Placing
We are planning to only allow placing on closely mown areas from Saturday April 20 weather permitting as part of our phased movement to full summer conditions. The course is being sanded at present and the weather forecast is improving.
Latest News
Course News Spring
Winter course work has now been completed following extensive work on irrigation, bunkering, tree removal/trimming and ongoing work on gorse.
Greens
The greens were over seeded in late March. This involved making small holes in the green (similar to hollowtining) which are then filled with seed. This is typically done twice a year. This is necessary to enable greens to grow and prosper during the season.
6th
The area just off the tee where the gorse has been removed on the 6th has now been seeded. In order for this seed to germinate it is important that it is not disturbed, therefore golfers are prohibited from entering.
This area is ground under repair and any ball coming to rest in the seeded area must NOT be retrieved and considered lost.
Please use the drop zone provided with no penalty.
Captains’ Drive In 2019
Last Sunday (March 24) we had our annual Captains Drive In. A great day was had with plenty of laughs, some good drives, champagne, golf and fun. Thanks to all involved and best of luck to Mary, Gerry, Aisling and Chris. Some pics attached…
Ladies Shotgun 21 March
On Thursday there was a very successful shotgun competition with 15 teams competing. A great day was had by all and many thanks to Des and Tony from Arbrortum in Kilquade who gave a talk including a charity raffle.
Winner Suzanne Ruttle (25) 38 pts
Front 9: Carol Mitchell (26)
Pat Meehan (31)
Lillian Lowe (39)
Winner Rosemary Lee (32) 46 pts
Back 9: Jane Kirwan (22)
Mary Clynch (27)
Nicky Brooks (26)
Golf Course Infographic
Course Update March 2019
The Winter programme of course improvements is near completion. The works this year have been considerable. Due to an unseasonably warm autumn we were cutting grass right up to January so the winter projects were delayed. Most noticeable in recent months has been the ongoing tree and gorse removal policies and bunker work. Irrigation and fairway management works have also been considerable (see pictures attached of some of the challenges from blocked drains and tree roots).
Trees
The policy of removing and pruning trees is designed to prevent excessive tree growth and to brighten up key parts of the course. This also assists with grass growth and playability. Front 9 trees have been pruned and crowns raised to increase light and grass quality under them with further plans for the 6th and 9th holes. The back 9 work is ongoing.
Bunkers
Extensive bunker work was undertaken to repair areas damaged through wear and tear. We have also added definition to various bunkers and the large bunker on 16 will be split into two.
We removed sand from bunker tops and replaced with soil to reduce drought stress on the 1st 2nd 6th 8th and 11th. We repaired and re-sodded entry/exit points on all bunkers
We will remove a bunker on the 5th and 7th as these are underused and are costly to maintain.
Fairways and Irrigation
We installed new irrigation on 4th & 5th approaches and the 17th surround. All fairways have been shockwaved and verti-drained twice (aeration).
We rebuilt 2 sets of drains between the 12th and 15th which were damaged due to tree roots.
For the 17th we will begin to widen the fairway once the growing season starts.
Paths and buggies
We built a new path through the trees to the right of the 1st to take course traffic away from interfering with golfers on the 1st tee and the 6th green. We also hope to repair some of the other paths on the course.
As always (eg 13 and 16) please use paths for trolleys and buggies where feasible.
Social media
Please sign up to the club’s Instagram and Twitter accounts to see more pictures of the golf course. We’ve over 500 followers!
Holmes under par at Portmarnock
Congratulations to the up and coming Dylan Holmes who shot a 1 under par round to finish 2nd at the Flogas Ireland u12 Irish Junior Open last Monday at Portmarnock Links in the winter series finale. A fantastic performance from Dylan who battled the elements all day. A great start to the year.
Golf Ireland set to be established
CLUBS APPROVE GOLF IRELAND PROPOSAL
For details see:
https://www.golfnet.ie/news/golfnet/3786/clubs-approve-golf-ireland-proposal
After landmark votes at separate meetings held Saturday 19th January 2019, the Irish Ladies Golf Union and the Golfing Union of Ireland have formally approved the establishment of Golf Ireland.
