Month: April 2021

McNamara set for new season in Monkstown

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Cian McNamara, Monkstown’s Club Professional.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Like most club professionals, Cian McNamara was busy last week getting ready for the reopening of golf.  It’s eight years since Cian landed in Monkstown, and the Limerick native has made Cork and Monkstown his home.  Like everyone interested in the sport, Cian was counting down to the reopening of golf.  He is expecting a busy restart to golf, and he’s expecting a busy summer.  “I certainly believe with the long lay-off from golf, golf tuition will be busy over the summer months” said McNamara.  “With Golf Ireland determined to play championships and inter-club events it will also add to the golf tuition demand which will be great.  Custom fitting is certainly a big area that has emerged over the last few years.  With PGA Club Professionals providing the opportunity to compare different models while using various launch monitors it gives the customer the assurance that the purchase they make is certainly suited to their technique.”

McNamara has helped drive several changes in Monkstown and one of the most exciting developments was the opening of a new Trackman studio last year.  The studio has the latest technology including an indoor driving bay and a putting area, and this gives members a real advantage when it comes to analysis and custom fitting.  “The reac Continue reading →

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Ger Broderick Celebrates 25 Years in Kinsale

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Ger Broderick pictured with his wife Caroilne Caroline Broderick pictured at the Pro Shop Challenge in 2019.

For any golfers playing in Kinsale’s Farrangalway course, there’s a good chance you’ve come across club professional Ger Broderick.  In fact Ger has been that as long as the course and he celebrated 25 years in Kinsale last week.  Having trained in the UK, Ger was working in Royal Tara when the opportunity came to return home as Kinsale opened their new 18 hole championship course in Farrangalway in 1996.  The affable PGA Pro has been there since, building his reputation over three decades.  He’s seen plenty of change in the club and the course in the last 25 years.

“When i started in 1996 the course was bare, but now the trees have grown and matured” explained Ger.  “I left Ringenane in 1989 with 150 members and returned 7 years later with Continue reading →

Job Opportunity: Douglas Golf Club Pro-Shop

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Stephen Hayes has an opening for a full-time staff member, working in the Douglas Golf Club Pro-Shop.  The role is a great opportunity for someone looking to work in the trade, and Douglas is one of the busiest clubs in Cork.  The club is nearing the end of a major transformation programme, and the new pro-shop is due to be completed this year.  Full details on the job are listed below:

Kinsale Celebrates Murphy’s Selection

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John Murphy

There were lots of celebrations in Kinsale last week when news emerged that John Murphy had been selected for the Walker Cup next month.  Murphy becomes just the fifth Cork golfer to make it to the Walker Cup.  Friends and family bombarded the 22 year old with messages of congratulations, he was one of just two Irish golfers to make the GB&I team which plays the US team in Florida next month.

Among those who were delighted with the news was Ian Stafford who has coached John since he started the game.  “I’m absolutely delighted for John, the run of form John has been on lately in a pressurised situation has shown how he has matured as a golfer and there is a great feeling of redemption in getting selected for the team in Seminole” said Stafford who has coached John for close to a decade.  “Although this is not the first time John will have represented GB&I it is the final and biggest box ticked in terms of amateur achievements and a testament to the hard and smart work John has put in.  The emotions we are feeling now are a million miles from what we felt two years ago driving away from Portmarnock after Continue reading →

The work in Lee Valley Continues

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Lee Valley Golf Club.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Off the course, 2021 has been a nightmare for golf courses with no play in the first three months of the year.  On the course, the closure given owners and managers a chance to get lots of work done, and that’s certainly been the case in Lee Valley where there have been plenty of changes.  With the staff covering the normal tasks of cutting a lot quicker when there’s no golfers on the course, the team have been able to get at some of the jobs that a lower down the priority list, as well as those tricky jobs that mean closing holes for days or weeks.  New bunkers, new tee boxes, drainage Continue reading →