Month: June 2019

Home win for Ward in Kinsale

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Gary Ward who won the Kinsale Senior Scratch Cup on Saturday.Gary Ward scooped the Kinsale Senior Scratch Cup yesterday, but only after the winner was decided on the 19th after a play-off.  It’s a fourth scratch cup for the Kinsale man, but it’s the first since 2017 and will no doubt be a welcome return to the winners circle.

After a gap of a year, the Kinsale Scratch Cup returned, and the organisers had a strong field assembled.  And thanks to the club and sponsors ODC Advisory they also had an attractive prize pot on offer.  With fine weather in Kinsale, the scoring was expected to be low but the 7,000 yard championship course proved to be a good challenge for the 50+ golfers taking part.

Ward led the scoring after the first round.  He shot a two under par 70 and was alongside Karl Bornemann on -2.  Shane Kenneally and Zak Collins Continue reading →

Vintage celebration for Vintners GS

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Cork Vintners 50th Anniversary_June 2019_1

Pat Bourke, Peter Collins and Fergal Murray pictured at Douglas Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea

The Cork Vintners GS celebrated their 50th anniversary in style recently with a great day out in Douglas and Carrigaline.  Douglas Golf Club was the first stop for the society and they had a packed timesheet for a bumper society outing.  With past captains and officers joining the large current playing membership, it was a day to enjoy the golf and the stories that spanned the last 50 years.  After the golf it was off to Carrigaline Court Hotel where Peter Collins hosted 150 people for a gala celebration dinner.  Chairman of the organising committee Michael O’Donovan was delighted with the day and night.  “A great night was had by all in The Carrigaline Court Hotel where almost 150 people told stories and sang and danced the night away. I must thank John McHenry and all the team at Douglas Golf Club, the course was in fantastic condition and the greens were fast.”  The winner on the day was Leo West from Douglas GC who came in with 42 points.  Second place went to Fergal Murray from Lee Valley with 37, and Don Ellis from Mallow was third with 36 points.   Jack Quirke from Mitchelstown GC won the sponsors prize with 33 points and Charlie Blythe won the guests prize.

Gallery: Cork Vintners GS Celebrate 50 years

While it’s not the oldest society, the Cork Licensed Vintners GS is still one of the most poplar and active, boasting over 60 members and an average of over forty golfers attending each of the outings.  And with 14 events each year, the Vintners is definitely one of the most active with 14 outings planned each year from March through to November.  While golf club membership is now very accessible, back in the 60’s there were fewer golf clubs and very limited membership opportunities.  That led to huge growth in societies as a way for both casual and serious golfers to play regularly.  As more courses opened around the fringes of the city, especially in the nineties, club membership expanded hugely and this had a negative effect on several societies.  Many societies disbanded but the Vintners retained a large playing membership through the 90’s and all the way through to the present day.

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Committee members Donncha O’Leary, Michael O’Donovan and David Fitzgibbon hard at work at the registration desk. Picture: Niall O’Shea

The first AGM of the Cork Licenced Vintners Golf Society took place on 10th October 1969 in Douglas Golf Club, but the first round of golf took place on June 19th in Douglas Golf Club with a group of Publicans playing in their first event.  Such was the interest, this lead to them forming the golf society later that year in October.  The first committee and founders were Captain George Moxley (Muskerry Golf Club), President Liam Mackessy (Muskerry GC), Treasurer John O’Sullivan (Douglas GC), Secretary Jim Clancy (Killarney GC).  Interestingly there’s still a link back to the original founders as Donal O’Sullivan is a son of the original treasurer John O’Sullivan.  This year’s anniversary committee is comprised of Michael O’Donovan (Chairperson), David Fitzgibbon, Donncha O’Leary, Joe Kearney, Don Ellis, Con Cronin and Paul O’Neill.

Gallery: Cork Vintners GS Celebrate 50 years

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Pat Bourke, Peter Collins and Fergal Murray pictured at Douglas Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Sean Crowley, Derry Murphy and Frank Sullivan pictured at the Vintners GS 50th Anniversary outing. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Tom O’Connor and Kieran Brosnan from the South County at the Cork Vintners GS outing at Douglas. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Greg Milner, Paul O’Connor and Andrew Dwyer from Musgrave at the Vintners outing. Picture: Niall O’Shea
David and Gavin Boland from Monkstown enjoying the golf at Douglas. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Committee members Donncha O’Leary, Michael O’Donovan and David Fitzgibbon hard at work at the registration desk. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Frank O’Sullivan, Howard Dunne and Denis Cregan a the Cork Vintners outing. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Pictured at the Vintners outing were Denis Dennehy, Barry Galvin, Rodney Pidgeon and Noel Maguire. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Dominic Cashman and Noel Keating pictured at the Cork Vintners 50th anniversary outing at Douglas Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea
50th Anniversary committee members , Michael O’Donovan and Donncha O’Leary at the celebration dinner in Carrigaline Court Hotel.

Thompson wins Connacht Senior Womens title

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Rachel Thompson Connacht Senior Womens June 2019_2Rachel Thompson won the Connacht Senior Championship in Westport today, going under par to hold her overnight lead and claim her first senior championship.  It was an impressive win, underlined by the winning margin of 11 strokes.

