Month: June 2020

Monkstown set for Bumper Season

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Looking back down the 18th fairway from the clubhouse in Monkstown. (Niall O’Shea)

It isn’t the year that any captain or committee would have wanted, but that doesn’t just apply to golf this year.  Despite the lockdown and the phased schedule of re-opening, golf courses and clubs are now fully open following the introduction of phase three earlier this week.  While it’s still far from normal, Monkstown is getting back to business, has added over 50 new members and has a large membership looking forward to the second half of the year.  Monkstown Captain Shane Horgan is delighted that the summer season is finally underway.  It was a very different first half of the year for the Captain as he explained.  “Strange is a pretty good word for it, though in some of my weaker moments over the last few months I might have been tempted to describe it differently from time to time” said Shane.  “I fully expected to face some challenges during my year of office, but I anticipated that those challenges would be broadly Continue reading →

Monkstown in Great Condition

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Monkstown’s Shane Horgan returning to play after the lockdown, pictured with Club Professional Cian McNamara.

Greenkeepers across the county have been busy.  They spent two months preparing courses during the lockdown and since the reopening they have been working hard as golfers have filled every available timeslot.  Monkstown has been in high demand and Captain Shane Horgan has been delighted with the results from the hard work put in by the greenkeeping team.  “The course has been in amazing condition since re-opening and it has been getting really positive reviews from members” said Horgan.  “It’s in as good a condition as I have ever seen it.  We’re really lucky to have an exceptional course staff, led by Martin Travers, who has been with the Club for over 30 years, and they have done an amazing job to keep the course in magnificent shape both Continue reading →

Competitions are back

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There was more good news for clubs last week when the GUI announced that four Cups and Shields events will take place.  Having selected four competitions that could potentially proceed, the mens union polled all of the participant clubs and received a strong mandate to plan for the provincial stages.  Over 75% of clubs backed the plans to proceed with the AIG Senior and Junior Cups, the Jimmy Brun Shield and the Pierce Purcell Shield.  The GUI had previously announced that the Mixed Foursomes and the Barton Shield would not proceed this year.

At this stage of the year most of the qualifying rounds would have been completed, and it will be another few weeks before the competitions get underway as a statement from the GUI expla Continue reading →

Cope Classic 2021

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Pictured at the launch of the annual Cope Foundation Golf Classic, sponsored by O’Flynn Exhams Solicitors, at Monkstown Golf Club are Micheal O’Mullain, Partner at O’Flynn Exhams Solicitors, Shane Irwin, Monkstown Golf Club, Sean Abbott, Chief Executive at Cope Foundation and Brian Hurley from Monkstown Golf Club.
PIC Darragh Kane

The Cope Foundation Golf Classic will take place in 2020, and it promises to be another great event for the Cork charity.  After successful events in Douglas Golf Club and Cork Golf Club, the popular classic now returns to Monkstown for the 2020 staging on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th September.  Rescheduled from the regular August date due to Covid-19, the event will be run under the guidelines that apply at th time and the organising committee are now working on building the timesheet to ensure another successful event.

The event has been running for 24 years and has raised over €1.65 million.  It started in Rathsallagh in Co Wicklow and regularly had the sold out signs up for the two day event.  After Rathsallagh closed in 2015 the event moved to Cork, rotating between Monkstown, Douglas and Cork.  Last year’s event in Douglas was another great success with close to €50,000 raised over the two days.  As well as prizes for each shotgun start, the overall winner Continue reading →

PGA’s Pro’s getting back in the swing

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Cork Golf Centre

While courses opened in mid-May, it took most Golf Professionals a few weeks more to restart their businesses.  Almost all PGA Professionals are now back in business following the lockdown and many are reporting a strong start to the shortened season.  Cork Golf Centre re-opened in May and the Ballincollig centre is now back to offering the full range or services.  Wayne O’Callaghan is one of three teaching professionals based in the centre and he’s delighted with the large number of golfers coming for lessons or just Continue reading →

Golf is getting back to normal

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Golf is getting back to normal, there are plenty of golfers back on the courses in Cork although it’s a bit slower than many golfers would like.  Since Monday 8th June the sport entered the second phase of the return to play protocol which has been developed by the ILGU and GUI.  Both bodies have been proactive in getting golfers back on the course, golf was one of the first sports to be allowed to reopen.  Last week should have seen two major developments, the extension of the travel limit to 20km and the return of competitions.  While the travel limit was extended to the full county, competitions unfortunat Continue reading →

Blarney’s Membership Boost

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Blarney Golf Resort

Blarney Golf Resort is proving to be a great success story, the Cork club has used to the past three months to boost membership and refresh the look and feel of the John Daly signature course.  Since the start of the season the resort has added over 120 new members as well as giving the course a substantial revamp.  Blarney’s PGA Professional Alan O’Meara led the new membership drive but he was also behind the work that has taken place on the course.  With seven weeks of no golf, it was the ideal opportunity to get around to a few jobs that always seemed to be on the long finger.  O’Meara took on the job himself, and picked up some help along the way.

“I feel the first look is important, the c Continue reading →

Douglas Developments Nearly Complete

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Its an exciting time for Douglas Golf Club, despite the short-term restrictions, the southside club is finishing the latest of its recent developments with the completion of the clubhouse refurbishment due soon.  Douglas has completed several projects in the recent years including the upgrading of the practice facilities as well as a new five-hole short game facility.  With golfers back on the fairways for almost three weeks, and phase two set to start next week, the season is finally underway following the Covid delay.

Like all other golf clubs, Douglas faced several challenges following the government recommendation to close.  While the catering and bar staff didn’t have an opportunity to continue working the course and admin staff worked through using new ways of work to keep everything going.  Douglas General Manager John McHenry has worked in the industry for over 20 years, but like everyone else this was a new experience for him.  He explained the process they have used from the shutdown in late March.  “Once the golf course was designated Continue reading →