Month: April 2020

The Cork Scratch Cup

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The Cork Scratch Cup

In recent years the May weekend has marked the first major amateur golf championship in Munster with the staging of the Munster Strokeplay at Cork Golf Club.  The championship was introduced 2006 following an agreement with Munster Golf and Cork Golf Club.  Munster Golf granted the new event provincial championship status and Cork agreed to host the event and incorporated their famous scratch cup into the new event.  The Cork Scratch Cup is reputed to be one of the oldest scratch cup competitions in Ireland with many saying is it indeed the oldest competition that still runs today.  Outside of a break for the second world war when all golf was suspended, the competition has been annual event on Continue reading →

When will golf return?

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Every golfer is keenly anticipating a return to the course, and while many are waiting the golfing bodies are making plans for a number of different start dates.  Munster Golf have drawn up several scenarios depending on when the green light is given.  Already the Munster Boys has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled, that should have taken place in Kinsale last week.  The Munster Strokeplay was scheduled for Cork Golf Club next week and that has now been postponed with the hope that it can be rescheduled at some point in the season.  While the championships are relatively easy to reschedule, the inter-club events are different.  In all there 11 Cups and Shields competitions with the majority of them involving all clubs.

A number of scenarios are being worked on, including changing the format to home and away, strokeplay qualifiers and mid-wee Continue reading →

Remembering T W Egan

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Tom Egan, Monkstown Golf Club

Monkstown’s Tom Egan who won the Irish Senior Cup in 1963 pictured members of the 2016 winning team; Manager Martin Walsh, Donal McDonnell, Eoghan Long and Monkstown Captain Carl Toal.

One of Monkstown’s most famous golfers Tom Egan passed away on Friday aged 89.  The Irish International dominated the amateur game for two decades in the 50’s and 60’s.  TW, as he was known, was Monkstown born and bred, his home was bordering the course and regularly jumped the wall to practice around the old fourth hole as a boy.

Egan’s practice played dividends and it showed when he played in his very first competition.  Just short of his 18th birthday he was given a handicap by the club, this normally didn’t happen until juniors turned 18.  TW was given a handicap of 12 and went on to shoot a 78 (66 nett) to win the 1947 President’s Prize.  His handicap was swiftly cut to six and he was down to scratch soon after.

Outside of Monkstown, Tom went on to win two major amateur titles in addition to a large number of local wins.  Having reached the final of the South of Ireland in 1951 he went on to win the Irish Close Continue reading →

The Progress Continues at Cork Golf Centre

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Cork Golf Centre

It’s three years since Cork Golf Centre opened and while nobody could have expected all forms of golf to be suspended, it’s still an important milestone for the progressive range.  Having operated as a range for close to twenty years, the site re-opened in 2017 under David Keating.  David Keating is one of golf’s gentlemen.  The PGA Professional has had an interesting and varied 27 years working in golf, working in Cork, Kerry, Dublin and back in Cork again where he based himself in the Ballincollig range.  The Charleville man started off serving his time in Bandon with Paddy O’Boyle, and ended up as Club Professional at his home course in Charleville.  After that he spent ten years in Killarney as Head Professional and three years ago he moved into teaching full time, splitting his time between Cork Golf Centre and the Spawell Academy in Continue reading →

Keating see’s Changes for PGA Pro’s

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Now in his third decade as a PGA Professional, David Keating has seen plenty and has watched the industry change through the decades.  “When I started as a PGA trainee almost 27 years ago there were just over 200 courses, and there’s well over 300 now” explained Keating.   “We have gone from having 200 pros to 700 since I started.  Golf went through a boom period from 2000-2007 which covered up some cracks but everything came falling down after 2008.  The market is now much smaller, there is more free information online and obviously on-course retail has suffered.  Costs have gone up, lesson rates have stagnated or reduced, and customer numbers have reduced.”  Continue reading →