After opening with a six over par 80 yesterday, Thompson found herself just three shots off the lead as everyone struggled to get to grips with the course.  The Cork Golf Club member did just that in the second round on Thursday afternoon, shooting three under to jump up the leaderboard.  Rachel carded five birdies and two bogies to lead the field by five shots and take the overnight lead.

Thompson opened her third round this morning in the same fashion as the previous two – with a birdie.  However it was a mixed opening nine with just two pars.  Two more birdies and four bogies meant that she went out in one over par.  Thompson didn’t put a foot wrong on the way back.  Seven pars and two birdies saw her finish the 18 holes in red for the Continue reading →

Another title for Hickey, Irish Boys Under 17 Trophy Winner

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Douglas Senior Senior Scratch Cup26th May 2019

Fionn Hickey (Muskerry) pictured at the Douglas Senior Scratch Cup recently.

Fionn Hickey won another title today, he scooped the Under 17 Trophy at the Irish Boys in New Forest today.  Hickey had a disappointing 78 yesterday, but he bounced back today with a very steady level par round of 72.  A birdie 4th hole saw him turn on one under, but two bogies on the back nine saw him move from the red to +1.  Another birdie on the 16th, followed by two closing pars saw him return to level, on a four round total of 292 (+4).  That was just two shots behind the overall Irish Boys winner, Aaron Marshall from Lisburn.  It was another positive weeks for Fionn, the four rounds of 72, 70, 78, 72 will mean another handicap cut for the Muskerry golfer who is currently playing off scratch.  That’s the second trophy of 2019 for Continue reading →

Howard wins Again

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Ford Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy 2019Muskerry Golf Club Sunday 21st April 2019

David Howard (Fota Island) in action at the Ford Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy recently. Picture: Niall O’Shea

David Howard racked up his second win of the year recently when he captured the Fota Island Junior Scratch Cup.  Having won the Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy at the start of the season, Howard was runner up at Fota Island Senior Scratch Cup soon after.  The Fota Island member kept up the run of good form this month with a win at his home course.  While Fota was in great condition, heavy showers tried to dampen spirits and it certainly made scoring more difficult for everyone.   Howard was the best on the day, shooting a three over par 74, one ahead of the field.  Despite claiming to have a cold putter he had a few birdies, including a crucial one on the 18th which proved to be the difference.  Now playing off a new handicap of 3, it might be the last Junior Scratch Cup for Howard for a while, and the impressive 20 year old has his mind set on lowering his handicap.  He featured on the Fota Island Mixed and Senior Cup teams, and this week he’ll be in Junior Cup action in Castlemartyr.

It’s been a Continue reading →

Glengarriff hosts Maureen O’Hara Blair Festival of Golf

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The view from the second green at Glengarriff Golf ClubIt’s a big week for Glengarriff Golf Club, the picturesque nine hole course in West Cork is hosting the annual Maureen O’Hara Festival of Golf, taking place all week.  It makes the claim that it’s the longest running golf classic in Ireland, and from humble beginnings 35 years ago, the classic has developed into a week-long festival.  Last weekend there was a ladies classic held over Friday and Saturday, and mixed open singles on Sunday.  This week there were competitions for juveniles, ladies and gents with a mixed foursomes competition taking place today.  On Friday and Saturday the gents classic will take place.  It’s a team of four open event and there is still some availability for anyone wishing to play.  With many local businesses supporting the event, there’s a wide array of prizes on offer, and a share Continue reading →

Fota Island first with New Tech

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Fota Island_Tag Marshal_3

Jack Howard from Fota Island with the new TagMarshal devices

Everyone knows that pace of play, more commonly described as slow play, is a big problem in golf, and Fota Island is the first Cork course to introduce a new technological aid to help manage this issue.  The five-star resort is one of the first courses in Ireland to launch the groundbreaking Tagmarshal system.  The new system provides and easy way to monitor every group on the course.  A small gps unit is given to each group when they start, and the unit reports back to a base station in real time, collecting live information on the pace of play.  The base station (which is actually an iPad) relates the live information to the bank current and historic information.  Using data analytics and advanced algorithms, the system creates a heat map which identifies areas on the course where delays are likely to happen.  As the system tracks golfers in real time, any group that’s out of position can be easily identified.  Prior to the use of this technology, many courses including Fota Island would have used a course marshal.  While a roving course marshal will have a good understanding of Continue reading →

Major Sugrue, The Amateur Champion!

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2019 The Amateur Open Championship at Portmarnock Golf Club

James Sugrue (Mallow) winner of the 2019 The Amateur Championship at Portmarnock Golf Club today (22/06/2019). Picture by Pat Cashman

Portrush, Augusta, and New York will all be on James Sugrue’s agenda over the next 12 months.  That’s part of his reward for winning the famous Amateur Championship in Portmarnock.  The 22 year old Mallow man created a piece history, becoming only the second Cork golfer to win the most famous prize in amateur golf.  As the winner he’ll play in the Open Championship in Portrush next month, he’ll play in the US Open in Winged Foot New Jersey next year, and the established tradition is that the Amateur Championship winner always receives an invitation to the Masters.  Watched by his parents Margaret and Mick, and sister Michelle and brother Edward, and hundreds of supporters and friends from Mallow, James calmly rolled Continue reading →