Dana Quigley: An Appreciation

True, DQ – as Mr. Quigley is known - has never won a major. In fact, his highest PGA tour finish was a not quite yet Reagan Administration epoch sixth place back at the less than universally-acclaimed Milwaukee Open. However – and this is an undisputable fact - the man has more class & style that Kim Jong-Il possesses wackiness plus at least ten years of pomade stashed away for the Dear Leader's silly coif.

Too often, we just watch the ball or the leaders at the top. In 2005 on the Champions Tour, that kind of focus was on Mr. Dana Quigley. ‘Player of the Year’ – Dana racked-up two wins and five runner-ups to claim the money title. Overall DQ has been a solid Champions Tour player for over a decade now – a rare feat for a profession where fifty year old “rookies” fade, usually, well before even early dispersed Social Security money could kick-in. That, however, is not why you should look at Dana with interest nor why the man is still so damn hip at past sixty.

Respect. A guy who was a true struggler until the century meridian point of his life, DQ did conquer finally his personal fight with alcoholism. Along the way, too, he overcame the sense that he wasn’t worthy of playing with the best. As Dana said in a “Golf Digest” interview, during the three years he played the big tour he would purposely not hit range balls next to someone like Tom Weiskopf for fear of what someone in the crowd would think of his workman-like swing next to the future golf architect’s more classic arc.

Instead Dana chose to rebuild himself in a manner similar to that of a ball flight gone awry. He has spoken openly about having to find an entire new way of life in light of his decision to stop drinking. For someone who was a former long-standing club professional and socially is quite skilled, this must have been a horrific undertaking of unlearning well-engrained behavior patterns at such a late stage of adulthood.

Along this tough enough path, Dana continued to hone his playing craft despite the hardships. He became the top New England professional not actually on the PGA tour full-time and won all three of his adjoining state opens over a more than 20 year span.

Uniqueness. Maybe a reason Dana succeeded in his bottle battle is rooted within a huge chunk of his attractiveness as an individual. Amidst the benign but bland sea of corporate-sponsored Champions Tour links-men, DQ stands out like the sight of John McCain at an internet café. Nattily-attired always, our role model has a definite partiality to utilize accents with the kind of more strongly hued colors one might find during a stroll down Miami’s South Beach. On top of such – and like most outstanding men – our Mr. Quigley has a trademark – his ‘Indian’. Although not the only Champions Tour player to savor a cigar during his round, a tasty Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real No. 2 Belicoso stays with him, as I have seen, all round save the initial hole. In his stylish get-up, it is the perfect accompaniment to a man obviously at ease with his world. Only the accomplished Senor Jimenez of the European tour is his rival in combination of sartorial style & stick swagger, but I don’t believe Miguel Angel plays tournament rounds while also indulging his passion.

Innovative. His highest iron carried (by personal observation) being a '7' as of 2008’s Hickory Classic, Dana walks his talk of using hybrids to tackle today’s game. Presently four Adams Boxers - a 21 deg., two 22 deg. (bent, per Caddie Chris, to be DQ's 4 & 5 irons) and a 24 deg. - await pin-seeking glory in his Allianz-enscribed bag. In past interviews DQ has challenged readers as to why they still carry 3,4 or 5 irons? One of his best quotes is that today’s player – liberally using hybrids - should “hit all their clubs high except their short irons & wedges”. It’s a great statement – both in phrasing and, after pondering, course strategy.

As far as mechanics, Mr. Quigley is a tad old school and certainly unlike your average David Leadbetter Academy graduate with regards to form. Not quite as truncated in length as his fellow Champions Tour New Englander Allen Doyle, Dana’s nearly three quarter swing action has more than a share of Carl Yazstremski-like cock action during his inside takeaway. Combined with a hold-off finish, watching Dana hit on the range or the course is much akin to observing the repeated fluid action of a piston hammering into an engine. You’re not so much awed by his shots as you come away wondering how this rhythmic action can ever miss? That said, Dana does have the ability to be 'sneaky long' off the tee during to his boring ball trajectory and is rarely more than 15 yards back of the Champion Tour's longer hitters.

Gentlemanliness. I have heard that a then still-amateur Johnny Miller approached his idol, Ben Hogan, at the U.S. Open once while ‘the Hawk’ was dining al fresco. A very young Miller, nervous, drew-up to the ever-reclusive Bantam Ben, cited his current standing as low amateur in the tourney and stated his deep regard for Mr. Hogan’s record. Without pausing at least to acknowledge his presence much less offer any words of encouragement, apparently the Lone Star State's Mr. Personality dismissed the future blonde Hall of Famer with a curt, “Kid, can’t you see I’m eating my soup?”.

Think of the polar extreme of that kind of attitude and you have instead Dana Quigley’s persona. From personal experience I can attest unequivocally that DQ is one of the most approachable, likeable & generous men you’re going to meet – Champions Tour or otherwise. Even when not playing his best, Dana maintains a calm demeanor that befits a true gentleman. He is appreciative of crowd acknowledgement [“Thanks, man”], tips his visor graciously and gives lie to the perception that some athletes get too caught up in their own world that they fail to realize it’s a game the fans would kill to play at their level.

If you’re a man closer to the great beyond than your high school prom (not to be morbid, of course) and want to think of someone who has some attributes which you could borrow with pride, spend some time via the internet – or better yet in person – getting to know Dana Quigley. You'll thank me, I promise (and, no, I'm not related).

His approach to golf will certainly benefit your scorecard, but, I think, you’ll find a new long distant friend, too, in the man himself. Certainly his attitude on life and the manner in which he conducts himself is worthy of admiration and/or emulation by those of any age.

Bravo, Dana, and keep workin’ those Indians! You are truly a credit to our fine game, a great example in your personal life, a perpetual giver to your community and, most importantly, a gentleman.