The Irish Ladies Golf Union approved a special resolution at their AGM, while simultaneously the Golfing Union of Ireland passed a motion at a Special General Meeting. In the case of the GUI, for the first time in its history postal voting was permitted, and 292 of the Union’s 395 clubs availed of this facility. A further 34 clubs attended and voted at the meeting. 269 clubs attended the ILGU AGM to cast their vote.
RESULTS
GUI RESULT
94% in favour of the proposal
ILGU RESULT
100% in favour of the proposal
The result of both votes is the outcome of a three-year process of discussion and consultation between the two Unions, internally with their respective clubs and regional bodies, and externally with key national and international stakeholders.
It will mean the game of golf in Ireland will now, for the first time, have an all-inclusive governing body.
Throughout the consultation period, the benefits of this have been acknowledged in terms of attracting funding and commercial partners, as well as providing a boost for the image of the game. Once established, Clubs will only have to deal with one body when it comes to handicapping, inter-club events, club supports and game development.
TRANSITION PERIOD
A Transition Period will immediately commence, with the intention for this to culminate with the first AGM and regional meetings of Golf Ireland happening in the final quarter of 2020, paving the way for the organisation to ‘go live’ on 1 January 2021.
The transitions period will involve the organisation taking shape through creation of a regional and national structure and the drawing up of rules and processes to underpin the activities of the organisation, all overseen by a CEO who will be appointed early in the Transition Period and who will work with a Transitions Team.
The GUI and ILGU will continue to operate through the Transition Period with the transfer of functions and staff to Golf Ireland prior to the ‘go live’ date for the new organisation.
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE ILGU AND GUI BOARDS
“We are delighted with the outcome of the votes at our respective meetings, and thank everyone who has given this proposal their support.
“Bringing two strong organisations, the ILGU and GUI together to create a stronger, more influential organisation, Golf Ireland, will not only enhance golf in Ireland but will enhance Irish golf worldwide. The result today indicates that members of both Unions are in support of creating a new organisation which will be built around promoting core principles of equality, diversity, inclusion and excellence.
“The result today is a validation of the work put in by everyone involved. The input which has been received from our member clubs, our staff and volunteers, and everyone else who has in some way contributed to the final proposal should be recognised. The result of their efforts will be a new dynamic organisation, charged with the promotion of the game of golf, with a commitment to excellence and inclusivity.”
Clodagh Hopkins, Chairman of the Board of the Irish Ladies Golf Union
Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, Chairman of the Board of the Golfing Union of Ireland
Welcome Captains’ Dinner – Saturday 24th November 2018
Our Captains for 2019, Gerry Kenny and Mary Kavanagh – Welcome Dinner Saturday 24th November
8pm Prosecco reception, followed by a 3 course meal by Jean and dancing to live music by ‘Donie’ till late.
Tickets are €40 pp for members & guests and places/tables can be booked with the restaurant directly. Please also let them know if you have any special dietary requirements.
If you’re a new member, we will do our best to include you at a table with like-minded people who enjoy good food, a few drinks and have a bit of fun!
Dress code for the evening is smart casual.
The Enjoyment Committee
GUI and ILGU Proposal
The GUI and ILGU have published a proposal for a single governing body for golf in Ireland. Clubs will vote on this proposal in January 2019.
To give a better understanding on what the new body will do and how it will be for the good of the game, Pat Finn (CEO, GUI) and Sinead Heraty (CEO, ILGU) took part in a recent podcast where they answered questions from golfers about the plan.
We encourage you to listen to the podcast on one of the channels below:
Golfnet: https://www.golfnet.ie/news/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/
If you have questions about the proposal that you would like the CEOs to address in a future podcast, please email your questions to podcast@gui.ie
Many thanks.
SOCIAL MEDIA – feel free to copy and paste this message with the attached image to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc.
“For the good of the game” – proposal for a new governing body for golf in Ireland – find out more in the latest GUI podcast, see https://www.golfnet.ie/news/
