Ciaran McKenna is holding a clinic in Blarney on Saturday to launch his new role as teaching professional at the busy club.  McKenna has been based from his purpose build studio in Mourneabbey for the past two years, and his new appointment with Blarney will be a big addition for the club.  While we’re heading into the winter, Ciaran was delighted to kick off the new partnership with an on-course clinic for members this weekend.

“I’m really excited to host a short game clinic at the club on Saturday.  at 11am. It’ll be 1.5 hours long with a 30 min Q&A afterward – it’s a fantastic way to meet and greet the members and have a good chat about their game” explained Ciaran.

“I will be covering all aspects of the short game which include chipping, pitching, bunker play, distance control, lie assessment and performance practice.  There are so many shots you can play around the green that you could spend all day at a green and not get bored – technique and imagination go a long way in the short game.”

The link between Ciaran and Blarney came about thanks in part his growing reputation as a full time PGA teaching professional.  “A number of my clients are members in Blarney GC and they were asking me if I would ever be interested in doing some on courses lessons. There was an opening there and I enquired about doing some coaching. I had a good chat with the GM Aodhagán and Head Greenkeeper Edwin on their vision for Blarney.  I was impressed with what they have in store for 2025 and beyond so it was an easy decision.  Also the location was a massive factor, Blarney is 20 mins from my door so it made massive sense.”

Like many other teaching professionals in Cork, McKenna has had a busy year.  His indoor performance studio provides the ideal space to learn and train regardless of the weather.

“2024 has been a busy year even though the season started later than anticipated. I had numerous clients get involved with winter/spring projects last year and they benefitted greatly from the studio. Being able to practice and play indoors with the Trackman has made practice more enjoyable and kept their games sharp. I was working with a number of teams over the start of the year getting ready for Senior/Junior Cup and Barton Shield. I do miss be involved with those teams so it was nice to get back into it.”

“I’ve put a big emphasis on Junior Development this year especially into speed training. I have a number of junior players that have embraced the concept of speed training and their performances on the course have greatly increased.  These same juniors have aspirations of getting Golf Scholarships to the US and when you see that the average clubhead speed on the college scene is faster than tour average you can see why gaining more distance is so important to help them achieve their goals.”

As well as being busy with the job, Ciaran is also busy at home after the birth of his second child earlier this year, but having his teaching studio next to the house is a big advantage.  “We welcomed our 2nd boy Charlie in August so its all hands on deck. The big reason for setting up the studio here at the house was to be closer to Carol my wife and the two boys.”

“With having your own business, I can work my schedule around going to the playground or going for a morning coffee with Arthur. We are in the off season now but golfers are seeing the benefit of ‘heavy lifting’ in the Winter months.  This includes engraining new swing changes, change in ball flight, speed training, performance practice etc. More and more golfers are using the off season to better themselves which is great to see.”

Ciaran also set up Trackman competitions for his clients, playing many of the top courses in a league format to help everyone keep up the competitive spirit during the off season.

McKenna is also excited about next year and has a number of priorities.  “The plan for 2025 is to start a Get into Golf programme, get involved with the teams at Blarney, host more short and long game clinics, and help develop the junior section. There are some quality young juniors here at the moment such as Rosaleen Drennan and Rory Honohan. I grew up in a great junior environment at Mallow under the recently retired Sean Conway and Jo Foley. We had many great years and I would love to give the juniors a taste of the success we had.”