GOLF IS NOT LIFE AND DEATH

We speak to popular and self-deprecating American Joel Dahmen about his life as a professional and his Netflix stardom

- ANDY WRIGHT

Joel Dahmen is 20 minutes late for our interview. It’s part of his new reality, the latest chapter in his life that has seen him become a parent for the first time. It’s a reality that 12 years ago looked uncertain when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 23, not long after turning pro and not long after his brother, Zach, received the same startling news. Coming through the other side, though, gave Dahmen a fresh change of perspective to go with his immense talent; a talent that was nurtured during a childhood full of love and golf and that led to PGA Tour success.

The early years 

Dahmen grew up in Clarkston, Washington, a small town in America’s north-west, where his dad was the driving force behind the family introductions to the game. First, his mum, then later Joel, who quickly developed a knack for it.

“I was fortunate enough to grow up with a loving family,” Dahmen says. “My dad played when he was growing up, he really got into it after high school, and then he met my mum and got her into playing golf. “My dad was just a golf junkie, and he still is. I was a natural at it – I got pretty good early and it was just what we did as a family. I didn’t really know anything else before. I started swinging the club when I was walking and it took off from there. I wasn’t big enough to play any other sports at a high level. I had other plans when I was young, but my dad always knew what was going on in the golf world.”