Donnacha O'Connor is an Irishman who became a staple in Minnesota at Alexandria Golf Club in Alexandria. Photos by Alayna Eldred
Donnacha O’Connor lives near the site of the annual Grape Stomp Festival. Much of it has to do with celebrating the Minnesota area’s award-winning wine production. He may not have been born anywhere near this place, but O’Connor has produced for them in stellar fashion.
In 2026, O’Connor will enter his 25th year as golf course superintendent at Alexandria Golf Club in the town of Alexandria. How he even landed in this lake country town of roughly 15,000 inhabitants halfway between Minneapolis and Fargo, N.D., is intriguing. O’Connor was born in Cork, Ireland. It’s roughly 3,200 miles from Alexandria.
Based on results, his upbringing in golf traveled well across the ocean.
“Cork is on the south coast. It has a vibrant city center (Cork is among the largest cities in Ireland), but I grew up in the country,” says O’Connor, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and 28-year association member. “Cows in the backyard. Grew sugar beets. Then I went to work on my uncle’s dairy farm, Clash Farm. I was 16 or 17. He sold the dairy. That’s when my life segues into golf. He built an 18-hole golf course on his 130-acre parcel. The golf course fit in nicely. I helped lay it out, including the stones, and helped seed it. I liked being on the equipment, running machinery. It was wonderful.”
Harbour Point Golf Club served as a training ground for O’Connor. He enhanced his journey at Reaseheath College in Cheshire, England, which during World War II interrupted its regular agriculture curriculum so it could be used to train recruits in the Women’s Land Army. O’Connor graduated in golf course management in 1995.
During his schooling, O’Connor met a woman who was touring the country. He would visit her in Minnesota, eventually moving there, and they married. His career in America was launched 30 years ago at Wayzata Country Club in Wayzata, Minn., where he worked for Bob Distel. O’Connor came to him from Ireland’s Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. Talk about a small world: Distel first heard about O’Connor through Distel’s general manager, who informed him that he had learned O’Connor was coming to the U.S.
“All of a sudden, one day this Irish kid is standing in the clubhouse. His brogue accent was thick. You could see right away what an engaging presence he was going to be,” says Distel, a 38-year retired GCSAA member, “and he fit right in our system with experience from a different land.”
A sweet sight at O’Connor’s place at Alexandria GC.
Distel, who was 20 when he became a superintendent for the first time in St. James, Minn., says O’Connor quickly moved up the ranks. “Didn’t take long to add him as an assistant. Lot of projects. A lot of laughs. He brought a different flair and a different way of thinking. Always tested me. ‘Did you think about it this way?’ I appreciated that, to think about a different angle,” Distel says.
Distel’s father, Gerald, came to his son after he was informed that Alexandria GC was looking for a superintendent. “I put him (O’Connor) in touch with them,” says Distel, adding that after Alexandria GC interviewed O’Connor, they realized they struck gold. “It was clear to them (Alexandria GC) they had something special. He took it there to a higher grade of operation. He was never afraid to take on a challenge. He has a lot of backbone.”
O’Connor’s journey at Alexandria GC started in January 2001. “Neat place. Drains so well. The seasons here are wonderful,” O’Connor says about the parkland-style, semi-private 18-hole course.
Those near him think he’s wonderful. “No problem is too small. He’s a problem solver,” says Kyle Lee, head golf professional at Alexandria GC. “He got a standing ovation at the stockholders meeting.”
One of the coolest experiences O’Connor has participated in is the building of Alexandria GC’s Little Darling Par 3 Course. It became reality when it broke ground in 2023, was constructed and seeded in 2024 and opened this year. It was designed in part by club member and 1996 British Open winner Tom Lehman. The Little Darling provides affordable access to more people in the community while introducing golf to youths. Another significant part of the club for O’Connor and his crew, which includes Jake Fenno, superintendent of the Little Darling Par 3 Course, is the annual The Resorters Golf Tournament. In August, Alexandria GC held its 104th annual The Resorters Golf Tournament, one of the oldest open events for men, women and youths in America.
Whether O’Connor remains in the U.S. for the long haul is unknown. The 52-year-old father of three girls — Onna, Ciara (in high school she worked with the crew for her father, mostly walk-mowing greens and tees) and Aisling — misses Ireland. Although at one point he surmised that a superintendent stays in his job for five years, O’Connor has lasted way beyond that, becoming a staple at Alexandria GC. At the conclusion of this conversation with him, he did not say goodbye. Instead, he signed off with a “cheerio.” At Alexandria GC, he speaks their language. Perhaps the golf pro, Lee, put it best: “They love him.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor