But thanks to the launch of the PTC events, he's added a third title to his collection and shown what a valuable tool these new competitions are in helping the depth of quality in the sport flourish.
The Welshman is no mug. Anyone who's made it to a semi-final at the Crucible warrants respect, but after winning his last title at the Shanghai Masters in 2007, Dale has only ever been a shadow of himself on the baize since.
And as you'll hear time and time again, he's such a lovely bloke, that it's nice to see him back at the business end of a tournament.
In the final he beat one of the success stories of the season so far, Martin Gould. The Pinner potter has rocketed up to 20th in the world rankings with some fine displays, including a quarter-final spot at the World Open.
But there really was no stopping Dale this weekend in Sheffield, as he recovered from needing three snookers in the deciding frame against Gould, to eventually lift the trophy.
His comeback if not fortuitous was still spectacular. While Gould still has years ahead of him to land his first ranking prize, Dale will hope his triumph marks the moment that will resurrect his career.
He's suffered from inconsistency in the past couple of years, but this win as least shows it's still in his locker.
As well as a big personal achievement for Dale, seeing the world number 33 claim top prize marks another victory for the lesser stars in the game. While he becomes the eighth different player to claim a PTC win this season, he is also the fourth from outside the top 16 to be crowned.
He joins Tom Ford, Barry Pinches and Judd Trump as the outsiders who have stolen the headlines this season. For many years, the sport's followers have harped on about the great depth in the game.
This series is proving it beyond doubt, that below even the mighty top 16, there are some rare gems at the sport's disposal.
What really will be interesting is as we approach qualification for the bigger events on the calendar, which players can transfer their fine promise from the PTCs into the majors, and show that rather than a flash in the pan, these tournaments have been a useful set of build-up events.
The snooker is still coming thick and fast, with EPTC3 up next weekend.
Until then, here's the latest order of merit, in which the top 24 will gain qualification to the grand finals in March:
1. Barry Pinches
2. Mark Selby
3. Mark Williams
4. Dominic Dale
5. Judd Trump
6. Shaun Murphy
7. Tom Ford
8. Ding Junhui
9. Martin Gould
10. Marco Fu
11. Jamie Jones
12. Stephen Maguire
13. Jack Lisowski
14. Anthony Hamilton
15. Ricky Walden
16. Mark Davis
17. Ronnie O'Sullivan
18. Stuart Bingham
19. Daniel Wells (amateur)
20. Marcus Campbell
21. Matthew Stevens
22. Matt Couch
23. Andrew Higginson
24. Liang Wenbo
25. Gerard Greene
26. Anthony McGill
27. Jamie Cope
28. Jimmy Robertson
29. Stephen Lee
30. Alfie Burden
31. Barry Hawkins
32. Jimmy White
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