the 2012 Best Sports Programme), which follows Irish golfers Mark Murphy, Colm Moriarty, Tim Rice, Brendan McCarroll, Peter O’Keefe, Gareth Shaw and Brendan McGeady as they chase a full European Tour card.

It also follows full ranking tour players Peter Lawrie and David Higgins as they struggle to hold onto their European cards and features cameos from the likes of Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Rocco Mediate, Damian McGrane and Shane Lowry, all of whom offer an insider’s perspective of the professional game away from the glamour of some of the most high-profile events in the world.

With all the drama and tension of the back nine on the final day at Augusta, this should be well worth a watch.

‘The Long Walk’ starts on Setanta Sports this Wednesday at 10pm.